Peak Performance

12.19.14 Postal facilities across the nation are working hard to keep the mail moving during the peak holiday season.

Atlanta District is having its biggest season ever. One example: Package volume at the Peachtree P&DC has surged 23 percent this month compared to last year, with 735,000 packages processed Dec. 15 alone.

In the Midwest, the Michigan Metroplex in Pontiac has been working around the clock to cancel millions of holiday cards and letters. The facility expects to cancel 58 million mailpieces, more than any other during December.

Meanwhile, the Miami International Service Center (ISC), one of four in the United States, will sort about 1 million packages during the holidays.

The Miami ISC — open 24/7, 365 days a year — processes all mail heading to the Caribbean and South America. The facility has 300 regular employees and added 110 temporary employees for the holidays.

“This is our season, and we are more than ready to handle the increase in package volume for our customers,” said Distribution Operations Supervisor Marina Santos.

Processing centers aren’t the only facilities in holiday crunch mode, though. At the Milam Dairy Post Office in Miami, carriers are using new cargo vans that are specifically designed to deliver packages from other countries.

The Postal Service is expected to deliver about 15.5 billion pieces of mail during the holidays, including as many as 470 million packages.

Read more: USPS News Link Story – Peak performance.