WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service's international mail facility at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport has earned its second consecutive Certificate of Excellence from a leading international association dedicated to improving service for postal customers around the world.

The award from the International Post Corporation (IPC) recognizes the New York center for quality and efficiency in processing international letter-class mail and for high standards of teamwork and communications. The IPC is a cooperative association of 24 postal agencies including USPS from North America, Europe and the Pacific, whose mission is to develop and improve international postal services.

The New York International Service Center (ISC) received its first Certificate of Excellence in 2006, awarded for a three-year period. The second certification, awarded today, is the culmination of a months-long process of self-assessment and operational improvements by USPS, as well as detailed IPC tests of more than 140 quality-of-service activities.

"Back-to-back certification demonstrates the Postal Service's commitment to service in New York and across the entire organization," said Pranab Shah, USPS Global Business vice president and managing director. "We are very proud of this achievement because it recognizes excellent performance by our employees. It also demonstrates that customers can depend on the Postal Service for their domestic and global shipping needs."

The New York ISC opened in 1980 and is the largest office of exchange for international mail in the world. The 800,000-square-foot facility processes almost half of the total international mail volume of the United States. In addition, some 80 percent of all military mail moves through the facility.

The New York (JFK) center is one of five USPS international service centers across the country. Chicago's J.T. Weeker facility also has received certification twice from the IPC, in 2004 and 2008. The three other facilities, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco, all were certified in 2007.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.