# Presentation: 506906

## Automated Package Processing System [APPS] UpdateFebruary 23, 2006

## Agenda

**System Description**
**Deployment Status**
**Bundle Processing**
**Address Visibility**
**Bundle Integrity**
**APPS Singulator Design**

## APPS System Description

**Dual Induction, 100 Output**

**APPS System Description**

## Mail Characteristics

**APPS System Description**

**Maximum weight = 25 lbs**

## APPS Deployment Status

**Phase I - 74 Machines, 62 sites**
**First Article Test completed May 2004**
**Deployment from Aug 2004 to Aug 2006 – Currently have 55 machines in operation**

## Bundle Processing

**Optical Character Recognition (OCR)**
**Reads both Optional Endorsement Line (OEL) and address block information to sort the mail**
**Current read rates for OEL bundles is around 80%**
**Read failures occur due to:**
**Address block obscured by opaque strapping material**
**Address block is obscured by opaque shrink wrap**

**Address Visibility**

## Image Capture

- Gray Scale Image – 5,807Kb

- Binary Image – 201Kb

**OCR decodes Binary Image**

## APPS Images

**Opaque Material**
**Address Block Location**

## Clear Strapping

## APPS Image - Polywrap

**Poly weld seam through address block**
**Image captured at semi-auto induct station**
**Piece was rejected by video coding operator**

## Address Visibility Rule

**DMM Change - Address visible and readable to the naked eye**
**Where the label WILL be covered **
**If practical - move the address to one of the four quadrants**
**Clear smooth strapping  (recommend less than 70% haze – ASTM D1003)**
**Clear shrinkwrap (recommend less than 70% haze – ASTM D1003)**

**Effective – April 30****th****, 2006**

## Bundle Processing on APPS

**Automatic Singulation**
**Bulk input to single bundle output**
**Designed for wide variation in frictional characteristics**
**Destacking produces tumbling**

**Bundle Integrity**

## Bundle Processing on APPS

**Shrinkwrap no longer required on bundles on BMC pallets (Implemented in 2005)**
**Two straps on all non-shrinkwrapped bundles (Tentative effective date April 30)**
**Information sharing**
**Bundle Blitzes**
**The Perfect Bundle – Recommended quality test for bundles**
**Electronic Mail Improvement Report (E-MIR)**

**Bundle Integrity**

## Bundle Processing on APPS

**Define characteristics of bundles**
**Design an experiment to measure bundle performance on APPS**
**Greensboro P&DC test site**
**Preliminary meeting in early February**
**March 2006 data collection**

**Bundle Integrity – USPS/Mailer Study**

## Bundle Processing on APPS

**Singulator Design Study**
**Engineering task to evaluate destack module**
**Assess feasibility of reconfiguration to reduce tumbling**
**Findings in 6 months**

**Bundle Integrity**

## The Perfect Bundle

**A secure bundle with a fully visible address is a thing of beauty**

**Questions?**

**Notes:**
Thank you for joining us for today’s seminar.

Ensuring that bundles prepared by mailers remain intact throughout the handling of the bundle in USPS mail processing is a critical issue.  In today’s seminar, we will discuss data that we have collected about the incidents of bundle breakage, the rules for preparing secure bundles and some best practices for preparing bundles that were developed by the mailing industry.  This discussion applies to bundles of Standard, Periodical, Bound Printed Matter, Media and Library Mail flat-size mail pieces.  
In conjunction with this seminar we have a poster and brochure that provide reference to the “Perfect Bundle” which is our theme for our effort to improve bundle preparation and reduce the bundles that break open during postal processing.