W. W. Grainger and MSC Industrial Supply made a commitment to ship maintenance repair and operations (MRO) supplies using USPS® Parcel Select® service. Beginning June 1, 2009, W. W. Grainger implemented the use of Parcel Select service in delivery of MRO and custodial products at the Niles Distribution Center (DC). The remaining DCs will be on a weekly schedule until 100 percent are using Parcel Select service to deliver products to Postal Service™ facilities. MSC Industrial Supply’s implementation of a new delivery method is still in progress. We will publish an additional notice when details are finalized.
Parcel Select service is provided by a third-party consolidator that picks up and transports the mail to one of three destination entry points. USPS then delivers the mail to its addressee or “the last mile.” Expect a 2–3 day delivery window from the time the order is received with Parcel Select service. Adequate planning will be required to receive orders when needed with this new delivery method. All orders will have a Delivery Confirmation™ barcode and will be traceable via USPS.com®.
The Parcel Select option brings revenue for delivery of products back to USPS. Mail processing changes may be needed to ensure that USPS orders from W. W. Grainger are delivered correctly within our plants and postal facilities. Mail processing operations will need to ensure that maintenance shipments from W. W. Grainger that are commingled with other mail are properly directed within the plant or Post Office™ facility to the correct internal addressee as shown on the label.
Maintenance managers should be aware of how these Parcel Select orders are handled within their facilities to ensure that these products are delivered to the end user in a timely manner. These products are critical for repair of equipment, and untimely delivery could result in delay of operations.
Contact Victoria Kokoruda at 214-819-7102 or victoria. a.kokoruda@usps.gov if you have additional questions.
— Environmental & MRO Category Management Center (CMC), Dallas, Texas, Supply Management, 7-16-09
