The public is invited to a noon Tuesday, Feb. 6, meeting hosted by the United States Postal Service to hear the early results of a nationwide facility modernization review and provide input on the future of Milan’s Quad Cities Processing and Distribution Center.
The event will be at The Camden Centre, 2701 First St. East, Milan. It will help guide future USPS decisions regarding the processing center located at 7700 68th St., Milan.
The USPS said that facility is expected to remain open and be modernized as a Local Processing Center to improve mail and package flow through the region. It also said the review will not cause career employee layoffs.
The Postal Service also said it will work closely with unions and management associations throughout the review, monitor the impact of changes that are implemented and adjust plans as necessary and appropriate.
The Milan center investment is part of the USPS’ $40 billion, 10-year Delivering for America plan. The DFA was first published on March 23, 2021. It is guiding the transformation of the USPS from an organization in financial and operational crisis to one that is self-sustaining and high performing
Better service the goal
The goal is to upgrade and improve postal processing, transportation and delivery networks, the independent government entity said. The plan includes initiatives to improve organizational and operational processes and make the aging Postal Service an efficient, high-performing, world-class logistics and delivery process.
To help get there in this region, the USPS is conducting an evaluation of current operations and potential future uses at its QC Processing and Distribution Center facility in Milan, located south of the Quad Cities International Airport.
At next Tuesday’s Milan meeting, USPS will share study results and allow members of the community to provide feedback and perspectives on initial findings of the Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR).
A summary of the MPFR is posted on about.usps.com. Members of the local community also may submit written comments here through Wednesday, Feb. 21. That public input will be considered prior to a final decision, the USPS said.
The survey’s initial results support the business case for keeping the Quad Cities facility open and modernizing it as a Local Processing Center (LPC), the MPFR said.
Milan a ‘critical node’
“The Quad Cities LPC will be a critical node to the unified movement of mail and packages across the regional processing and transportation ecosystem,” according to the document shared by USPS.
“The facility will offer expanded and streamlined package processing capabilities in the local market and new workplace amenities for USPS employees,” the agency added.
LPCs are connective nodes between Regional Processing & Distribution Centers to Sorting & Delivery Centers. They will ensure a streamlined flow of mail and packages in a logical and integrated manner, USPS said. As an LPC, the facility amenities – including lighting, space and bathrooms – would be improved.
The MPFR also said improvements to postal operations will be designed to enhance the level of service provided to the public; drive innovation and enable a broader array of postal products and services; enhance organizational competitiveness; improve efficiency and lower the cost to operate; and provide better workplaces and careers for Postal Service employees.
Cost-savings play part
“This specific facility review will inform the best allocation of resources and strategies to improve customer service and to achieve significant cost savings through operational precision and efficiency,” USPS said. “Business mail entry, post office, station, and branch retail services are not expected to change, and delivery services will be unaffected throughout this review.”
One key result in the review, the USPS news release said, is that there is a business case to be made to transfer some mail processing operations to the Des Moines Processing & Distribution Center. This would mean a significant percentage of the mail collected locally will travel across the wider USPS transportation and processing network over significant distances to reach their final destinations in a more efficient manner.
Mail and packages destined for outside the local area may receive better service and be more cost effectively distributed by aggregating it with mail and packages from other areas going to the same places that will likewise utilize the wider postal network and be transported significant distances from where the mail originated, the USPS review said.
