**Minutes of the**

**Mailers\' Technical Advisory Committee**

**May 7, 2003**

###### U. S. Postal Service Headquarters

**Ben Franklin Room**

**Washington, D.C.**

**First Day**

**John Wargo, Postal Chair**

**Bob O'Brien, Industry Chair**

**Ken Cowell, Postal Vice Chair**

John Wargo opened the meeting and welcomed the MTAC members and guests.
Noting a successful National Postal Forum in New Orleans, he invited
feedback on ways to enhance the program. He mentioned a suggestion by
Joyce McGarvy to establish a periodicals track and an outreach effort to
enlist participation by smaller periodicals publishers. Mr. Wargo
recalled the presentation at the November MTAC meeting on the new
Corporate Flats Strategy, and introduced Skip McGill, Manager of
Strategic Operations Planning. Mr. McGill announced release of the
latest update of the USPS Corporate Flats Strategy, a plan to increase
the automation of flat mail, which constitutes almost 30% of all mail
volume. As automation of letter mail over the last decade has
revolutionized speed and accuracy of sortation, and reduced costs for
the Postal Service and industry, flats automation is expected to deliver
similar benefits to both. Industry is invited to comment on the plan by
e-mail addressed to <flatstrategyfeedback@usps.gov>.

Bob O'Brien welcomed MTAC members, noting that one absent member was
John DePiazza, Industry Vice Chair, who had been recalled to active duty
during the recent military action in the Mideast. Mr. O'Brien announced
the following new member MTAC representatives and/or affiliations:

Rafe Morrissey Greeting Card Association

Cynthia Harrelson Major Mailers Association

Gary McCurdy American Bankers Association

Harry Williams Yellow Pages IMA

David Gorham Association for Mail Electronic Enhancement

Barbara Izzo American Forest & Paper Association

Marjann Caldwell National Industrial Transportation League

Sue Taylor Major Mailers Association

Ken Cowell reported on the Steering Committee meeting prior to the main
meeting. All active work groups were reviewed, and the Committee judged
that all work groups were making good progress. Since the last MTAC
meeting four work groups have successfully completed their mission:
PostalOne!, E-Pub Watch, Maximizing the Value of Planet Code and MOVE
Update. In addition, two new work groups were approved: Work Group \# 80
Enhancing Confirm and Work Group \# 81 Flat Mail Preparation
Optimization.

**Richard J. Strasser, Jr.**

**Chief Financial Officer and**

**Executive Vice President**

**USPS Financial Review**

Richard Strasser announced that the transition from 13 accounting
periods per year to 12 monthly accounting periods would occur at the
beginning of FY 2004, on October 1, 2003. Financial information for
fiscal year 2003 has been maintained on both the 13 AP and 12-month AP
basis so that there will be at least one year of comparability.

Year-to-date accounting period 8 revenues are up 5.7% over the prior
year, mainly as a result of the rate increase. However, revenues are
below plan. Expenses are a substantial \$1.248 billion below plan, in
large part due to work hour reductions. Net income is \$1.9 billion,
\$366 million ahead of plan.

Mail volume has lagged projections in all three quarters. First-Class
volume has decreased by 1.3 billion pieces year-to-date compared with
last year; Standard Mail, although slightly below projections, showed a
slight increase above plan for the third quarter (AP 7 and 8), FY 2003.

The most positive effect on net income has been the dramatic reduction
in expenses. A major part of that is a reduction in work hours (a
decrease that was estimated to be 40 million hours this year, and is
already at 39 million at this point in the third quarter). The primary
mechanism is attrition. A reduction of almost 60,000 career positions
has occurred since the employment peak in late 1999. The Postal Service
is in its fourth consecutive year of positive total factor productivity
and seventh consecutive year of positive output per work hour (which
only includes labor).

Mr. Strasser commented on the positive net income figure of \$1.9
billion, noting that seasonal factors would effect a decrease in that
amount, now projected to be over \$600 million by the end of the year.
In addition to the historically soft volume in the summer months, the
effect of the rate increase will cycle out June 30 during the last
quarter of the fiscal year.

