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Pushing the Envelope Blog

Understanding Poor Plant Performance

Date: 08/15/22 | Category: Mail Processing & Transportation

The U.S. Postal Service has approximately 300 mail processing facilities. Some of these facilities perform better than others, some perform worse, and some struggle to reach even average performance. Our auditors examined 10 historically low performing facilities to find out why.

When selecting the 10 facilities, the audit team looked for facilities that handled at least 1 billion mail pieces in 2020 and had lower on-time service performance and mail processing productivity. They also factored in whether the processing plants had a previous history of lower service performance.

As they searched for the root causes of the problems, the auditors observed operations at the facilities, met with key personnel, surveyed managers and supervisors, and examined all sorts of data and information.

They found several issues that contributed to poor performance:

  • The processing plants typically operated in older buildings with challenging layouts. Half had more than one floor, so mail had to travel between levels on elevators or other systems.
  • There consistently were not enough managers, supervisors, or employees available to staff facilities, and turnover among new hires was high.
  • There were problems with training, including a lack of standardized training.
  • On average, machines at the 10 facilities had more jams and fewer pieces sorted per hour.

The good news is that while the auditors were examining the facilities, the Postal Service made some nationwide changes that helped improve performance at many of them. Nonetheless, our auditors made 10 recommendations to the Postal Service to assist with continued performance improvements. The Postal Service agreed with seven of them and set target dates to implement them.

What do you think are the main factors contributing to poor performance at postal facilities? What would you suggest to improve facility performance?

 

 

