Swindon mail centre increases productivity by 41%

[POSTMAN]

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Time savers

Thursday 2 February

Smaller sorting frames and a new despatch layout have helped Swindon mail centre’s manual letters area increase productivity by a whopping 41%.

The Workplace Organisation pillar of our World Class Mail programme aims to reduce ‘non-value added activity’ – work that adds unnecessary time and waste.

Postwoman Irene South, Workplace Organisation pillar lead, says: ‘Our analysis showed that people were spending time stretching, bending and walking while sorting mail in the previous frames. The frames had 64 selections, so some were quite far to reach.

Golden Zone
‘The Workplace Organisation team reduced the number to 20, so the frames now meet the ‘Golden Zone’ principle – everything within arm’s length, with no unnatural movement. We also created a secondary sorting area using the same principles.

‘We changed the despatch layout to reduce the amount of walking, and set up each of the secondary frames with a tray holder to minimise handling. There’s also a designated York for each destination to speed up despatch.’

It’s worked. It used to take up to 20 minutes to despatch and clear mail from each fitting, but now it takes just five. Non-value added activity has been slashed by 31%.

[Donk]

‘The Workplace Organisation team reduced the number to 20, so the frames now meet the ‘Golden Zone’ principle – everything within arm’s length, with no unnatural movement.

This was done at GMC a while back, only using 20 or so of the 64 selections. Great.

Until someone had the bright idea of filling the unused boxes with inward selections. All 64 used again.

[clashcityrocker]

Just as long as everyone remembers to use the handrail when going up and down the stairs I am sure everything will be OK.

[fishtank]

I must be thick but i don't get this.
Surely you would only use 64 selections if you needed 64 selections or were they just doing it for a laugh?
How come they only need the "Golden Zone" 20 now?
We could speed up our primary manual if we just chucked it all in one box but it isn't going to make us more efficient.
I don't really understand mailcentres...they mess with my head a bit.

[clashcityrocker]

We could speed up our primary manual if we just chucked it all in one box but it isn't going to make us more efficient.

We have got some who sort like that.
I thought they were just a bit thick.
Now I realise they were just being pokayoke in the Golden Zone.

[fishtank]

EMC has a better efficiency plan.
They just send us our mail in direct bags mixed with the packets and D2D.
Obviously their Pokayoke Golden Zone is even smaller.

[DGP1]

They tried to do that in my office, not sorting into duties but into batches all around the same area of the frame..............needless to say it was a total disaster and dropped after a day. You really have to wonder what is going on to allow these people to be in charge of anything more than their own shoe laces...............................of course I'm on a bit sore because they stole my idea about putting the mail into the first house in the loop and letting them deliver it themselves

I certainly hope management don't read that or they will try it

[fishtank]

I remember way back before the swanky RM2000 we would street sort our round first and then sort it numerically.....pain in the arse that was.

[DGP1]

I remember way back before the swanky RM2000 we would street sort our round first and then sort it numerically.....pain in the arse that was.

Is that before or after we were inefficient

[PhilthyPhil]

I must be thick but i don't get this.
Surely you would only use 64 selections if you needed 64 selections or were they just doing it for a laugh?
How come they only need the "Golden Zone" 20 now?
We could speed up our primary manual if we just chucked it all in one box but it isn't going to make us more efficient.
I don't really understand mailcentres...they mess with my head a bit.

Presumably they have more secondary roads? So instead of say a 64 selection primary and 40 selection secondary they have a 20 selection primary and 4x20 selection secondarys

[fishtank]

Presumably they have more secondary roads? So instead of say a 64 selection primary and 40 selection secondary they have a 20 selection primary and 4x20 selection secondarys

So rather than a saving...it's a re-allocation of resources or am i still missing the point?

[PhilthyPhil]

By having less selections on the individual frames it increases the sorting rate because you have no reaching/stretching to the outer selections on the frame like you have with 64 selections to a frame.

[DGP1]

By having less selections on the individual frames it increases the sorting rate because you have no reaching/stretching to the outer selections on the frame like you have with 64 selections to a frame.

But it still needs sorting further down..............or am I being a bit thick

[blue1873]

By having less selections on the individual frames it increases the sorting rate because you have no reaching/stretching to the outer selections on the frame like you have with 64 selections to a frame.

But it still needs sorting further down..............or am I being a bit thick

No your not! but they are but hey ho it's all in the name of World Class Mail
so it does'nt matter that there's further sorting to be done,just stand back
and admire the smaller sized frames......are'nt they a great idea
As i've said before if Carlsberg did F..k-Ups and Stupidity they'd come to
RM for advice

[adb2aber]

The "wonderful" new layout consists of 8 primary outward selections which each have a selection of postcodes that is then sorted again on the secondary to the receiving MC. There's also selections on primary for SN, OX, RG, RLB, Confidential waste, vagues, surcharges and a few other bits.

Each of the 8 selections is effectively half of a distribution hub so for instance the SWDC codes are split over two secondary selections, same for NDC, PRDC and the fliers.

We've got an expensive set of new frames in that were custom built out of plastic tubing but are so wide they're useless for the "golden zone" sorting and have no backs so any small letters shoot right through. Currently being used to put any old crap on and gather dust.

Oh and this is on letters only, the flats still sort on the full 64 selection.