USPS Awards Parascript Contract for OCR to Support Automated Parcel Bundle Sorting
Longmont,CO, June 1, 2011 – Parascript, LLC, the image analysis and pattern recognition technology provider, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to automate the processing of parcels and bundled mail for The United States Postal Service (USPS) under its Automated Parcel Bundle Sorter (APBS) Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program.
Under the terms of the contract, Parascript will provide 191 OCR units for different USPS facilities throughout the United States. The Parascript APBS-OCR systems will provide recognition, arbitration, and connectivity services to the USPS APBS. Parascript technology will automatically locate and recognize destination addresses, optional endorsement lines and presort stickers on parcels and bundled mail, and will output finalized address information based on an address directory database.
“We are very pleased to have been selected by the USPS and to contribute to the success of the APBS program with our world leading address recognition technology. We are proud to have offered a unique solution with both machine-print and handwritten address recognition provided by a single vendor that far exceeded the USPS’ requirements. This creates a great opportunity for increased efficiency, greater flexibility in system lifecycle management, and a better return on investment,” said Alexander Filatov, president and chief technology officer for Parascript.
Parascript recognition software is also utilized by many postal agencies around the world such as Royal Mail, Deutsche Post, Russian Post, Poste Italiane, Posten, and TNT.
source: Parascript, LLC
Arbitrator Rules USPS Violated Contract By Subcontracting Installation Of Postal Equipment
Filed under: APWU, automation, maintenance, postal, postal news, usps
From Gary Kloepfer. Assistant Director, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
This is a summary of Regular Panel Arbitrator Leroy R. Bartman in case H00T-1H-C-03081013 regarding the Postal Service’s purchase of a Low Cost Tray Sorter which was installed by the manufacturer. The arbitrator ruled the Postal Service violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement and ordered the bargaining unit to be whole. Read more
USPS Pacific Area VP: Newspaper mischaracterized Automated postal technology
Drew Aliperto, USPS Pacific Area Vice-President in a letter to North County Times (California) sets the record straight on postal automated technology
The recent North County Times editorial “Return to sender: Expensive post office technology pointless without labor savings” (Feb. 3) was a mixed bag: the analysis of the impressive capabilities of the U.S. Postal Service’s Flats Sequencing System was spot on, but the rest of the observations were either off the mark or flat wrong. Allow me to set the record straight.
The cost figure cited for the FSS machines to be installed at the Margaret L. Sellers Processing and Distribution Center in Carmel Mountain Ranch actually represents an estimate of the total investment for the national FSS program —- including lengthy research and development for this “modern marvel,” as the editorial rightly put it.
The claim that the substantial cost savings from the FSS machines “will not be passed on to taxpayers any time soon” perpetuates the myth that USPS operations are funded by taxpayers. They aren’t. Customers who purchase postage, products and services fund USPS operations, and they will reap the benefits of FSS.
Despite the editorial’s claim to the contrary, the FSS does in fact result in a reallocation of resources. The FSS allows USPS to significantly reduce the number of delivery routes by virtually eliminating the manual sorting done by carriers in the morning and expanding the number of deliveries they can handle on the street.FSS also reduces the amount of equipment and back office work space required, which can lead to consolidation of facilities and right-sizing of our network. Labor costs are reduced in affected offices, as letter carriers retire and aren’t replaced.
full story: North County Times| Serving San Diego And Riverside California Counties
Postal Service’s new sorter won’t need breaks
OIG: USPS Mid-Carolinas District Could Reduce Workhours By Eliminating 10 CSBCS
This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit reviewing the use of Carrier Sequence Barcode Sorter (CSBCS) machines (Project Number 09XG026DR000) in the Mid-Carolinas Customer Service District (district). Our objective was to evaluate the business case for continuing to use CSBCS machines located in associate offices in the district. This audit addresses financial and operational risk. See Appendix A for additional information about this audit.
