Royal Mails grand plan/end game.

awesomepenguin · Post by **awesomepenguin** » 05 Feb 2018, 16:32

Royal Mails grand plan/end game in my opinion is very simple.....

Get rid of the Universal Service Obligation.

As long as Royal Mail has this obligation it will never have total commercial freedom to act as a business.

At the moment it's neither one thing or the other, it's not a business because it is unable to make business decisions without consulting Unions/Regulators etc, and it's not a service because it's now part privitised which means its primary purpose is to make money for the shareholders.

Dexydog · Post by **Dexydog** » 05 Feb 2018, 18:03

Am I being thick or do I understand this correctly- they want you to have, say, 12 perstops full of mail per walk (that's24 for both walks in a combi), the inch thick nationals we got today in a bulk posting, double those numbers,which you will then have to pick the next call out of each one in turn, possibly in pouring rain, then add in a few small packets and specials, so that's at least another 4 (8) perstops, on top of this your larger parcels obscuring the view/accessibility of each of these, then wait lefts being constantly moved out of the way of same. Oh, I forgot the d2d's- another 2 or 3 perstops.
How long do these plonkers think all that is going to take??!!!
If my understanding is correct, just bring it on- they might get half of what they get done now if they're lucky.

toomuchcoke · Post by **toomuchcoke** » 05 Feb 2018, 18:17

greengiant wrote:What about redirections / keepsafes / call and collects? If we no longer have frames, where will keepsafes & call and collects be kept?

Isn't the idea that the machines will do it? Redirections should certainly be possible to automate, and call & collect is surely just a case of having another "round" in the office which is actually the enquiry office so anything that's a call & collect gets auto-magically sorted there. Keepsafe is a bit more awkward, but I suppose anything matching a Keepsafe could be machine sorted out separately, which would granted leave you having to manually remember that mail when it ended. (And a Keepsafe which then turns into a redirection might be interesting too!)

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 05 Feb 2018, 19:26

toomuchcoke wrote:
greengiant wrote:What about redirections / keepsafes / call and collects? If we no longer have frames, where will keepsafes & call and collects be kept?
Isn't the idea that the machines will do it? Redirections should certainly be possible to automate, and call & collect is surely just a case of having another "round" in the office which is actually the enquiry office so anything that's a call & collect gets auto-magically sorted there. Keepsafe is a bit more awkward, but I suppose anything matching a Keepsafe could be machine sorted out separately, which would granted leave you having to manually remember that mail when it ended. (And a Keepsafe which then turns into a redirection might be interesting too!)

No chance. The machines read the barcode printed on them by the first IMP or iLSM that they pass through, they sort the item according to the address stored in that barcode

toomuchcoke · Post by **toomuchcoke** » 05 Feb 2018, 19:45

SpacePhoenix wrote:No chance. The machines read the barcode printed on them by the first IMP or iLSM that they pass through, they sort the item according to the address stored in that barcode

So for a redirection :-

1. Read name & address on letter.
2. Compare that address to a database of active redirections.
3. If there's a match, stick a label over the address with the new address and print a barcode for that address. If there isn't a match, print a barcode for the address on the letter.
4. Sort the letter according to the address stored in that barcode.

... and for a call & collect, have those addresses in a-plus against a "round" for the enquiry office. Print a barcode for the address and sort it to the appropriate address.

gary1975 · Post by **gary1975** » 05 Feb 2018, 20:01

Dexydog wrote:Am I being thick or do I understand this correctly- they want you to have, say, 12 perstops full of mail per walk (that's24 for both walks in a combi), the inch thick nationals we got today in a bulk posting, double those numbers,which you will then have to pick the next call out of each one in turn, possibly in pouring rain, then add in a few small packets and specials, so that's at least another 4 (8) perstops, on top of this your larger parcels obscuring the view/accessibility of each of these, then wait lefts being constantly moved out of the way of same. Oh, I forgot the d2d's- another 2 or 3 perstops.
How long do these plonkers think all that is going to take??!!!
If my understanding is correct, just bring it on- they might get half of what they get done now if they're lucky.

