LITTLE ROCK – As a result of a study begun on September 21, 2010, the Postal Service has made the decision to move some mail processing operations from the Harrison Customer Service Mail Processing Center to the Northwest Arkansas Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) in Fayetteville.
Arkansas District Manager David Camp said, “Given the drastic 20 percent decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced since 2007, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network. Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation.”
“I understand our employees’ concern over this move,” Camp added, “but the consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities. The Fayetteville center has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”
The transition is expected to be completed by July 2011. Some employees may be reassigned to the Northwest Arkansas Processing & Distribution Center or to other vacant positions as a result of the move.
“This move will not cause any changes in local mail delivery,” said Camp. “Letters mailed to local addresses will be delivered the next day, the same as before. I am confident the transition will be smooth and transparent to our customers and they will continue to receive the same excellent service they always have.”
There will be a few changes in service standards, however, as a result of the consolidation, service to Little Rock and eastern Arkansas will change from overnight to 2-day. Service to the Fort Smith area will improve from 2-day to overnight. “The significant cost savings and productivity gains expected from this consolidation were deciding factors in making this very difficult decision,” said Camp.
Full retail services will still be available the Harrison Post Office 215 West Industrial Park Road. Retail service for purchasing stamps and other services are also available at the contract Postal unit at the Royston Insurance Agency, 100 North Willow Street.
The Harrison Business Mail Entry Unit will remain open for large volume business mailers.
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