During discussion, Mr. Strasser explained that the savings that would be
generated by the Civil Service Retirement System legislation (estimated
to be about \$3.47 billion this year) would be applied to debt reduction
during 2003 and 2004. In 2005, the savings may be applied to operating
costs, which will help defer the next rate case until 2006.

In response to a question about the expectation of no real decrease in
mail volume, Mr. Strasser explained that there was a natural upward
pressure on volume as a result of the 1.8 million delivery points added
thus far this year (a trend which has been in effect for several years).

[Click here to view the presentation](../mtac0503/MTAC-ap08nonote.ppt)

**Intelligent Mail Strategy Study**

**Jeff Freeman**

**Manager, Mail Technology Strategy**

Mr. Freeman explained that the Intelligent Mail One-Code vision is to
incorporate more information in a single barcode that can be used for a
variety of purposes. For technical reasons, that barcode will be
different from any bacode currently used, such as Planet Code or
PostNet. It will require different printing capabilities than that
currently in use by mailers, and different scanning technology than the
Postal Service uses to scan current barcodes. Therefore, the Intelligent
Mail Strategy Study will develop baseline data about industry technology
and capabilities and try to assess the impact, both logistically and
financially, on mailers as they convert to an acceptable technology.

The study will look at commercial mailers, all industry segments, and
all shapes of mail. The first step will be site visits to a limited
number of mailers to help develop a survey that will then be sent to a
larger number of mailers. At the same time, the study will look at the
Postal Service process. Finally, commercial vendors of technology and
software will be consulted.

MTAC members are invited to participate and/or inquire about the study
at <Jeffrey.L.Freeman@usps.gov>

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/125Freeman%20MTAC%20May%207.ppt)

**Legislative Update**

**Ralph Moden, SVP**

**Government Relations**

Ralph Moden discussed the provisions of the recently passed Civil
Service Retirement System (CSRS) legislation, expressing appreciation to
MTAC members who supported the effort. The issue was first announced by
the Postmaster General at a Board meeting in November 2002, and within
six months the President signed the new law.

By July, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will calculate the
savings to the Postal Service, the difference between what would have
been paid under the old law and what will be paid for Postal Service
CSRS employees under the new legislation. By law, savings in 2003 and
2004 must be used to reduce debt, and in 2005 the savings can be applied
to operating expenses to keep rates unchanged. The legislation requires
the Postal Service to submit a report to Congress on planned uses of
these funds beginning in 2006. That plan will be reviewed by the General
Accounting Office (GAO) and forwarded for congressional review. The
legislation also requires that the Postal Service, OPM and the Treasury
submit proposals related to the costs of benefits accruing during
military service.

On other matters, Mr. Moden commented that the Presidential Commission
was approaching the end of its tasks, and that the Commission would hear
testimony from the Postmaster General at its next meeting in late May.

It is anticipated that Senator Carter (Del.) will introduce legislation
on postal reform, possibly tailored after the Waxman-Burton bill. It is
not anticipated that the legislation will move rapidly through the
system. Finally, there will be Hill hearings on bioterrorism and related
technology (at which the Postal Service will probably provide
information on the Wallingford experience). There will also be
congressional briefings on the Postal Service concept of supply chain
management (a program to leverage buying power).

During discussion, Mr. Moden briefly mentioned some concerns of the
Commission and some in Congress about the Transformation Plan,
particularly the network optimization that might result in some facility
closings, always a political interest on the Hill. He commented that no
serious concern has been perceived about any part of the Plan and, in
fact, there has been positive feedback because the Plan is seen as an
effort to improve the business basis of Postal Service operations.

In response to a question about collective bargaining and the Railway
Labor Act, Mr. Moden suggested that alternatives were being examined,
including a mechanism to convert a failing mediation into an arbitration
that accepts as a starting point whatever progress had been achieved
during the mediation.

**Weapons of Mass Disruption**

**Lee Heath, Chief Postal Inspector**

**U.S. Postal Inspection Service**

The Postal Inspection Service mission is to safeguard the sanctity of
the U.S. Mail. Carrying out that mission means ensuring postal
employees, customers and facilities are safe from criminal attack and
the nation's mail system is protected from criminal misuse.