What's a perstop?

mr hil. · Post by **mr hil.** » 05 Feb 2018, 20:18

A grey or blue tray sometimes pink or yellow

Post by **rogersh** » 05 Feb 2018, 20:21

Perstop Plastic Tray for storing letters and flats

Post by **Sugar** » 06 Feb 2018, 16:20

The grand plan is the PDA actual's collected will plan your duty but because, as with all things RM, it'll be badly implemented your duties will be twice the size they are now and if you go over you won't get any overtime as the PDA said you had plenty of time to do it. So in effect they'll reduce head count and overtime payments in one sweep of the hand.

Post by **Brandy** » 10 Feb 2018, 16:13

Why dont those that are trying to implement this do it,no they wont,to be honest they wouldnt know where to start.If it looks good on paper they they think it will work

Cwtchy bear · Post by **Cwtchy bear** » 10 Feb 2018, 17:59

Canada post have cut down door to door delivery and are now using neighbourhood postboxes. Any danger that's where we are heading?

yellowbelly · Post by **yellowbelly** » 10 Feb 2018, 22:17

Cwtchy bear wrote:Canada post have cut down door to door delivery and are now using neighbourhood postboxes. Any danger that's where we are heading?

Look at this LTB......

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... 15&t=84178" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ewancurze · Post by **ewancurze** » 10 Feb 2018, 22:53

toomuchcoke wrote:
SpacePhoenix wrote:No chance. The machines read the barcode printed on them by the first IMP or iLSM that they pass through, they sort the item according to the address stored in that barcode
So for a redirection :-

1. Read name & address on letter.
2. Compare that address to a database of active redirections.
3. If there's a match, stick a label over the address with the new address and print a barcode for that address. If there isn't a match, print a barcode for the address on the letter.
4. Sort the letter according to the address stored in that barcode.

... and for a call & collect, have those addresses in a-plus against a "round" for the enquiry office. Print a barcode for the address and sort it to the appropriate address.

Our mail center can't even get a printer to print labels for our mech trays let alone do this!

.....Multi-Billion pound operation and they can't have a backup printer...(not that I really know how the MC operates TBH)

Celgar · Post by **Celgar** » 11 Feb 2018, 09:18

ewancurze wrote:
toomuchcoke wrote:
SpacePhoenix wrote:No chance. The machines read the barcode printed on them by the first IMP or iLSM that they pass through, they sort the item according to the address stored in that barcode
So for a redirection :-

1. Read name & address on letter.
2. Compare that address to a database of active redirections.
3. If there's a match, stick a label over the address with the new address and print a barcode for that address. If there isn't a match, print a barcode for the address on the letter.
4. Sort the letter according to the address stored in that barcode.

... and for a call & collect, have those addresses in a-plus against a "round" for the enquiry office. Print a barcode for the address and sort it to the appropriate address.
I don't work in a MC either but realistically speaking I doubt a machine could be designed that could sort and sequence letters and at the same time look for redirections, correctly identify, then print and apply a address sticker. If the MC was going to take over the redirections function they would have to check flats and parcels as well. I think, if there is a justifiable economic need and the physical space available, then automation can be applied to letters, flats, and parcels. Maybe the D2D as well to arrange them in bunches although that one may get messy. Imagine trying to group six D2D items including maybe an A4 garden centre brochure and a flimsy poor quality paper leaflet half the size of an A5 piece of paper!!! Munch, munch, tear, tear!!
Plus you just know if we get more automation of parcels and then flats that RM will demand more hours out of delivery offices. Personally I feel even with this additional automation we have reached a crunch point and the DO system cannot sustain any more cuts. It's more likely the case that we are on the cusp point where delivery infrastructure such as new and larger vans along with maybe more staff and smaller and therefore more walks per DO will have to be considered. RM grumble and complain that we 'ONLY' have fifty percent of the market share of parcels in the UK. But at the delivery end in terms of space required we couldn't deliver much more currently.

Our mail center can't even get a printer to print labels for our mech trays let alone do this! .....Multi-Billion pound operation and they can't have a backup printer...(not that I really know how the MC operates TBH)

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 11 Feb 2018, 09:31

ewancurze wrote:Our mail center can't even get a printer to print labels for our mech trays let alone do this! .....Multi-Billion pound operation and they can't have a backup printer...(not that I really know how the MC operates TBH)

Another possibility is that your local MC hasn't got any available staff to print the labels