Firstlogic Inc. said yesterday that it was selected by Lockheed Martin to provide directory retrieval software and a video coding system for the U.S. Postal Service's Automated Package Processing System.
The APPS program will give the USPS a solution that automatically sorts high volumes of First-Class bulk mail, Priority Mail envelopes and parcels, and bundled mail (magazines, catalogs). It will replace more than 100 of the mechanized Small Parcel and Bundle Sorting machines at 70 postal facilities nationwide, and is expected to boost productivity by reducing manual handling. The postal service board approved APPS at its September meeting.
The USPS could not comment on when the system would be operating.
Firstlogic's directory retrieval software will work with optical character recognition technology to assign correct addresses for the routing of packages or mail pieces sorted in APPS. Currently, this is done manually. The video coding system is a manual system used when mail pieces and packages cannot be read by the OCR/DRS system.
Firstlogic, La Crosse, WI, as been involved with the APPS project since the 2001 field tests.
