SPOKANE, Wash. – The United States Postal Service (USPS) offered a rare look inside its upgraded sorting systems Tuesday, highlighting the machines helping Spokane handle this year’s holiday surge. The equipment moves thousands of parcels every hour during the busiest mailing period of the year.
The demonstration took place inside the Spokane Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), where USPS leaders highlighted how increased automation is helping the agency stay ahead of rising package volumes.
Angela Rettstatt, manager of processing support at the Spokane P&DC, explained the capabilities of the first machine on the tour.
“So the first machine that we looked at was a single induction parcel sorter. We call it a SIPs Plus. The Plus is really that the induction system has been upgraded. The original SIPs could run about 2,800 packages. The SIPs Plus that we have will run about 4,500 packages per hour,” said Rettstatt.
USPS then showcased a second high-speed system capable of handling even more volume.
“The second machine is an APBS, an automated parcel bundle sorter. And that one can actually do about 6,500 to 7,000 packages per hour. That machine does do a little bit smaller packages and only up to 20 pounds, but it’s much faster,” Rettstatt said.
Rettstatt also described Spokane’s expanded role as a regional processing center. The facility now handles outgoing mail for several neighboring areas, which she says has improved turnaround times across the region.
“We have taken on volume from Missoula and Wenatchee and Yakima. The changes that we’ve made have actually aided in our ability to service these areas and for these rural communities to get their mail quicker,” she said.
USPS reports strong national package volume heading into December.
“We are over 2.9 billion packages as of 11 a.m. this morning. Very excited to see that early number. Last year we did over 19 billion, so we are really excited to see the 2.9 already hitting this early in December,” said Janela Herron, USPS corporate communications specialist.
Herron said the agency’s peak week of the holiday season is approaching.
“So our busiest week is going to be this coming week. It’s going to be the 9th through the 14th,” Herron said.
USPS is encouraging customers to ship early and pay attention to recommended deadlines. Ground Advantage packages should be mailed by December 17, Priority Mail by December 18, and Priority Express by December 20.
The Postal Service says the upgraded machines and expanded processing capacity are already helping move mail faster across the Inland Northwest, and they urge customers to double-check addresses and send packages early to avoid delays.
