The Postman beefs up for the holidays

There'll be extra collection trips for 3 days.

According to a release, SingPost will be strenghtening its operations for this festive peak. SingPost processes 3 million mail items on a daily basis.

In FY2011/12, the volume of packets/parcels increased by 15% when compared to FY2011/10. Over 98% of letters are delivered by the next business day, and delivery of local packets/packages and publications is 3 to 5 working days.

To cater to the festive peak, SingPost has implemented additional collection trips will be made on December 8, December 15, and December 22 - to collect mail from its 800-odd posting boxes island-wide. Special delivery services on December 15 and December 22 so that people can receive their gifts on time.

As well as engaging 30 temporary workers during this festive season to help expedite the processing of all inbound and outbound mail items.

Over the years, SingPost has been implementing measures including investing in infrastructure and technology as well as improving processes and operations to ensure continued service excellence. For example, last November, SingPost invested about S$5 million on a new machine to automate the sorting process for packets which are on the rise.

This new multi-purpose sorting machine can handle 10,000 to 15,000 items per hour - a processing rate tenfold faster than manual sorting which boosts productivity and translates into better service as items will reach customers earlier. In addition, SingPost has also invested in three-wheelers for mail delivery.

These vehicles carry 40 per cent more mail than the regular two-wheelers, resulting in shorter and faster delivery turnaround time to customers as the number of return trips that postmen have to make to the delivery base or mail transit rooms have been reduced.