Minutes of the

Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee  
 

June 10-11, 1998

L'Enfant Plaza Hotel

Washington, D.C. 
 

Welcome 
 

Joe Schick, Industry Vice Chair, called the meeting to order and welcomed the members.  
 

Recognition 
 

Art Porwick, USPS Vice Chair, welcomed new members Joan Bender (representing the General Services Administration (Government), Ralph Malmros (National Association of Perishable Shippers), and Joel Thomas (National Association of Presort Mailers).   
 

Mr. Porwick presented plaques to retiring members, and expressed appreciation for long and loyal service to MTAC:  Joan Rau-Frisbee (Federal Government), Norman Leiberg (National Association of Perishable Shippers) and Ed Meszaros.  He noted that Mr. Meszaros had been a member for almost 25 years and had represented the Parcel Shippers Association, the Financial Stationers Association, the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Perishable Shippers. 
 

John Wargo welcomed the MTAC members and announced that the scheduled appearance of the Postmaster General would be postponed because he had been called to testify before a congressional committee.  
 

Mr. Wargo also noted that the MTAC annual report had been published and distributed to USPS management and the member associations.  He added that the Postmaster General had commended the MTAC for the report, which demonstrated that reports and recommendations generated by MTAC were being included in the management agenda of the Postal Service. 
 

After a brief administrative discussion, including comments on delinquent member dues, work group meeting scheduling, member hotel accommodations and MITS access, an Operations Update was provided by Nick Barranca. 
 

Operations Update  --  Nick Barranca, VP, Operations Support 
 

Mr. Barranca updated the briefing delivered at the last MTAC meeting. He noted that resources would be allocated to stabilize the delivery process.  For First Class and Priority mail, that would begin with a focus on commercial air hubs and the performance and efficiency of commercial carriers, and adding dedicated flights to reduce delivery variability (such flights have been established between major west coast cities, a number of central cities, and hub and spoke operations are being developed to bring more mail into the dedicated service areas).  The dedicated flights will offset the negative performance factors related to commercial air carrier focus on moving passengers, sometimes to the detriment of the mail movement.  
 

Priority Mail Processing Centers are being established (ten currently in operation on the East Coast) to improve the reliability of the premier two-day delivery product to the point where it can be guaranteed.  Moving Priority into these PMPCs will relieve space pressures in other facilities. 
 

Concerning periodicals, the USPS is working with MTAC to identify factors which hinder timely delivery, and there are a number of issues in process including encouraging operations plan compliance, looking at combining periodicals with other classes of mail, development of a dedicated surface pref network and direct support from Headquarters directing field managers

to become involved with periodical mailers to address current problems. 
 

The current rate case will affect Standard B mail, and the Postal Service has identified about 4,000 Zip Codes that may feel the impact of the incentives of R-97.  A  review is presently

underway to determine what resources are available and required to respond to mail entering the system further downstream. 
 

Statistics show that Standard A mail has grown about 8 percent, but the inventories of delayed deliveries have remained below both the 1996 and 1997 levels.  Careful surveillance has continued, and customers are contacted at the rate of about 200 a week to identify issues important to these customers.  The issues have been nominal, mainly relating to delivery.  Resolution of problems identified is monitored to insure prompt response. 
 

A planning group was established with the goal of eliminating variability of in-home delivery dates. The groups was diverse, including operations and marketing managers, field managers and others, and began by looking at the macro aspects of complement, resources and resource requirements, space and equipment needs.  Appropriate actions included increasing staff levels well ahead of attrition through retirement.  The group would also look at the potential impact of R-97 with regard to increased mixed product submission made deeper in the system. 
 

Customers were consulted to identify problems related to entry points, delivery problems, sites that might