The United States Postal Service is to extend the use of mail sorting technology, which boosted itsefficiency in letter processing, to so-called “flats” – large envelopes, magazines, catalogues and
circulars – in a new productivity and cost-cutting drive.Postmen and women currently must sort flats by hand before leaving the office for deliveryroutes. But a new programme, the Flat Sequencing System, will see 100 sophisticated machines ableto sequence the mail at a rate of 16,500 pieces an hour deployed in 33 centres across the countryin the summer of 2008.
“Using technology to sort flat mail into the order of delivery for letter carriers willincrease efficiency in the office and allow carriers to begin delivering to their customers earlierin the day,” said Walt O’Tormey, USPS vice president for engineering.
“The Postal Service experienced significant benefits in the 1990s by automating theprocessing and sequencing of letter mail, and we hope to extend these improvements to theprocessing of flats.”
A prototype system was installed earlier this year in Indianapolis, while a six-day-a-week,one-year trial of the equipment is to take place at USPS’s Dulles facility in Virginia.
The tests will allow USPS to measure the system’s effect on downstream transportation,logistics, work methods and other long lead-time activities required to support full-scaledeployment of the programme.
“Delivery remains our largest cost, accounting for 43 percent of all expenses,” said O’Tormey. “That, combined with costs to serve almost two million new addresses each year, means wemust pursue every opportunity to improve our efficiency and the service we provide to ourcustomers.”
