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Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) |
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Each year the U.S. Postal Service delivers some 200 billion letters and packages. But there's a hitch: About 3 percent, or roughly 4 to 6 billion mail pieces, are not deliverable as addressed. The price tag for all that undeliverable mail amounts to a whopping $1.8 billion per year. With a view to saving a good chunk of that money, the USPS is now testing Siemens' Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS), a patented technology that compares the address on the envelope with a directory of 60 to 80 million address changes in only a few milliseconds. Once the PARS server has determined that a mail piece is undeliverable as addressed (UAA), coded information regarding the entire mail piece face is transmitted to a redirection image controller, which analyzes the data with reference to nearly 4,000 USPS rules. A split second later, the controller generates an electronic label and transmits the information to a subsystem that automatically labels the mail piece. In all, a single "production line" of this sort will be able to process up to 30,000 "undeliverable" mail pieces per hour. Siemens and the USPS estimate that UAA delivery times will be reduced from days to hours thanks to the new technology. (Source: Seimen's Dematic 07/08/03)
PARS PARS is a system to identify "Undeliverable as Addressed" (UAA) letter mail at the first machine handling and redirect it automatically to the current, correct destination. PARS will automate the handling of: Change of Address (COA) forms - 3575 Carrier Changes of Address Card - 3982 Notification of Mailer- 3547 Address Correct Services Forwarded Mail UAA due to a move Carrier Return Mail UAA due to a reason other than a movePARS will not change the handling of UAA non-machineable letters, flats or parcels and rolls.
PARS is designed to automatically intercept and redirect (initially around 50%) automated UAA letter mail at its origin and process all UAA letter mail on the new labeling machines at P& DCs. This new technology will also use OCRs to process the 43 million COA forms the USPS gets each year. The COA form will be redesigned to allow for scanning.This program will eliminate mechanized terminals at the initial 40 CFS sites included in Phase 1. Since the PARS has image lift capabilities, it will require some additional terminals for data conversion operators at the 20 Remote Encoding Centers. The USPS anticipates a reduction of 2.8 million work hours, of which approximately 64% will come from affected CFS units, 30 % from clerk delivery functions, 4 % from city and rural carrier functions and 2 % from P&DC operations. These savings are from Phase 1 only. They expect to save up to 5 million work hours upon completion of the program, possibly by 2006.Phase 1 will see the elimination of data input of COAs in all 219 CFS units. Initially 86 CFS units will be outfitted with the necessary equipment to scan COAs. The remaining units will send their COAs to the 86 units with scanning and OCR capability to be scanned into the national data base, with the unresolved images being sent to RECs to be maintained and verified by DCOs. Phase 1 will also see letters redirected from 40 CFS units. 53 Mail Processing Facilities will initially be intercepting UAA mail. Phase 2 will see the remaining 179 CFS units have their letter mail redirected and all remaining MIPFs will eventually intercept UAA mail. Attached is official notification from the USPS. May 2, 2002 During a meeting held at the request of the American Postal Workers Union on Friday, April 12, your designee, James McCarthy, was provided a status update regarding the Postal Automation Redirection System (PARS) program. Information was provided about the status of the PARS pilot test being conducted at the Dulles, Virginia site, and the union was notified as well of the Postal Services intent to transition towards national deployment of PARS. On Tuesday, April 9, the Postal Service received funding approval from the Board of Governors for PARS. Immediate plans are underway to procure a contract with the developer of the technology so that equipment enhancements may be phased in at specific locations in the near future. Phase I of PARS will be deployed at 40 Computerized Forwarding System (CFS) sites and 53 Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DC5). The objective is to automatically intercept and redirect nearly half of the total automated Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) letter mail generated at origin and process all the remaining mail on the new labeling machines at the P&DCs. The PARS system will eliminate the need for mechanized terminals at the 40 CFS sites but will require some additional terminals for data conversion operators at the 20 Remote Encoding Centers. It is projected that this first phase will result in approximately 2.8 million work hour savings (64% in CFS units, 30% in clerk delivery functions, 4% in city and rural carrier functions and the remaining 2% in P&DC operations). The majority of the savings projection is expected through technological replacement of mechanized terminal CFS keying with automated equipment. Savings will also result from a reduction in multiple UAA mail sorting, handling and transporting by clerks, carriers or other employees who interface with UAA mail at the wrong mailing destinations. Through PARs technology, the Postal Service also anticipates improved customer service index scores as the time required to redirect UAA mail improves. Mail will be intercepted and properly labeled with change-of-address information while still in the automation mail stream, which will result in immediate improved service for customers. After PARS is deployed, non-machinable letter mail that cannot be read through PARS automated equipment, as well as flats and parcels, will continue to be processed through CFS units. There will be 86 district CFS sites designated to scan Change-of-Address (COA) cards. Data maintenance and verification as well as all other tasks associated with the handling of COA forms will be eliminated at the remaining CFS sites. While Phase I is limited to UAA letter mail, as technology improves, it is anticipated that later PARS phases will include an even large percentage of UAA letter mail and may eventually handle UAA flats. The pilot test in DuIles, Virginia will remain ongoing for the purpose of retaining a site where tests of the equipment may continue as more features and enhancements are added over time. As the PARS features and enhancements come to include a Remote Barcode Sorter (RBCS) connection, the Charleston, West Virginia Remote Encoding Center (REC) will begin processing UAA letter images captured at Dulles, Virginia. Equipment designated for processing readable UAA letter mail at Dulles will continue to be used for that purpose. The sites to be included in Phase I are listed on the enclosed deployment site report. Site selections were made almost exclusively from among the 140 CFS units throughout the country that are co-located with P&DCs. The deployment dates, however, are tentative (between July 2003 and February 2004) and could change based on the procurement of the contract. A legend of the acronyms used in the report, as requested by Mr. McCarthy, is enclosed. A report of all CFS sites, their location and career staffing matrices will be developed and provided in the near future. Meanwhile, the Postal Service looks forward to engaging the union in discussions about training needed at the REC sites where PARS will be deployed and plans for placement at sites where mail volumes begin to decline to a point where reassignments under Article 12 may become necessary. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Dee Scott of my staff at (202) 268-4398. Sincerely, (Signature)
The first article test is set for April-June, 2003 in Tampa and Mid-Florida District.
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On April 9, 2002 the Board of Governors approved funding for
the PARS program which had been tested at the Dulles, VA site. The APWU has
been notified of the USPS intention to deploy PARS nationally with Phase 1
tentatively scheduled to begin in July, 2003 and completed by February,
2004.
