According to John Buck, Vice President, Business Development, Parascript, LLC, "lately a big red warning flag has been waving high above the Postal industry. In a time when the industry is being affected by liberalization, deregulation, and the opening-up of competition, growing concerns of cost containment and improved efficiencies are heightened even more. While the position of national posts as the sole providers of postal services is threatened by other industries, Posts should look for opportunities that go beyond their central activities and traditional geographical markets."

 
The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Paul Steven Miller and Dennis J. Toner to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
• According to the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "At a You Tube forum, President Obama was asked, "'Mr. President, our deficit (national debt) is higher than ever at $12 trillion. Will you consider allowing the private sector to buy and take over the most troubled government-run agencies such as the U.S. Postal Service?" The President's response suggests that his administration has left him poorly prepared for questions about the future of the Postal Service. As questions about the future of the Postal Service will likely be on his plate over the next 9 months, it is time for his staff to do the legwork that will have him better prepared. This post reviews information that he needs so that he can develop the level of understanding necessary to direct his staff in regards to future of the Postal Service.
• The U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General (IG) released it findings this week on the USPS’ sustainability compliance for FY2009. The IG’s report, Management Advisory - Sustainability: Promoting Energy and Recycling Compliance Fiscal Year 2009, was a result of the USPS Vice President, Sustainability, requesting the IG to review energy and recycling compliance at the Postal Service.
• The U.S. Postal Service continually updates it Area Mail Processing (AMP) page on usps.com to let mailers know of any changes to its current studies.
• Ragcontent discussed how the response provided by the USPS to the Commission Information Request was horrifying and how Congress will truly need to “bail out” the Postal Service from its own leadership and management.
• Board of Governors to meet Feb 9. Co-opetition continues. Ask Obama. Nearly 20% of email campaign messages fail to deliver. Time for a parcel merger. PRC Chair Goldway: Five-day mail delivery awaiting advisory opinion. USPS venturing into music distribution. USPS shortens closure list to 162. UPS turns in a good quarter. Netflix sees growth in mailed DVDs continuing for several years.
• Updates on postal matters published in the Federal Register.
• An update on DMM Advisory notices issued by the U.S. Postal Service.
• An update on business before the Postal Regulatory Commission.
• A review of recent reports released by the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General.
• A review of postal news from around the world.
• Postal previews.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

"The iPad: A Natural Fit for Digital Magazines." According to Publishing Executive, "For publishers, it is a special moment in time—a chance to gain a new set of readers without abandoning the very special realm of paginated media. Above all else, we need to take the concept of the page where perhaps it was intended to go all along. Keeping the page format empowers us to do what we have done for 100 years—sell advertisers our very valuable real estate. The iPad is a natural digital magazine apparatus that just might bring the luster and the profitability of the Internet age to the publishing houses of the world. This, of course, doesn't at all mean that we have to abandon the printed page, but rather that we now have an additional pathway to monetize our franchise of content."

Here’s a WILDS event scheduled for February 18th. http://www.shedelivers.org/index_files/events.htm Join Tina Benavides, Vice President of American Greeting Cards and Nancy Cushman, Print Production Manager at Crate and Barrel for a light lunch and an interactive discussion on the subject of: “Marketing to Women – Our Core Buyers” USPS headquarters (Room 1P410) 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260 February 18th -- 12:15—2:00 pm $12 for WILDS Members, $15.00 for non-members

DMM Advisory: Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute Changes and Updates. On January 29, 2010, we published a Federal Register proposed rule to revise standards to reflect changes and updates for Express Mail® Open and Distribute and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute to improve efficiencies in processing and to control costs by eliminating Label 23. We also propose to discontinue the optional use of facsimile Tag 190, Priority Mail Open and Distribute-Destination Delivery Unit. Customers would be required to use the USPS-supplied Tag 190, which is pink and easy to identify. This change will help to ensure accurate and efficient processing of Open and Distribute containers. We encourage mailers to comment no later than March 1, 2010. For more details, go to Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com, and click on Federal Registers Notices in the left frame.