Conclusion
Although a business case exists for continued use of CSBCS machines in some associate offices in the district, we concluded they can reduce 10 machines. While the district previously reduced the number of CSBCS machines by 11 during the audit, it had not yet fully evaluated moving more letter mail to the delivery barcode sorters (DBCS) in the plants. See Appendix B for a detailed analysis of this topic.
We estimate the district could reduce mail processing and maintenance workhours, and save more than $3 million as a result of eliminating 10 CSBCS machines. See Appendix C for our monetary impact calculation.
We recommend the district manager, Mid-Carolinas Customer Service District:
1. Reduce 10 carrier sequence barcode sorters at selected associate offices as well as the associated workhours.
2. Evaluate mail processing operations on a recurring basis to identify further opportunities for cost savings and greater mail processing efficiencies.
See Full Report
USPS Presentation On Proposed 5-Day Delivery Operations
USPS Presentation on 5-Day Delivery Operations, Reasons, stakeholder and mailer issues at last month’s MTAC meeting
Download PDF file on presentation
USPS Update On Flats Sequencing System
Filed under: automation, flat sequencing system, FSS, mtac, usps
USPS Update on FSS presented at the MTAC meeting last montn.
Download PDF file of the presentation
USPS To Postal Employees: Do Not Obliterate the Barcode
USPS reminds postal employees not to cross out barcode as mail moves through the system
The Intelligent Mail® barcode contains important data that is used to provide mailers — including the Census Bureau — with information, such as when the mailing entered the mailstream and undeliverable or address correction information. But technology cannot reliably produce this information if it can’t read the barcode.
That’s why the Postal Service™ is telling employees to make sure they don’t obliterate the barcode as mail moves through the system. Specifically, employees should not mark through, obliterate, or affix any labels over the Intelligent Mail barcode.
Also, the Postal Service wants to make sure that when employees mark up First-Class Mail® items, they use only clear space on the front of the envelope, being careful not to mark over any address or barcode information.
source: Postal Bulletin
USPS Revises Plan For Deployment of FSS Machines
USPS is updating its plan for deployment of its Flats Sequencing System (FSS) machines. The changes are due primarily to lower mail volume.
Under the revised plan, the Postal Service will redirect 19 of the 100 new FSS machines to new plants. Two of the 32 locations originally scheduled to receive the machines — Aliso Viejo, CA, and the Atlanta BMC, now a Network Distribution Center (Link, 8/14) — have been removed from the list. However, the revised plan increases to 42 the number of facilities receiving the high-tech sorting machines, including 12 locations that were not in the original deployment.
FSS technology automatically sorts flat mail in the order that letter carriers deliver their routes. This technology means that carriers will no longer have to case flat-size mail. Large envelopes, magazines and catalogs will arrive in walk sequence order in the same way that letter mail arrives for carriers today.
By sorting the mail in sequence order, FSS will reduce the amount of time carriers spend manually sorting mail and increase the time available to deliver mail. Improving delivery efficiencies helps the Postal Service control costs associated with the addition of nearly 1.8 million new delivery addresses each year.
Machines are already installed and operating at plants in Dulles, VA, and Columbus, OH. USPS is installing machines in Kansas City, MO, and Phoenix, AZ, that are scheduled to be operational by September 2009. The Dulles facility is sequencing flats for 41 delivery units totaling 1,238 routes.
Click here for more information on the FSS revised deployment plan.
source: USPS News link
Are Postal Workers Being Sickened by Paper Pollution?
Dear EarthTalk:
I run a sorting machine at the post office, and am worried about all the paper dust swirling around the building. I asked both management and our union if this was a health or safety problem and both said no, but I’m not sure they really know. Can you set the record straight? — J.G. Eddins, Phoenix, AZ
ANSWER
One of the drawbacks to the increasing mechanization of postal facilities is the increase in paper dust. The machines doing the grunt work loosen the dust and send it airborne, where workers can breathe it in copiously.
Contrary to what management and the union may say, paper dust can be a hazard to postal workers, causing and exacerbating respiratory problems. Sorting machines could also theoretically disperse contaminants (such as anthrax) intentionally sent through the mail into postal facilities, further adding to the risk of the job.