Leave a Comment

Your Name
Doug Croley
Apr 2, 2023
Your Comment
Service from Tallahassee Florida Postal Service Plant is very disappointing. Despite numerous complaints from the outlying rural communities like Havana, FL which must depend on the Tallahassee Plant for mail processing, response from the local plant management has been inadequate at best and indifferent at worse. Numerous examples of both processing and delivery issues with in the Tallahassee Plant have been documented and are available to postal inspectors for their review if any inspectors are truly interested. Regards- DC
Your Name
Tiffany Lindsley
Jan 23, 2023
Your Comment
I need to talk about someone about my mail and about my post office and service.
Your Name
Benjamin F Patrick
Jan 12, 2023
Your Comment
I have a community mail box , royal manor Thomasville, NC 27360. I recieve other residences mail in my box and have reported this plus my own missing mail to the local office 4 times. Last two times I didn't get to speak to anyone in charge, told they were in a meeting. I have reported to US Postmaster General.I have always delivered my neighbors misslotted mail but our HOA rep told me she was told by one that they trashed such mail. Why can't UPS simlpy designate a box for miss slotted items at the mail box. Two of our items are missing today and two from december 23 still not recieved.
Your Name
Roger coffey
Jan 11, 2023
Your Comment
Coppell Texas is a postal black hole.
This seems to be an ongoing issue since 2008.
I have mail that has processed in & out of there as many as 4 times before being delivered.
I go out of my way to try & not use u.s.p.s. just for this reason. Fix this !
Your Name
Stan Cook
Jan 5, 2023
Your Comment
For six months my wife and i carefully examined to mail we received on Saturday. we agreed that ALL of the mail we received could have been delivered the following Monday without any inconvenience or problems for us, SUGGESTION: stop delivering mail on Saturdays.
Your Name
Ashley Morgan
Jan 2, 2023
Your Comment
Someone needs to look into the posts office in Thomaston ga, I have not received my mail since July because our mail carrier refuses to leave it. The mail box is not blocked no animals or people outside and the post master allows this to happen we have tag renewals for our cars that was never received bills we are not receiving and it is not at all fair I have already contacted fox 5 news I team investigation unit because I don’t no what else to do at this point.
Your Name
Kevin Smith
Dec 13, 2022
Your Comment
To Whom that may be concern this comment is to address a not new or uncommon on going practice that has taken on all the evidence of a very usual almost customary leisure position, not only in the plant employed at but at USPS facilities all over the US of A personal in positions of authority with little or no knowledge or experience in those positions, holding the responsibility for the health, livelihood and necessities of life everyone depends on in limbo with the hopes and some kind of reassurance that the person in charge has both the knowledge and capabilities and competency of the position they hold and how it affects those depending on them in a position of authority, yet all over the United States Postal World this is common practice that accrues and nothing is being done about it unfortunately it's those managers, supervisor "Plant Management in those positions that affect Us All, The Disability Veteran those needing Workman Compensation, FMLA and all those employees that work hard knowingly that the services we provide still falls in the line of duties for the customer's we serve and expectedly if and whenever should the time arrives the need to be taken care of because of medical, personal or any emergencies, that person in charge is knowledgeable and competent to show concern, and due diligence to take care of those employees in need I hope this statement is to all those who have experience and been affected by these concerns and this like always, "Don't Fall On Deaf Ears" There are Many others that share my concerns, "JUST ASK".
Your Name
Possum
Dec 13, 2022
Your Comment
Not enough good workers
Lots of lazy workers
Too many calling in
Taking advantage of the ones who will work.working them 10-16 hour days with no benefits.
Your Name
David P. Grant
Dec 12, 2022
Your Comment
Same comments.
Where did they go?
Did USPS ignore my
comments already filed?
Looks like it.
Your Name
David P. Grant
Dec 12, 2022
Your Comment
Camden, ME 04843.
This P.O. Has been closed since
Friday September 16th and all
box holders and employees must
go 16 miles round trip to get mail.
There has been no update and now it’s
the Holiday Season. It’s a long way
as Winter sets in. We need the P.O.
back to normalize life in our community.
What is the hold up? Why have we been held
in the dark?
Your Name
Tamjid buiyha
Nov 23, 2022
Your Comment
See postal service if you want to teach the world your postal service or other countries then you I think some adsense postal service change name some ad based adsense some sensing adsense some with your email some biometrics there are plan services like you online They gave different apps to sell based services to people, they sold your stuff, if you want, give your name or come with another name, read the meetings, people used it, sold those things, again they gave postal service, but actually they don't want to know that they are providing postal service. But they will know the name of the apps, they will know the name of the person-organization, there are many other types of systems where sending a mail keo with ad bimatic system you have entered so much there is a sen and anig
Your Name
Mcoss
Nov 15, 2022
Your Comment
The lack of standardized training that needs to be addressed. In the mvs department the standardized training is not standard at all in our building the lack of Management's knowledge of what it takes to do our job is even worse they know nothing about transportation and driving what we drive they know hdriverless, LLV's, promasters,or gliders and riding tow Motors. The lack of knowledge hurts the entire department. The lack of knowledge in the plant hurts the entire plant which in turn hurts the customers internal and external. Staffing has always been a problem to get them off their phones and do the work the same for management they'd rather have earbuds in their ears and pretend that they're listening to you when actually the other person is listening to you talk on a private conversation. Next time please include our location in one of your inspections I'd love to hear your point of view. 44309
Your Name
Postmaster
Oct 28, 2022
Your Comment
Please take a look at Busse Metro Surface facility, they have the worst performance in parcel processing year after years.
Your Name
barbara cazorla
Oct 25, 2022
Your Comment
Please check the Atlanta processing center. It is by far the worst in the country as packages and mail sit there for days. This has been going on for years now
Your Name
Dan and Jo Anne Hartmann
Oct 13, 2022
Your Comment
Mail delivery in our town of Truckee, CA (96161 and 96160) is almost non-existent. Even if you go to the actual post office (we had 2) there is no staff available to help you. Some residents haven't had mail delivered in weeks! Employee turnover off the charts! Closed signs on doors to post office now as no staff available. What is going to be done to fix this problem!
Your Name
Marc Sharma
Oct 2, 2022
Your Comment
The contact us link has a 404 error. Complaints to the post office end up going into a black hole of feedback loops and are intentionally difficult to use making pay outs for lost packages virtually impossible to receive even if the claims are confirmed as valid by the USPS. To date i have lost $1000s as a result of lost orders by the post office. It is honestly a miracle usps is in business. Makes sense why USPS hides and has no visibility on social media. Total joke.
  
