What:

If you close your eyes, the clickity-clack sound you hear at the North Bay Processing Facility may sound much like reindeer hooves prancing on rooftops. Instead, it’s the sound of packages being processed at lightning speed on the newest processing equipment, the Single Induction Package Sorter (SIPS).

Designed to handle small to medium size parcels, SIPS can process close to 20,000 pieces during an operating window, mostly in the evening, with seven mail processing clerks. The machine is specifically designed for parcels under 30 lbs., which is ideal for the anticipated size of holiday shipments.

When:

Wednesday, October 13 at 3:00 PM

Where:

North Bay Processing & Distribution Center
1150 N. McDowell Blvd.
Petaluma, CA 94999

Who:

Jeffrey Moline, North Bay Plant Manager

RSVP:

We encourage the media who are attending to RSVP. Please contact  Augie Ruiz at augustine.ruiz.jr@usps.gov or (c) (415) 640-1447

Media Alert:

For access to the facility, contact Jeffrey Moline (c) (503) 358-0392

Background:

As part of the USPS 10-Year Plan, 138 additional package sorting machines have been installed throughout the country. The USPS has the most sophisticated mail processing and delivery network in the world and continues to maintain a keen eye on product, performance, price and most importantly people.

As a result of customer package demand, the Postal Service relied on manual by-hand sortation of packages to route them to our customers. The installation of these additional machines is a game changer, allowing for 12 times the package sortation capability than manual sortation and a better, more reliable service to our customers locally and beyond.

USPS continues to remain on the cutting edge by proactively thinking ahead to provide more predictable service to our customers ahead of the much-anticipated holiday seasons. Installing package sorting machines is not only part of a $40 billion dollar investment, it is a step towards modernizing operations to better equip the Postal Service to provide consistent and reliable service to customers.

Last year’s holiday season was like no other for both USPS and our customers. Demand for package delivery grew nearly 48 percent year over year (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2019 to the same timeframe in 2020) nationwide while the American public relied on USPS to deliver their holiday and essential correspondence. The Pandemic drove a surge in online shopping and ecommerce, sparking a new comfort level for customers to shop from home.

Please be aware that you will be entering our plant and proper footwear is required. Please avoid heeled shoes and pumps. Ensure that you are wearing closed-toed (preferably leather) shoes that are non-slip.

A Postal Service national press release containing Infrastructure Investments as they relate to the 10-Year Plan can be accessed at this link.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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