“There’s no federal safety standard on it, so it’s a real problem,” reports Bob Williamson, president of the San Francisco chapter of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). “We’ve had people who have developed occupational asthma from breathing the fine dust.” Other reported problems include bronchitis, allergic reactions, migraines, bacterial infections, conjunctivitis and sore throats.
In the Fall of 2008, more than 450 current and former postal employees, many in the Chicago area, signed a petition to occupational health officials and postal unions blaming health problems on paper dust fibers inside post offices. Some are seeking health benefits to pay for related medical treatment.
“I do believe that my life is going to be shortened,” Delphine Howard, a former manager at two local post offices, told Chicago’s ABC7 News. “I started having severe bronchitis attacks, severe asthma attacks, and severe chest pains.” She worked for the postal service from 1987 until 2005 when her doctor diagnosed her with “a medical condition that is affected by unclean air, dust particles and residue in volumes in her present employment areas.” Several other Chicago area postal workers complained of similar symptoms as a result of ongoing exposure to postal dust.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) studied the issue in 1998 and found no direct link between health and postal dust, but did discover that sorting machines could send potentially carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (such as ink) and other irritants like dust mites into the air. The USPS told ABC7 News it had “only received two direct complaints of respiratory problems in the last several years.”
Diligent cleaning of the machines can help keep the problem in check. “Vacuum and wipe down the machines every day rather than resorting to the quicker method of blowing the dust off the machines and into the air,” says the APWU’s Williamson, adding that workers can also wear masks to minimize breathing in of postal dust and any contaminants in the air with it. He also recommends that post offices rotate their workers around to different duties to avoid perpetual exposure to potentially harmful or aggravating activities. Besides dealing with paper dust, mail sorters frequently suffer from muscular-skeletal problems associated with repetitive motion strain.
source: The Daily Green
Related links:
The Latest Developments in USPS Technological Or Mechanization
APWU Clerk Division Officers met with the Postal Service regarding “implementation of technological or mechanization changes” that affect jobs. The parties discussed several ongoing and new developments.
FSS Program
As many of you are already aware, the Flat Sequencing Sorter is the latest Postal Service automation program. Designed to facilitate delivery-point sequencing (DPS) of flat mail, it will have a significant impact on the craft and the number of jobs for career employees. FSS deployment is scheduled for later this year.
But like everything else, this program has been impacted by the decline in mail volume. As a result, the number of zones (ZIP codes) expected to be included in Phase 1 has been increased by about 50 percent. The nearly 15 percent decline in volume will also affect the deployment of Phase I FSS machines.
We are awaiting more information on this program and the specific changes to the schedules for implementation.
DBCS (Phase 7)
A pilot test has begun on the next-generation Delivery Bar Code Sorter. The Postal Service projects that this machine has the operational capacity to sort more than 50,000 pieces per hour, twice what the current DBCS can do.
Although the deployment is scheduled for late this year or early next year, mail volume and the economic situation may impact DBCS placement as well.
LMS Technology
The Enterprise Learning Management System (LMS) will consolidate several of the electronic systems that deliver and track USPS training programs. The resultant single technology will automate and standardize the administration of these systems.
LMS deployment is scheduled to begin in June, and we anticipate that this will have a significant impact on the current number of Training Technician positions. We will pass along information that is specific to the impacted areas as it becomes available.
Tour 2 Impact on Mail Processing
The APWU is pursuing several disputes over the Postal Service’s nationwide program to eliminate or drastically reduce Tour 2 assignments and employees. One Step 4 dispute (HQTG200820) focuses on management’s violation of Article 17.5.B.4, which requires joint discussions on new initiatives during the development stage, and obligates the USPS to bargain in good faith.
In addition to filing local grievances regarding excessing and prior notification under Article 12, as well as abolishments, reversions, and repostings under Article 37,we should also be diligent in ensuring that no violations of Article 7.2, which covers cross-craft assignments, are taking place. For instance, Mail Handlers clearly should not be performing Clerk Craft work. And supervisors are prohibited from performing our work under Article 1.6.
source: APWU