USPS RESUMES NETWORK CONSOLIDATION

WASHINGTON, DC — The USPS will resume network consolidations that were suspended in 2015 after outcries from mailers and consumers that service would suffer from more cutbacks.

The USPS made the announcement on April 27.

The movement of mail processing operations at 18 facilities previously paused in 2015. Those select moves will follow USPS’ existing contractual process and be completed by November 2021. Due to the decline in mail volume, we will relocate or remove unnecessary letter and flat sorting equipment as appropriate to make space for much needed package processing. Moving, removing, and repurposing mail processing equipment and operations or “operational mail moves” is an ongoing Postal Service strategy dating back decades that allows for more efficient, timely delivery of mail and packages.

Click for List of Impacted Postal Facilities

The USPS also announced an accelerated investment and procurement of 138 package processing sorters that will be operational ahead of the 2021 peak holiday season, with plans to purchase additional processing machines over the next 18 months as package volume grows. As USPS expands its role in the e-commerce marketplace, we will deploy and maintain a diverse suite of package sorters and material handling equipment to optimize processing throughputs. In March, USPS customer demand for package deliveries has grown 28 percent over a year ago.

It also announced the leasing of an additional 45 annex facilities located near processing centers in key locations to support surges and overflow of packages.

The Postal Service has a national network of mail processing facilities that processes and sorts nearly 430 million pieces of mail and packages to 161.4 million addresses at least six days a week. In 2020, the Postal Service delivered more than 129.2 billion pieces of mail and packages to customers located in every state and territory, county, city, town and rural area in the nation.