After the September 11 disaster (which cost the Postal Service its
Church Street facility), the anthrax attack in October 2001 represented
the first terrorist attack on the Postal Service in its history. Five
died, including two Postal Service employees. That event was followed by
a series of pipe bombings in the Midwest which had terrorist overtones
in that they did not target individuals as is usually the case, but were
designed to disrupt -- six were injured, again including Postal Service
employees. These events and others (a carjacking in Miami that involved
an employee and the stressful episode involving the D.C. sniper), caused
the Postal Inspection Service to become more visible to the entire
mailing community.

Mr. Heath described the route of the anthrax letters from deposit in a
collection box (there are 330,000 on America's streets) through
transport by vehicle to a processing center (282 around the country)
through the advanced automation processing that enabled the expulsion of
the spores into the ambient air of the facility. Five Americans died, 18
more suffered anthrax infection and survived, and 28,000 Postal Service
employee were treated with drugs (Cipro, etc.). Another result was a
dramatic increase in public concern, and a flurry of hoax mailings from
individuals taking advantage of that concern.

The Postal Inspection Service and the Postal Service rapidly responded
to the mailing of the four anthrax letters by developing the
Comprehensive Emergency Mailing Preparedness Plan, establishing the Mail
Security Task Force to examine the overall security of the mail, and
publishing the Mail Center Security Guide. They constantly made every
effort to inform the mailing community and the public about security
issues related to sending and receiving mail.

The lessons that emerged from the experience are summed up in three
words -- communication, coordination and cooperation. It has become
clear that, with threats involving terrorism and homeland security, it
is important to develop effective relationships with other law
enforcement agencies, customers and commercial mailers, and the members
of the Postal Service community.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/wed200Heath%20MTAC%20final%205-7.ppt)

**Intelligent Mail and Address Quality**

**IMAQ -- First Offering**

**Gary Reblin and Jan Caldwell**

Mr. Reblin explained that the Intelligent Mail strategy includes 1)
unique identification of each mail piece and all aggregates (bundles,
trays, etc.); 2) standard coding that will eventually reside in a single
barcode (the OneCode vision); 3) development of near real-time data
collection, which involves both technology and infrastructure changes;
and 4) an improvement in address quality for address verification and
change of address services.

One step in that evolving process is the First Offering of the
Intelligent Mail and Address Quality program (IMAQ), a proof of concept
pilot test that will link Address Correction Service (ACS) and Planet
Code. Part of the rationale for seeking IMAQ is the fact that, in the
past year, there were 39.3 million change of address requests (COAs),
about 2 billion pieces of mail forwarded, and 162,000 forwarding service
responses to mailers.

The IMAQ pilot test seeks to prove that the concept of linking ACS to
Planet Code will work and provide the basis for a valid business case:
that minimal changes in mailer and Postal Service procedures are
required, that no significant infrastructure will be needed, and that
the process will prove the ability to capture cost savings, improved
quality and a demonstrable reduction in undeliverable as addressed (UAA)
mail.

The specific objectives are to improve read rate over the alpha-numeric
ACS codes currently used and to reduce keying errors by eliminating the
alpha codes and reducing the number of key strokes required to code the
mail. The single barcode will also free up some space on the mail piece,
although the address correction requests will still be printed in some
form on the face of the mail piece. The test will include two major
mailers, who already use both ACS and Confirm, and will involve only
First-Class Mail. Test results will be analyzed by the end of the year,
which should lead to the development of a system (which may be different
from the pilot test specifications) which can then be rolled out in
phases.

[Click here to view the presentation](../mtac0503/230MTAC-ACSrm.PPT)

**New Address Management Programs: NCOA^LINK^**

**Jan Caldwell and George Hurst**

Ms. Caldwell announced that, in the near future, authorized licensees of
the National Change of Address (NCOA) system will be able to obtain
change of address information using a breakthrough technology, named
NCOA^LINK^ (the Postal Service has applied for a patent). The technology
makes it virtually impossible for any unauthorized user to obtain
address information, regardless of how they access the NCOA^LINK^
system. Ms. Caldwell emphasized that no rules, regulations or audit
procedures would change from the current NCOA system. The NCOA^LINK^
system simply changes the internal process for retrieving the new
address in a far more secure manner.

