4. Manage Complement to Assure Flexibility and Efficiency
Improve Workforce Availability
Improving workforce flexibility is becoming increasingly important as changes in mail volume dictate adjustments to operations. Each day unplanned absences result in inefficient performance and higher-than necessary overtime. More effective and appropriate use of part-time and temporary employees, supported by the new labor contracts, will help improve workforce availability. Reports that track complement and complement correlation trends will be used to evaluate the success of current staffing with business processes. The incremental complement management tool will help managers make beneficial staffing and overtime decisions by day of the week and by operation.
The National Reassessment Process is a key initiative to find appropriate and productive assignments for employees who experienced on-the-job injuries and are covered under the Workers Compensation program. The process helps evaluators re-examine the status of employees listed in rehabilitation and limited duty assignments, ensuring that every evaluated employee has the opportunity to return to work where appropriate.
5. Optimize Equipment Utilization and Performance
The Postal Service continually optimizes the use and performance of processing and other equipment. The Advanced Facer Canceller System (AFCS) 200 is planned to begin replacing aging AFCS equipment with new technology in 2010. AFCS, a central component of letter cancellation, is used to face letters, cancel stamps, lift mailpiece images, read facing identification marks, and sort mail for downstream processing. The AFCS 200 includes new cameras with better image lifting capabilities, an IM barcode printer, and additional stackers. It has a higher throughput and lower maintenance costs than existing equipment and will further reduce manual handlings.
The distribution quality improvement (DQI) program finalizes letter mail to the finest depth of sort while increasing recognition for handwritten and machine-printed addresses that the remote computer reader equipment cannot otherwise finalize. Higher accept rates result in fewer images being sent to remote encoding centers, improving service and lowering costs. Additional deployments of new technology on DQI are expected in 2008.
Ongoing efforts continue to develop improved letter automation equipment. A new version of the Delivery Barcode Sorter (DBCS), called the DBCS-7, will be field tested in late 2008 with production deployment possible in 2011. This enhanced version is expected to increase operational throughput by 30 percent over the current DBCS.
Current deployment of the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) for letters is complete. This system identifies and redirects forwardable mail during processing operations, reducing the time it takes mail to be delivered to the new address. Future plans include development and deployment of PARS to forward flat mail starting in 2009. In addition to reducing processing, transportation, and delivery costs, PARS will reduce forwarding time, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction for flats as it has done with letters.
The Postal Service continues to develop new methods to improve material handling efficiency. A new generation of high-speed tray sorters is being deployed to automate tray sortation at large plants and transportation hubs. The Postal Service has also developed specialized de-palletizing equipment for trays to be deployed in conjunction with high-speed tray sorters. New equipment also under development will automate sorting of large, bulky items. Integrated Dispatch and Receipt (IDR) systems combine equipment for dispatching and receiving operations with integrated tray transport systems to reduce handlings. Deployment of IDR systems to over 200 plants was completed in 2007 with additional deployments currently in development.
A new parcel and bundle sorter is being developed called the Postal Package Processing System. These planned systems would automate the processing of more packages and bundles as well as serve as a replacement for existing Small Parcel and Bundle Sorters reaching the end of their technological life. These new systems will have a variety of configurations that will custom-fit to different size sites. Benefits from these new systems could begin as early as 2009.
The Powered Industrial Vehicle Management System (PIVMS) enables safe and efficient management of power industrial vehicles, such as forklifts. Facilities using PIVMS have successfully reduced equipment and maintenance costs. The primary focus is to replicate success in these locations and continue deployment to new sites.
The number and variety of Mail Transport Equipment continues to be reduced to standardize operations, lower replacement costs, improve equipment availability, and tighten inventory control. The Postal Service will continue to explore additional standardization of sacks, trays, and air transport containers.