Cardiff mail centre gains award for excellence

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Suggestions from postal workers are among improvements that have now been rolled out at centres across the UK

ROYAL MAIL’S programme to improve safety, quality of service and efficiency in its mail centres, including Wales, has been recognised by an international award that encourages operational excellence among major businesses across the world.

Cardiff Mail Centre is one of the recipients of a bronze award from the World Class Manufacturing Association, to mark its achievements in improving its workplace environment through a joint team effort involving staff at every level.

One of the ways postal workers in Cardiff helped win the major international award for world class performance was to suggest swapping a trolley with a tow truck, thus saving miles of wasted energy pushing trolleys across the shop floor.


The simple improvement is one of many changes introduced at Cardiff Mail Centre that has saved £1.5m in mail centres across the UK as other centres follow the Welsh successes.

Cardiff Mail Centre’s tow truck idea is just one of the successes of the World Class Mail programme, based on a Japanese model.

Its principles are based on a comprehensive system of continuous improvement developed by Dr Hajime Yamashina, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, which encourages people at all levels of an organisation to share ideas.

Improvements at the mail centres forms the foundation of Royal Mail’s World Class Mail programme, to drive up standards and to improve the working environment and quality of service for customers.

The World Class Mail programme, now rolled out to a further 14 centres across the UK, is a comprehensive system of continuous improvement, made up of 10 ‘pillars’ ranging from safety to people development.

It actively engages frontline staff, training and encouraging them to look at how improvements can be made in each individual step of the many processes that take place. Often simple changes can have a dramatic effect on productivity and, when multiplied across the business, can lead to significant savings.

The programme underpins Royal Mail’s commitment to transform the business into a modern postal operator and is now rolling out across all its operations over the next two years.

Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail is committed to achieving world-class levels of performance across our operations with our people fully involved as we progress the transformation and modernisation of the company.

“Through our World Class Mail programme, Royal Mail has made significant improvements in safety, quality of service and efficiency in our pilot units.

“Every single person whose enthusiasm and commitment has played a part in making the programme a success should be proud of their efforts and the awards we have received.”

Paul Parvin, director of process for Royal Mail in Wales, said: “World Class Mail gives everyone an opportunity to be actively involved in our transformation on the operational floor – not in the office.

“Those who are introducing the World Class mail techniques have found it exciting and have relished the chance to improve safety, quality and their working environment, such as the examples set in Cardiff, while also providing an improved service to our customers.”

Cardiff process worker Dean Farrar, a Communication Workers Union representative, said: “Postmen and women are using their expertise to make suggestions and their input is making a real difference to the operations.”

Cardiff is joined by mail centres at Gatwick and Northern Ireland in receiving the bronze award.