Your Name
tamjid buiyha
Nov 23, 2022
Your Comment
Thank you. Actually, what do you think? In fact, now we don't exchange letters like before, now we exchange mails, but now there is a situation like a haunted house. Product based is a type of product that can be awakened in such a way that the delivery system is such that the service that is associated with this service will actually spend the time of those who are involved in the good work and will not be in a situation and if next to it will actually always be like a Zamzam location and many parcels from there. can pick up and those parcels from here I pray for the delivery of such a situation can actually be done with a little bit of wisdom in fact a very good one can't be cleared Postal services all over the world they have constant district based organizations the organizations are now actually an employment And I don't think another phone has to be used if the biometric process cancels the smart mind and you have to walk in something else illegal I don't think but some money remains like will those who use some money includes that service or that The money is of no use to them, many are destroying the email or getting destroyed. If those services can be repaired or kept out of your reach, then the money will be only one such, I think, and finally.But I would like to be honest, some services like Google have been introduced by the government, but if all of them could have inclusive government, then a good one is better in a situation, but we have to bring our own inclusion in what is there and that is actually a matter of time now. The real situation is actually a matter of thinking and consciousness. In the initial stage, let me know if there is a HGBG system, it will be fixed automatically. Thank you. Stay well But I would like to share one thing that there are some services that your federal government actually if all of them fall in one place but it shows a similar situation like your system is fine with the service that you are connected with this system you have online based service again. The infrastructure is fixed but there are various services. They do not look at their family as one leans on one side.
Your Name
Katherine M White
Sep 16, 2022
Your Comment
I can't help but wonder about the routes mail items take. Can someone explain to me why a package mailed in Frederick, MD to another address in Frederick, MD goes out of state twice before reaching its destination. I ordered a book from Wonder Books, only a few miles from my home, and it went to Pennsylvania, back to Maryland, then to Washington, DC, and back to Maryland. Admittedly, this didn't take very long, but it seems like a terrible waste of manpower and fuel.
  
Your Name
Stacy Jones
Jan 25, 2023
Your Comment
Yes, I can answer that for you. While theres not going to be a good answer for you, I do have an answer to that. I work for the post office. We work with packages and do mixed states packages. We have outdated equipment and the clerks on top of the machine make sure that the addresses get scanned or typed in and then it runs along the belt to drop down a shoot that falls into the bag that goes to the desired destination. If that bag is overfilled or the box is overfilled and someone hasn’t gotten to it yet, (seeing as there’s a ton of them), then it can fall on the floor. When this happens, someone can possibly think it belongs to the wrong one and throw it in the wrong place. Or sometimes, the machine gets backed up and things end up falling in the wrong box or bag. It sucks but it does happen and then they get sent to the wrong place on accident. Mail pieces that end up in the wrong state are called missent mail. We still get it done but it takes longer than normal. So not the best reason but that’s the truth and I’m sorry for anyone who has to deal with that cause I know it’s frustrating.
Your Name
Rose
Sep 9, 2022
Your Comment
Our office never receives mail regularly since last year. We have submitted online complaints so many times to no avail. We have even attempted in person at the Post Office branch to ask for our mail and have been told that there is no mail. It is now September and we have gotten our mail approximately once or at the most twice a month.
Your Name
charlie
Sep 5, 2022
Your Comment
turnover--problems with training..............perhaps the $ saving idea of using more "part time-no benefits" people is backfiring....
Your Name
Sharon
Aug 22, 2022
Your Comment
Your changes did not help the performance at the Phoenix facility. The auditors need to go back to that Distribution facility and found out why a letter takes more than 5 days to get from North Phoenix to Phoenx. Envelope was left with a clerk within the North Phoenix sub-station and tracking fell off the site 5 days later and still not at the receiving party which was an office in Downtown Phoenix. Should be a 1 day delivery.
Your Name
Mary Aplin
Aug 17, 2022
Your Comment
Working at the Po since 1991, I can tell you the problems. The PO has a history of cramming programs down your throat without changing any other processes, adding machines without changing anything else (ie. transportation, distribution, employees), hire employees without continued training, and expecting them to perform at 110%, employees willing to work hard but inept management who have no managing skills, and the list goes on. The Postal Service was a great place to work but now with the emphasis on producing revenue vs actually providing a public service to all, the wonderful establishment we all have come to love is in a steady decline. Such a travesty and a real loss to the American public. I can only hope we can continue to have this in our future. It really is a National treasure.
  
Your Name
T Sholeltuski
Jan 10, 2023
Your Comment
Yes ma’am it should be turned into a for profit type situation by doing just that I think a lot would HAVE TO change b/c accountability would become existent magically overnight. Just like all the other billions of employees in the USA in other privately run businesses; if they muddle thru their responsibilities at work & are super inefficient at completing tasks.. . .you guessed it folks they get fired they lose their job it’s NOT a givin they must get off their assets & go the extra mile for customers! Not find ways of not doing the work they are required to do. If an employee keeps repeating the SAME mistakes over & over & ov…. Fire them, & get someone to do a better job. That’s how actual successful businesses work that I know of. USPS try it-it could work out. Something has to change I’ll tell you that much. Thanks for the opportunity to make suggestions!
Your Name
Gary Raymond
Aug 15, 2022
Your Comment
Your automated systems have become a hindrance and not a tool for productivity and efficiency.
The tail is wagging the dog.