USPSNEWS@WORK

PostalOne! Helping business mailers get the job done right

Now it's easier than ever for companies of all sizes to use the power of business mail with PostalOne! - the business mail management system that performs for customers. PostalOne! electronically links business mailers with their entire mail supply chain and the Postal Service through a hard-working suite of online tools that streamline business mailings and give customers virtual, hands-on control at every point in the process.

To get started, customers can ask their Business Mail Entry manager for a guided tour of all that PostalOne! offers. Or they can call the PostalOne! Customer Care line at 800-522-9085 or visit www.uspspostalone.com.

PostalOne! helps business mailers get the job done right.

Louisville PDC improves flat sorter performance

The fall mailing season is here. Mail processing facilities looking to get the best performance out of their automated flat sorter machines (AFSMs) using the new automatic induction (AI) technology could take a tip or two from the Louisville, KY, Processing and Distribution Center (PDC).

The Louisville team is mastering the AFSM 100's new AI and automated tray handling system. The site continually reaches top performance levels, averaging more than 15,300 mailpieces per operational hour - nearly 10 percent above where they were before AI. That's the kind of improvement USPS facilities are going to need for a successful fall mailing season.

Want to be like Louisville and increase your facility's AFSM performance? Operational tools and support documents are available on the Engineering intranet Web site at http://web.eng.usps.gov/references/systemperformance.htm.

USPS issues Southern Florida Wetland stamp pane

Unveiling the new Nature of America stamp pane are, from left, Naples Zoo Board of Directors President Larry Richardson, student Jonas Garcia, USPS Chief Human Resources Officer Tony Vegliante, student Ahven Donavon and Naples Zoo Safari Director Jane Tetzlaff.

To raise awareness of the diverse species inhabiting the fragile environment of the world's largest subtropical marshland - the Florida Everglades - the Postal Service has dedicated the Nature of America: Southern Florida Wetland stamp pane and stamped postal cards.

The stamps and cards depict 21 plants and animals found in southern Florida wetland areas. The stamp pane, which can be used as a "flash card," has information on the back listing common and scientific names. The ceremony took place at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens against a backdrop of many of the plants and creatures seen on the sheet.

For more pictures from the event, go to https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2006oct05gallery2.htm.

Pacific Area Energy Program Committee earns national recognition

The Pacific Area Energy Program Committee has received two awards from the federal government in Washington, DC - a Presidential Award for Leadership in Energy Management in the Results category and a Federal Energy and Water Management Award.

Under the leadership of Pacific Area Environmental Programs Manager Ray Levinson, and with the help of Environmental Specialist Joseph Vanden Berg, the committee delivered significant results in key areas such as energy efficiency and energy conservation, increased use of renewables, improved electric reliability and reduced energy costs.

The committee's activities have resulted in more than $108 million in completed energy efficiency and energy management retrofit projects, including development of the largest civilian agency stock of solar photovoltaic systems. These projects are already delivering annual cost savings of approximately $9.4 million and annual energy savings of nearly 340 billion BTUs (British thermal units).

Winter Park, FL, Aloma Carrier Annex earns VPP Star Flag award

Winter Park, FL, Aloma Station Manager Kathy Grimsley, left, Supervisor Pierre Libersat, APWU Steward Al Robinson, NALC Shop Steward Johnny Palacio and Postmaster David Maze show off their new VPP Star flag.

The Winter Park, FL, Aloma Carrier Annex has earned one of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) highest awards - the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Five Star Award for workplace safety.

The VPP recognizes organizations that go beyond traditional safety programs by incorporating comprehensive safety and health into their overall management structure. Employees and their managers typically form teams to implement safety programs that exceed minimum standards. VPP companies routinely report injury rates 50 percent lower than other companies in their industry.

Winter Park is the first workplace in the Central Florida District to earn the VPP honor. It is also the second in the Southeast Area to receive the award.

Job instructor training updated

An on-the-job instructor (OJI) helps fill the niche between classroom training and practical experience for employees. A redesigned OJI training course - course number 21505-00 - is now available through the Material Distribution Center (MDC). The new course is 6.5 hours and provides OJIs with the specific training techniques they need to be successful, preparing them for the city and rural carrier, sales and services associate and mailhandler training courses.

Course components are now available for download at the Employee Development Training Course Materials site at http://trainingmaterials.usps.gov. You can also order course components from the MDC:

Five modules stress the importance of providing a standardized message from the academy through the OJI component of training. On-the-job training is emphasized as a critical follow-up to academy training in driving improved performance.

Holiday Snowflakes stamps dedicated

Leading the applause at the unveiling of the Holiday Snowflakes stamps are, from left, American Stamp Dealers Association President Eric Jackson, USPS Senior VP and General Counsel Mary Anne Gibbons, snowflake photographer and physicist Kenneth Libbrecht and USPS Stamp Services Manager David Failor.

USPS held a first-day-of-issue dedication for its 2006 Holiday Snowflakes stamps series at the New York Mega StampShow.

The Holiday Snowflakes stamps are produced from photographs of actual snowflakes taken by physicist Kenneth Libbrecht. An author of four books on snowflakes, Libbrecht used a small paintbrush to move each crystal from a cardboard collection board to a glass slide. He took the pictures in the wilds of Michigan, Alaska and Canada, with a digital camera attached to a high-resolution microscope.

The images represent two types of stellar snowflakes. Three of the images are dendrites, which have tree-like branches. The fourth, shown on the lower left of the pane, is a sectored plate, featuring broad branches divided by ridges.

The holiday stamps are on sale now.

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