In a nutshell, the customer's new address is "coded" into segments and
stored in eight physically separate tables in the system. If an
authorized licensee enters an accurate representation of the customer's
name and old address, NCOA^Link^ will return information from the coded
segments that allow the new address to be reconstructed. If an
unauthorized user attempts to retrieve information from the NCOA^Link^
tables without first presenting a valid name and old address, all they
will get is a series of values that will have no meaning and will not
represent valid change-of-address information.

To validate the security of the NCOA^Link^ data, the Postal Service
engaged two independent organizations, one commercial and one academic,
and tasked them to break the security system and retrieve a valid new
address for any customer. Both organizations agreed that it was
"essentially impossible" for the NCOA^Link^ data to be used to obtain
change-of-address information from customers without first having the
customer's name and old address. Furthermore, both organizations agreed
that using the NCOA^Link^ data, the potential that a customer address
could be changed incorrectly was "virtually nil".

Because of the enhanced security available with the NCOA^Link^ data, a
wider dissemination of customer change-of-address data is possible. A
pilot test is currently underway, after which NCOA^Link^ will be ready
for implementation. The Postal Service is now developing pricing and
developing license requirements, with anticipation of release in July
2003 (allowing up to a year for current NCOA users to convert).

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/310NCOALink043003rm.ppt)

**Magazine Subscriptions Online**

**George Hurst**

Mr. Hurst explained that the concept of magazine subscriptions on line
was envisioned in December 2002 as an adjunct to the core product
development effort. The initial, very small effort was an experiment to
offer subscriptions in post office lobbies, an effort that did not
suggest further development. However, an online effort that followed did
produce positive results. The one-year pilot project initiated in late
December, is being handled by a contractor, Magazine Mall, through a
standard affiliate agreement. The web site offers thousands of titles,
new and renewal subscriptions, and has resulted in more than 1,500
transactions, about 75% of which are new customers. The budget is
minimal and there is a positive financial result, including the
potential for increased revenues from the mailing of the publications
(invoicing, payments, publications). The url for the site is
[www.usps.com/magazines](http://www.usps.com/magazines) and, thus far,
about 21,000 individuals have visited the site.

During discussion, there were comments about the nature of the
subscription business (which relies on renewals, not new customers, for
profitability), concerns that publishers may have about being in
competition with the Postal Service, and whether or not the enterprise
could ever be substantial enough to warrant the effort.

**Work Group \# 79**

**Standard Implementation Guidelines for Periodical Co-Palletization**

**Mary Bronson and Joel Walker**

Mr. Walker and Ms. Bronson presented the first and final report of the
Work Group, noting that its work had been completed in a series of
conference calls and e-mail exchanges. With diverse representation from
the industry, the objectives were to develop standard implementation
guidelines concerning the application process for co-palletization,
documentation, postage payment and mail preparation, acceptance and
verification. The goal is to encourage conversion of origin-entry sacks
to destination-entry pallets, thereby reducing the significant costs
related to handling sacks. The efficiency of the process will be
improved by the guidelines, and two new discounts have been introduced
to support the co-palletization scheme, a .07 cent discount for mail on
ADC or SCF pallets entered at destination area distribution centers, and
a full cent for pallets entered at the destination SCF. The timing for
filing and implementation began with the PRC filing on September 26,
with a Postal Rate Commission (PRC) decision in December, Board of
Governors approval on January 6, and an effective implementation date of
April 20. For those who take advantage of the discounts, there is a
monthly electronic reporting requirement.

The Work Group's contribution was to clarify the application
instructions and establish the documentation requirements. The field
tests that followed aimed at enlisting as many mailers as possible and
achieving a measurable increase in the use of pallets. To remove as many
obstacles as possible, consolidators were allowed to file additional
entry applications on behalf of small publishers, a streamlined postage
payment process was developed, revenue requirements for CAPS
participation were relaxed, and the permit system was modified to make
data entry easier. Thus far four consolidators have applied to
participate in the test.

