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
USPS Awards Siemens $80 Million Contract To Update Postal Automated Redirection System
Siemens Industry Inc., Arlington, Texas, has been awarded a $79,986,000 contract from the U.S. Postal Service’s Supplies and Services Purchasing, Merrifield, Va., for Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) software and computer hardware enhancements. According to the notice: This is a non-competitive award to Siemens for enhancements to the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) to increase system performance read rates, error rates and processing functionality.
The United States Postal Service awarded Siemens Dematic a $240 million contract for the PARS in 2006 to optimize its letter forwarding process. The order also included the national deployment of a new change-of-address forms processing system.
See archived information on the PARS
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
Postal Service Awards $874.6 Million Contract for Flat Sequencing System
Filed under: automation, FSS, postal, postal news, press releases, usps
BALTIMORE, Maryland – Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $874.6 million fixed-price contract from the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide 100 Flats Sequencing Systems (FSS) designed to further automate the flats mail stream, which includes large envelopes, catalogs and magazines.
“The FSS award is the latest in a series of programs reflecting our strong relationship with the Postal Service to integrate Northrop Grumman flat mail technologies into innovative postal automation solutions. We have focused on developing a comprehensive system that will enable the agency to realize operational efficiencies, and we are extremely proud and excited at the opportunity to make FSS a reality,” said Vicki Spira, vice president of Postal Automation at Northrop Grumman’s Government Systems Division.
Northrop Grumman’s first generation of flats sorting technologies is in operation at Postal Service processing centers nationwide. FSS represents the next generation of flats automation by sorting mail to the delivery sequence of each carrier, thereby reducing manual sorting. Flat mail is a labor-intensive category of mail to process and deliver due to variations in size and thickness
Northrop Grumman is serving as the FSS prime contractor. The company jointly developed the key technologies incorporated into FSS with Solystic, a company subsidiary in France, and Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. in Arlington, Texas. This team will field a pre-production version of the system later this year, which will be used by USPS to develop system operational procedures.
Installation of the first FSS production units at USPS facilities nationwide is expected to begin in 2008 with the remaining FSS installations scheduled for completion by 2010.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
SOURCE: Northrop Grumman Corporation