The APWU President has posted a piece on "A Surprising Example of the Depth of Deception ."

DM News has reported that "The Direct Marketing Association named Robert Allen, former president and CEO of the Vermont Country Store, its interim president and CEO effective February 5."

The Armenian News Network has reported that "the Armenian government approved the draft on making an addition to government decision No 1656-A of 30 November 2006, by which the list of services provided by HayPost company has been expanded. In particular, henceforth the company will carry out customs intermediary activity."

Check out this video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at how thousands of orders are fulfilled every day for Sprint customers. UPS handles 85% of direct-to-consumer orders in U.S. after competing with 8 other companies to win the business.

The Cumberland Times-News has reported that "Area residents in need of postal services may find a convenient solution close at hand as PharmaCare West on Greene Street becomes a contract postal unit. A CPU provides all the services of a traditional post office aside from money orders and post office box rentals. “Everything else from a change of address card to registered mail can be done through us,” said PharmaCare public relations representative Jennifer Hare. “You can do all your shipping, domestic or international, here. You can buy your stamps here and we have daily pickup a couple times a day,” she said."

WHBF has reported that "People in Port Byron, Illinois had one day of notice before their one and only post office closed down. Severe roof damage and asbestos is keeping the office from reopening and there are no plans in place to have it fixed. In the mean time, people in town have to drive to Hampton, Illinois to get their mail, but are not happy about it."

According to the Altona Echo, "The Altona post office has run out of postal boxes and Canada Post isn't planning on adding any to the facility anytime soon.Representatives of Canada Post met with town staff recently saying that the present postal building has maxed out on postal boxes and that there are numerous people waiting for a box. Altona has 2,760 boxes. They are considering installing "super mail boxes" in newer developments or interior mail boxes for apartment blocks. In apartment dwellings alone, this would free up about 460 mail boxes."

The Lac du Bonnet Leader has reported that "Canada Post is not being sold to the private sector just yet, but the Crown corporation is in the midst of selling the public on its view of today and its vision for the future. This vision includes some privatization and more post office closures. In recent months, Canada Post has been featured in news stories that paint a picture of a post office in need of a major tune up. The corporation has been telling anyone who will listen that volumes and revenues are down, in part, due to the recession. According to senior management, business is difficult. The post office faces increased competition from electronic communication and its machines and plants need to be upgraded and repaired. Not to worry, Canada Post says it has a plan to deal with its challenges. The problem is it needs the federal government's support to fully succeed."

Macauhub has reported that "Portuguese postal company CTT-Correios de Portugal is due to start operating in Mozambique before the end of the first half of this year, the chairman of the group, Estanislau Costa said Wednesday in Porto, Portugal. Costa said that “adaptation work for the shops we are going to open in Mozambique,” was underway as well as “choosing the teams that will prepare the information systems for the company’s launch.” The company was officially set up in November of last year. “We signed the contract in November last for the Correio de Moçambique company, which is 50 percent owned by us and 50 percent by the Mozambican national postal company,” said Costa on the sidelines of the signing of a cooperation protocol with the Portuguese Business Association, AEP."

Balkans.com Business News has reported that "State-owned PTT Srbija (Serbian Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Service) posted revenue of 3.9 billion dinars (39 million euros) in 2009, up 1.2 billion dinars (12 million euros)."

Post & Parcel has reported that "CTT Correios of Portugal has been ranked first in the Climate Responsibility: ACGE Index carried out by the Euronatura Environmental Law and Sustainable Development Centre."

The Express and Star has reported that "Trading Standards officers in Staffordshire are supporting a nationwide campaign which aims to help end the scourge of mass marketed scam mailings in the UK."

WJAC-TV has reported that "Reduced hours at a Cambria County post office is causing a big inconvenience for some residents. The U.S. Post Office in Wilmore cut its hours from 24 hours a day to 8 hours."