[Click here to view the presentation](../mtac0503/415copal1.ppt)

**Work Group \# 77**

**Design Guidelines for Flat-Size Mail**

**Joyce McGarvy and George Hurst**

This MTAC Work Group, composed of flats mailers who specialize in
magazines, catalogs, newspapers, large envelopes and other advertising
pieces, is concerned with balancing automation-compatibility with the
design needs of the mailers. The issues involve jams, damage to mail
pieces, the difficulty of designing gatefold publications, as well as
sortation problems related to the physical design of the mail piece.
Since much of the mail is marketing materials (catalogs, magazines,
etc.), the issues include preserving publisher creativity, construction
(cover weight, special cover folds, binding and placement of addresses),
and cost containment (which includes the fact that, for economy, some
publishers are turning to lighter weight papers to reduce postage and
manufacturing costs).

During the last two meetings, the Work Group agreed that the end product
should not be (nor even resemble) a regulation. It should be a helpful
guide to creating pieces that retain the characteristics that publishers
want to use to entice recipients to respond to them, and yet have
physical construction that will move through the sorting system without
jamming the equipment or causing damage to the mail piece. The objective
is to develop plain language recommendations for design and construction
that will solve the problems but not add to mailing regulations and
requirements.

The final document (currently in draft form) will consist of an
introduction that discusses the objectives of the Work Group, an
overview of the equipment involved, a section on general mail piece
construction, a special section on envelopes and polywrap, and a
discussion on bound matter characteristics. There will also be a quick
reference guide and a video that supports certain parts of the main
guide.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/410Design%20Pres%20May%2003.ppt)

**Special Recognition**

Before recessing for the day, Mr. Hurst presented a special appreciation
award to Clarence Banks and Anita Pursley for their volunteer efforts to
develop a video presentation on flats readability guidelines (as part of
the Future Flat Strategy MTAC Work Group), including appearing in the
video.

**Announcements**

Before recessing for the day, Mr. Hurst presented a special appreciation
award to Clarence Banks and Anita Pursley for their volunteer efforts to
develop a video presentation on the readability guidelines (as part of
the Future Flat Strategy work group effort), including appearing in the
video.

**Minutes of the**

**Mailers\' Technical Advisory Committee**

**May 8, 2003**

###### U. S. Postal Service Headquarters

**Ben Franklin Room**

**Washington, D.C.**

**Second Day**

**Work Group \# 78**

**In-Home Delivery Instructions for Standard Mail**

**Wanda Senne and Mike Spates**

Mr. Spates stated that the Work Group has confirmed the need for a
consistent process to handle a mailer's request for delivery after
and/or before a specified date, conditions that often apply to a
retailer's advertisement for a special sale or offer. This is a
voluntary service that applies only to non-automated Standard Mail.
Current instructions in the DMM (two options) are somewhat cumbersome.
One allows the mailer to attach a memo to aggregates of mail (bundles,
etc.) which let the Postal Service know a final date after which mail
should not be delivered (but there is no way to direct disposition of
that mail). The other requires advance notice (before mail entry) that
does allow the mailer to specify disposition (save and return or
discard). To improve that situation, the Work Group developed a
recommendation that mailers use a new standard wording, format and
placement of the request in the address area of the mail piece.

The Work Group has developed definitions as follows: Past In-Home Date
(PIHD -- mail received after requested in-home date but before event
date; Past Event Date (PED) mail received after the event (or after some
other date-sensitive characteristic, like dropping of coupons, etc.).

The mailer would print clear instructions for disposition of the mail if
it arrives at the DDU after the requested in-home date (IHD) and either
before or after the event date. Those instructions would be printed on
the mail piece near the address and refer to a specified page of the
mail piece (e.g.,"After 5/20 refer to page 1") where specific
disposition instructions from the mailer could be found. The Work Group
invited comments from mailers (via a survey form available from the MTAC
website \[http://ribbs.usps.gov/mtac.htm\], in anticipation of
finalizing the recommendation to the Postal Service. Implementation is
planned for the fall, 2003.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/MTAC_050803_inhome_del_2003.PPT)

**Work Group \# 71**

**Flats Container Development**

**Joe Schick and John Brown**

Mr. Brown reported that the work group's objective is to streamline the
process of preparing flats in a way that allows mailers to create a
container (tray) that would move from the mailer's facility directly to
the flat sorter, reducing the prep work associated with today's
packaging requirements. Supported by a pilot test ongoing at a facility
in Ft. Myers, Florida, the work group is involved in developing
recommendations that would result in a mailer's ability to palletize
trays. Although there are sorting issues to resolve (e.g, various
presort schemes to ascertain best cost savings for mailers), the primary
effort is now in the engineering aspects of developing sturdy
(preferably collapsible) trays and optimizing the materials handling
equipment that assists the machine operator in moving the flats to the
sorter. A promising development is a three-sided, stackable tray that
can be secured with a single strap. An important issue is making it
possible to deliver full trays for stability in the stacking process,
and the L007 ruling may be of benefit in that effort. There are also
some final adjustments to be made to the lift-assist process.

