What:

If you close your eyes, the clickity-clack sound you hear at the Oakland Processing & Distribution Center 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 Universal Sorting System (USS) and its “PALS”, the Parcel Assignment Labeling System, a sophisticated robotic arm that ensures no package be left behind.

Designed to handle large parcels, the USS can process over 30,000 pieces during an operating window, mostly in the evening, with 15 employees. The PAL integration can process over 2,000 packages per hour. The machine can sort packages up to 50 pounds lbs. and almost four feet in length which is ideal for handling robust holiday shipments.

When:

Wednesday, November 23 at 4:30 PM

Where:

Oakland Processing & Distribution Center
1675 7th St.
Oakland, CA 94615

Who:

Abdul Mohaiman, Manager of In-Plant Support

Media Alert:

Please RSVP to Kristina Uppal Kristina.Uppal@usps.gov
Please be aware that proper footwear is required. Please avoid heeled shoes and pumps. Ensure that you are wearing closed-toed (preferably leather) shoes that are non-slip.

Background:

As a key component to the Delivering for America plan the USPS is modernizing its operations. A total of 249 new processing machines have been installed throughout the country since March 2021 as a part of a $40 billion investment in the postal network. The new equipment combined with increased operational precision will expand USPS’s daily package processing capacity to 60 million. 

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 to deliver right in the nick of time this holiday season.

The Postal Service’s preparedness for the holiday shipping and mailing season reflects strategic investments and operational precision improvements made as part of the Delivering for America plan.

Additional holiday hiring initiatives include:

• Stabilizing the USPS permanent workforce by converting 100,000 workers to full time since the beginning of 2021; with more than 41,000 part time workers converted to full time since January 2022.
• Actively hiring an additional 20,000 seasonal employees ahead of the holiday season. There is a demand to fill hundreds of openings across the Bay Area for the holidays and beyond.

2022 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to domestic addresses and Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses*:

• Dec. 9   — APO/FPO/DPO (all ZIP Codes) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 16 — APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express Military service
• Dec. 17 — USPS Retail Ground service
• Dec. 17 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
• Dec. 17 — First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
• Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express* service

Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing and shipping deadlines, can be found on the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom at usps.com/holidaynews.

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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