The Chicago Herald has reported that "U.S. Postal Service officials announced this week over union objections that plans to move certain operations from Palatine to Carol Stream - and reassign 130 employees - are moving forward. Beginning in April, some mail processing operations that currently take place at the Palatine Processing and Distribution Center on Northwest Highway will be relocated to a similar facility in Carol Stream."

Online Media Daily has reported that "Email service provider ExactTarget released a study this week showing marketers plan to boost spending in email, social media and other non-traditional outreach channels this year. Advisory firm Econsultancy conducted the research along with the Indianapolis-based ESP. The study of 1,000-plus marketers shows 54% of marketers said they will boost budgets for email marketing, and about 66% in social media (even though about 80% of those acknowledged the difficulty in tracking ROI in the medium). Delving deeper in social media, the research showed the medium is the "fastest growing digital marketing channel." That includes venues from Facebook pages to blogs. More than 70% are boosting spending on so-called "off-site" social media offerings such as Facebook and Twitter, and about 65% in "on-site" areas such as "blogs or ratings and reviews." [EdNote: Yup, and in about five years, mail will be considered the LEAST INSTRUSIVE of all advertising media.]

Media Daily News has reported that "Newspaper Web sites have attracted a substantial online audience, but face some major obstacles to monetizing their readership with advertising, according to several new studies. However, online publishers and advertisers outside the newspaper business must also confront the same issues."

The National Association of Letter Carriers has noted that "President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget proposal requires the continuation of six-day delivery by the Postal Service. The administration also promises to work with postal unions and other stakeholders to keep the Postal Service strong for years to come. In setting the amount for “revenue forgone” to cover the costs of free and reduced rate mail, the spending plan says payments will be made “provided that 6-day delivery and rural delivery of mail shall continue at not less than the 1983 level....” Looking to the future, the proposal, submitted to Congress on February 1, states, “The Administration will work with the Postal Service, its employee unions, the Congress, and other stakeholders to make sure the Postal Service (remains) a pillar of the American economy and a vital public resource through the current crisis and over the long haul.”

From PRWeb: "Valassis, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, announced today the display of a new call-to-action poster in 33,000 post offices across the country. The poster asks the public to get involved in the search for missing children – a cause featured across its RedPlum™ portfolio. RedPlum is the consumer brand of Valassis. Posters in USPS Lobbies Send Message That Missing Children Aren’t Always Hidden The poster of a child at a birthday party with a message that missing children aren’t always hidden will be displayed through the end of May. The poster will be visible in United States Postal Service (USPS) lobbies nationwide to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Valassis’ “Have You Seen Me?®” Program in partnership with the USPS and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to raise awareness for this important effort. The posters, created by Valassis, provide a call to action for the public to look for the “Have You Seen Me?®” photos in RedPlum products and online at redplum.com."

ISRIA has reported that the "Armenian postal service (Haypost) quality is due to improve."

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum launches its new featured collection “Playing to Win: American Sports & Athletes on Stamps” on its award-winning Web site Arago at www.postalmuseum.si.edu/ARAGOSportsOnStamps.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: Set for Monday, February 8, 2010 9:30 AM Judges Tatel, Silberman and Williams 09-1032 USPS v. PRC 15 min per side.

According to Rag Content, "Some have asked whether or not the Postal Service’s plan to modify delivery/operations is for operational necessity or a political ploy to get what it really wants – a new postal law or at least permanent retiree health payment relief. Either way, the Postal Service is not meeting its true potential as intended under the PAEA. The Postal Service was to act more like a business, enabling to react to market conditions faster and allow it to compete like UPS and FedEx. Yet, a REAL business would have a short-term and long-term plan for fiscal solvency."

At the Postal Regulatory Commission: "The Postal Regulatory Commission will convene a public forum at 10 a.m., Wednesday, February 10 at Commission Headquarters, as part of Docket No. ACR2009, to allow interested parties to comment on Postal Service plans for achieving financial stability to enable it to provide effective universal mail service to the Nation in 2010 and beyond. The Commission is conducting the public forum as part of its legal responsibility to determine Postal Service compliance with the requirements of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act during the past fiscal year."

