Tray Management Systems, which only process letter trays and flats tubs. The UTS handles these product types as well as sacks, parcels, bundles, and mail cartridges. Featuring state-of-the-art material handling technologies and information systems, this equipment enhances the ability to contain workhour growth while providing improved work processes and information flow within the processing plants.

     A production contract for flat tub lidding equipment was awarded, and the initial 18 units have been successfully deployed. When mail is ready for dispatch from a processing facility, trays of mail must have sleeves and flat tubs must have lids with strapping applied to both to secure the mail during transport. The Postal Service has now automated this process. Conversely, when mail arrives at a processing facility, the strapping must be cut so that the sleeves and lids can be removed for access to the mail for processing. Development of the prototype flat tub unlidding and mail tray unsleeving technologies have been completed and field-tested for operational reliability. Preproduction activities will proceed with national deployment to follow in 2004. Deployment of the unlidding and unsleeving technology will target cost reduction, in receipt operations and will provide ergonomic benefits.

     In 2004, the Postal Service will expand the list of approved modules for tray transport, staging, subsystem processing, and communications. A deployment of this integrated dispatch and receipt equipment is planned for 2004-2005. This equipment will primarily target cost reductions in incoming and outgoing dock operations, as well as receipt and dispatch operations inside processing facilities.

     The Postal Service has made significant investments in designing, deploying, and using many new material handling technologies in the past few years. There is now a formal program for supporting these investments to ensure that the maximum life-expectancy is achieved and the equipment is upgraded with software and hardware enhancements as appropriate

technologies become available in an industry that will benefit processing operations. There are three technologies with deployment activities during 2003.

     The low cost tray sorter (LCTS) sorts letter trays and flats tubs in a variety of different inbound, in-process, and outbound operations in processing and distribution centers (P&DCs), BMCs, and air mail centers. These systems are configured to the unique needs of each particular processing facility. Deployment of this equipment began in 2002. In 2003, 90 additional systems were deployed. Future systems will include new modules providing the functions necessary to integrate other operations related to the receipt and dispatch of mail containers into the LCTS.

     The Automatic Tray Handling System (ATHS) for the AFSM 100 will upgrade the current manual sweeping and tray replacement operation to one that is automatic. The ATHS 100 will reduce the required machine staffing by one person as it will automatically load, dispatch, and label trays. Additionally, it will prevent the double-labeling of trays that could delay or misdirect mail.

     A prototype system has been in use since 2002. In 2003, a preproduction ATHS 100 was added to the operation, with both now being used. The Postal Service awarded a contract for 350 systems in September 2003. Deployment is scheduled to begin in late 2004 and end in 2006.

     The ATHS for the UFSM 1000 will automate the sweeping and labeling of flat trays, somewhat similar to the ATHS 100. Development contracts were awarded to two vendors in 2002. Testing of their prototypes will be completed in the fall of 2003. The