Mr. Schick commented on next steps, which include refining the process
for full tray sorts (since the initial L007 test was not completely
successful), including a look at three-digit schemes. There will also be
an assessment of the configuration putting various types of mail on
pallets, and continued work on designing containers that fit the mail
versus a standard tray for all flats. Finally, he invited MTAC members
to attend the Flats Strategy Summit on July 15-16 in Washington, DC.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/Trayprstn%205.5.03v2.PPT)

**Work Group \# 61**

**Service Assessment for DDU Drop Shipment**

**Robert Fisher and Mike Spates**

Mr. Fisher noted that the work group is near the end of its charter,
having developed internal service commitments for delivery of parcels by
BMC and SCF (2-day delivery), and DDU (1-day delivery). A second
measurement is the percentage of mail delivered by day, on a per-day or
cumulative basis. The criteria will serve as a internal guideline
through 2003 (for further evaluation by Postal Service management) for
final implementation as a performance assessment in 2004.

There is an issue with the consistency of scanning 8125s and the
validity of mailer-provided data. Therefore, it is important to improve
the quality of the scanning process and to verify mailer data to arrive
at numbers that both the Postal Service and the mailers can rely on.
Monitoring of the process is ongoing and there is a feedback mechanism
for mailers. MTAC will change the status of this work group from
"active" to "successfully completed" and then establish a new work group
to focus on service quality measurement issues, barcode quality, more
detailed service indicators (to track attempted delivery and
identification of mail delivered to the wrong facility, for example),
and development of a data sharing process.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/MTAC%20May%208%20Parcel%20Svc.PPT)

**Work Group \# 74**

**Mail.dat and PostalOne! Network Operations**

**Dan Minnick and Jim Cunningham**

This work group has focused on making practical use of the data
available through Mail.dat and Postal One!. Although MTAC will sunset
the work group, a follow-on dialog between the Postal Service and
industry will continue to consider enhancements to the Postal One!
start-the-clock process, the continued effort to develop real-time data
transfer, and will explore the emerging opportunities available through
collaboration related to transportation and infrastructure.

**Work Group \# 73**

**Parcel Processing Field Study**

**Brad Briskey and Tom Allshouse**

Mr. Briskey explained this work group's relatively narrow focus was to
determine the effect of irregular wrapping of parcels, mainly polywrap,
from mailers who insert various sized contents in uniform polybags. When
contents are significantly smaller than the polybag, the excess plastic
material is called "selvage". Early site visits by the work group showed
that selvage does not typically cause product damage, but it can cause
jamming, particularly as the amount of selvage increases. To pin down
the effects of selvage, tests will be conducted at the Cincinnati BMC
using various-sized packages with varying amounts of selvage. The test
will look at both machinability and any scanning problems that might be
the result of selvage. Mr. Allshouse explained the technical parameters
of the test, which takes into account the selvage "ratio" and the
package characteristics (size, shape, hard/soft contents, etc.).

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/Presentation%20to%20Steering%20Committee%205-8-2003.ppt)

**Work Group \# 60**

**Delivery Standards and Business Mail Measurement**

**Ken Metroff**

Mr. Metroff noted that one objective of the work group was to develop a
means by which First-Class Mail Service Standard changes are published
as well as EXFC scores. Both of these are now on the USPS web site.
Another objective of the work group was to determine the feasibility of
using Confirm to measure First-Class business mail at reasonable cost
with results that both the Postal Service and the mailers would accept.
A test of 13 mailings, provided by five mailers at six locations,
revealed that, for various technical reasons, the current CONFIRM
program cannot completely track business First-Class Mail. Although
scanning is improving, there are work flow issues that must be resolved.
The study has identified the steps that need to be addressed in order
for CONFIRM to be considered a feasible tool. Mr. Metroff stated that
MTAC would change the status of this work group from "active" to
"successfully completed" and, because of its broader charter, this issue
will now be taken up by the new Work Group \# 80, Enhancing Confirm.