From PRNewswire: "A series of federal lawsuits filed this week in Colorado and California allege that United Parcel Service has been improperly charging high air-transportation rates for next-day and two-day deliveries that were actually sent by far-cheaper ground transportation. According to the suits, UPS has been deliberately transporting some customers' "Next Day Air" and "2nd Day Air" packages by ground rather than by air and billing customers for the more expensive air shipping option. The suits assert that UPS has even named the practice internally: the "Air-in-Ground" program."

DVIDS has reported that "U.S. postal inspectors have arrived here to conduct security assessments and help prepare to set up an Army post office, as well as to assist with the restoration of mail service to the earthquake-ravaged country. According to a U.S. Postal Service press release, this experienced team of postal inspectors has sharpened their skills in the aftermath of such large-scale disasters as Hurricane Katrina. Re-establishing postal services in Haiti requires close coordination with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and various components of the Department of Defense. The process of setting up an Army post office is a joint effort between the Department of Defense, the U.S. Postal Service, and the liaison between the two - the Military Postal Service Agency."

The agenda for the February 16 - 18, 2009 of the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meeting has been posted on this site.

February 4, 2010

From Steve Kearney, USPS MTAC co-chair: "Last July, Sam Pulcrano, VP, Sustainability, and I began a series of outreach meetings to discuss the concept of five-day delivery and get much-needed input from our major stakeholders.  We followed more than 30 group meetings—both in person and through webinar technology—with a survey of MTAC membership.  We shared the results of that survey with you. Through questions and comments, MTAC members and other customers brought to our attention an extensive list of issues.  We have shared that list with you. Sam and his core team have worked to resolve or mitigate, to the extent practicable, the issues you and your peers identified.  Through extensive cross-functional consultation, the team has made changes to the original concept.  They will present their updated operational plan at our upcoming meeting, February 17.  Sam and the team will then hold webinars for those in your offices not attending our meeting.  The dates and times follow. If you would like your company to have a seat at a webinar, please send an e-mail to Connie.Totten-Oldham@usps.gov with the date you prefer.  She will send an invitation along with instructions for viewing the presentation and joining the conversation.

Friday, February 19, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 23, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 24, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Friday, February 26, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

According to the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "The Postal Service's presentation of its 5-day delivery proposal appears to be on a fast track for presentation to the Postal Regulatory Commission."

The Barcelona Reporter has noted that "In a statement, Swiss Post said its bid for Spain is one of the objectives of its strategy for growth in key international markets. The Swiss company has purchased ABC Mail and Mail Partners, companies controlled by the group Dutchman Mail and ABC. The templates of the two companies will be integrated into International Swisspot. The operation is part of the strategy of international expansion of Swiss Post and its goal of becoming the first private operator in Spain, positioning itself in the postal sector which will be opened in 2011."

The Evening Telegraph has reported that "postal workers are today delivering a huge backlog of mail following an hour long power cut which brought chaos to Peterborough's main sorting depot. Homes and businesses across the city were without post yesterday (3 February) after the blackout had left Royal Mail staff unable to sort out hundreds of items of mail overnight ready for the morning deliveries."

The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/).  If you have additional questions concerning a report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• Mojave Post Office Mail Processing Changes (Report Number EN-MA-10-002)

• New Castle Processing and Distribution Facility Outgoing Mail Consolidation (Report Number NO-AR-10-002)

• Postal Service Officers’ Travel and Representation Expenses for Fiscal Year 2009 (Report Number FT-AR-10-007)

• Sustainability: Promoting Energy and Recycling Compliance Fiscal Year 2009 (Report Number DA-MA-10-001). In this review, seven of 88 sites visited met basic energy standards, showing some improvement for energy awareness. Consistent with our prior review of another 90 sites, questionnaire responses indicated most of the sites can improve in the areas of basic building maintenance, such as setting prescribed temperatures, installing occupancy sensors, and taking measures to reduce domestic water use. To be more effective, we continue to believe the Postal Service can take further advantage of technology advancements, namely, remote building management systems.