Postal Service Begins Study at Palatine Mail Processing Center

Possible consolidation of some operations

CAROL STREAM, IL—The business environment in which the Postal Service operates continues to change as it strives to satisfy customer needs and meet the challenge of providing universal service at uniform prices.

In a continuing effort to improve productivity and increase efficiency, the Postal Service plans to conduct an Area Mail Processing (AMP) study at the Palatine Processing & Distribution Center for possible consolidation of some operations into the Carol Stream Processing & Distribution Center.

An AMP study involves a review of mail processing and transportation operations of a postal facility. The reason for the study is to review mail volume and determine capacity needs in order to increase efficiency and improve productivity. In doing so, we will be able to continue to provide universal service at a reasonable cost for a long time to come.

The U.S. Postal Service is facing one of the most difficult challenges in its history. There has been a continual decline in single-piece First-Class Mail volumes over the past decade. The current economic downturn has led to an even greater decline in volume with the loss of over 9 billion pieces this past year alone. The Postal Service has to realign its processing and delivery network to match its resources with mail volume. The reality is we have an excess of equipment, staff and facilities to process a declining volume of mail. Consolidating some postal operations only makes logical business sense given the economic realities. It would be fiscally irresponsible not to do so.

We are soliciting the public’s input as part of the process. The public may submit comments to:
Consumer Affairs Manager
Northern Illinois District
500 E. Fullerton Avenue
Carol Stream, IL 60199-9631
All comments will be fully considered in any decision.

If the feasibility study supports the business case for changing mail processing operations, we will hold a public meeting to allow members of the community to ask questions and to provide feedback. This input will be considered in the final proposal.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.