[Click here to view the presentation](../mtac0503/BMM_MTAC5_8.ppt)

**Work Group \# 55**

**Mail Irregularity Feedback**

**Joyce McGarvy , Pat Killeen and Robert Dixon**

Mr. Killeen commented on the work group's objective to develop a plan
for a web-based process to identify issues that impact efficient
processing and delivery of business mailings, inform the appropriate
mailers of the issues, and provide reports and other input to resolve
the issues. The traditional paper form process had fallen into disuse
and the aim was to use the web to rejuvenate the process. Early pilot
tests resulted in improved data collection, better web-based data entry
forms and a more efficient interface between the BSN and the BMEUs.
Those improvements, including all the web-based forms, are being tested
at several sites.

Mr. Dixon presented a visual presentation of the reporting forms and
procedures available on the web site.

The next step is to refine the business plan, including the capability
to identify the mail preparer and mail owner, develop a mechanism to
inform mailers of issues, and create a scheme to identify urgency and
magnitude of problems. In the future, the program must integrate with
the intelligent mail process and include a mobile data collection (RF)
capability. The timeline calls for possible software changes in June
based on findings from the current pilot test, which then will be
expanded to a much larger scale, with full implementation in the fall. A
meeting will be held on June 17 in Chicago to discuss the issues,
especially identity of preparers/owners and the informing process.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/MTAC_Emir_v_05_08_2003-v2a.ppt)

**Work Group \# 11**

**Presort Optimization**

**Joe Lubenow and Marc McCrery**

The longest standing work group, the Presort Optimization Work Group has
successfully addressed a great number of presort issues with the goal of
reducing costs for both mailers and the Postal Service, reducing
residual mail and improving the efficiency of container use. It has been
particularly concerned with aligning the presort regulations and
requirements with the actual capabilities of the various Postal Service
facilities. Mr. McCrery mentioned a number of accomplishments of the
work group (available in the visual presentation slides).

MTAC will change the status of this work group from "active" to
"successfully completed" to make way for a new work group, Work Group \#
81, Flat Mail Preparation Optimization. The new work group will have a
similar focus, with particular attention to aligning the presort process
to the capabilities of the new flats sorting technology and matching the
rates for flats with the related processing costs. Mr. McCrery listed
some of the specific issues on the new work group's agenda -- preparing
for the automated package processing system (APPS), shape based
preparation and processing, cost-based presort, full merging of non-AFSM
100 flats, a 3-digit scheme for flats, and changes to the FIRM package
rules for flats.

Joe Lubenow stated that the new work group will focus on current and
scheduled automated processing equipment issues related specifically to
flats, even though some of the issues overlap other types of mail (e.g.,
APPS that handles packages as well as flats). The focus will also be on
non-rate-based ideas that could fit within the redesign process.

[Click here to view the presentation](../mtac0503/prst_mtac3.ppt)

**New Work Group \# 80**

**Enhancing Confirm**

**Martin Bernstein and Pritha Mehra**

Work Group Industry Chair Martin Bernstein announced the formation of a
new work group to address enhancements to CONFIRM. Paul Bakshi will be
the new Work Group's Postal Chair. The system is up and running and a
number of major mailers rely on the information it produces. As with any
new program, there will be problems that arise, applications that
require change, and opportunities for enhancements. The objectives of
the work group are to review and improve equipment guidelines and
scanning standards, resolve problems related to pre-shipment
notification, brainstorm suggestions for improving shared reports,
develop goals and objectives to train Postal Service personnel and
educating customers, and develop improvements in program administration
and reporting.

To that end, the work group has formed five work teams to address the
following aspects of CONFIRM:

Scan performance

Reports

Pre-shipment notification

Training

Future enhancements

Each of the work teams will establish quantifiable goals to measure
whether the objective has been achieved or not.

MTAC members are invited to participate in the work group.

[Click here to view the
presentation](../mtac0503/ConfirmMTACBriefing-May8.ppt)

## Adjournment 

## 

## The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.