Monday, August 4, 2025
The next generation of sorters is here
USPS has a new machine that can handle 7,000 packages an hour
The Postal Service has successfully completed testing a prototype package sorter that will enable the organization to increase its processing capacity and retire some of its older machines.
The parallel induction linear sorter, or PILS, has been used for 10 months at the Dulles, VA, Processing and Distribution Center, where it has processed 12 million packages.
This machine can process 7,000 packages an hour, an increase from the 3,500 packages an hour the currently used single induction package sorters are capable of.
The new sorter picks up containers of parcels and unloads them onto a conveyor belt, which then feeds them onto a conveyor system. A six-sided camera system allows it to read addresses.
Dulles was chosen as the PILS test site because it handles a large volume of packages. The machine was built from the ground up inside the facility, in less than seven months.
“Through the dedication and feedback of our employees, we were able to successfully construct and operate a superior sorter in a shorter timeframe,” said Linda Malone, acting applied engineering vice president.
The new sorters will soon be added at other processing centers.
“PILS is a really good piece of technology for the Postal Service,” said Amit Cholkar, acting engineering systems vice president. “We’re looking at our next-generation package sorter fleet.”
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
Heroes
He helped lift a man who fell
This letter carrier came to the aid of a customer whose husband was on the floor
While making deliveries in Lexington, KY, recently, Letter Carrier Visar Hasani was met by a customer as he arrived at her front door.
She told the Postal Service employee that her husband had fallen inside the house, and she couldn’t lift him. She asked for help.
Hasani and the customer moved the man to a comfortable spot.
“Visar couldn’t have been nicer, and he just saved my day,” she later told employees at the Bluegrass Post Office.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered July 27-Aug. 2
Career conferences, more 250th anniversary coverage and heroic employees made news
Last week, Link told you about the strong turnout for this year’s USPS career conferences.
The organization is holding 50 conferences across the nation, from May through August.
“There is so much knowledge in this room,” said Carlos Perez, a New Britain, CT, acting customer services supervisor who attended a Connecticut District conference. “I’m going to work tomorrow with a richer perspective. I wish we could do these more often.”
We also told you about the Postal Service’s new processing region; updated uniform guidelines; the requirements of the Privacy Act; and the release of SpongeBob SquarePants stamps, which feature SpongeBob and fellow denizens of Bikini Bottom in all their colorful, goofy glory.
Additionally, we continued our coverage of the organization’s 250th anniversary, including a special edition of The Eagle magazine, a new video showcasing the 250 Years of Delivering stamps and an explanation of why these are considered se-tenant stamps.
Our “People” column was chockful of anniversary news, including a recap of musical performances by USPS employees Mike Porter, Abby Martin and Steve Kochersperger during the 250th festivities at the organization’s Washington, DC, headquarters; a visit from a Nashville, TN, philatelist and high school teacher; and an item on a Ben Franklin impersonator who appeared at another event in Washington, DC.
Finally, we spotlighted two letter carriers.
In “Heroes,” Lexington, KY, Visar Hisani responded to a customer’s plea for help assisting her husband, who took a tumble.
And in Denton, TX, a hero of a different sort saved the day for Pretty Boy Floyd, a 70-pound mutt who was sent to the local animal shelter after his owner died. Ian Burke, who had delivered mail to the owner, adopted the dog when he learned of his former customer’s passing.
“I think what I did is just the normal thing for letter carriers to do, which is to help people,” Burke said.
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
August 11, 2025
Datebook
‘PSHB and Medicare in Retirement’
USPS employees may participate in a webinar that will help explain how the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program and Medicare work in retirement.
The session, “PSHB and Medicare in Retirement,” will be held Monday, Aug. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participants must register on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
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The next generation of sorters is here
USPS has a new machine that can handle 7,000 packages an hour
-
Heroes
He helped lift a man who fell
This letter carrier came to the aid of a customer whose husband was on the floor
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered July 27-Aug. 2
Career conferences, more 250th anniversary coverage and heroic employees made news
-
August11Datebook
‘PSHB and Medicare in Retirement’