« Front Page More News »    Posted February 17, 2004 | 1:35 p.m. ET FAT Tuesday here early Testing begins on new processing system Automation revolutionized letter and flat processing for the Postal Service. Now it's about to do the same thing for packages. The first article test (FAT) for the automated package processing system (APPS) begins today at the Twin Cities Metro Hub in Minneapolis, MN. APPS, the next-generation package sorter, replaces the older, labor-intensive, small parcel bundle sorter. APPS has a number of enhanced features. "Singulation" gets packages to politely line-up for processing. "Dimensioning" measures the package's length and girth to determine if it's oversized. An "image tunnel" lifts images from four sides of a package. APPS combines these features with tested automation scanning favorites like an optical character reader, a barcode reader and a video coding system using up to 200 outputs, to improve productivity and sortation accuracy. "APPS will transform package processing," said Processing Operations Manager Walt O'Tormey. "It will increase operational efficiency and improve service while reducing costs."	If you’re looking for USPS News Link, it’s available only on the Postal Service intranet at blue.usps.gov/news/link. Link is a publication for USPS employees. If you’re an employee and would like to subscribe to the e-mail version of Link, send an e-mail with your name and work location to uspslink@usps.gov.