Mail Processing Equipment
Automated machinery used by the USPS to sort, face, cancel, and sequence mail based on barcodes, OCR, and other recognition technologies.
USPS processing facilities use several types of automated equipment. The Advanced Facer-Canceller System (AFCS) faces letters (orients them correctly) and cancels stamps. The Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS) reads barcodes and sorts letters into carrier route and walk-sequence order. The Automated Flat Sorting Machine (AFSM) handles magazines, large envelopes, and catalogs. For packages, the Small Parcel and Bundle Sorter (SPBS) and Automated Package Processing System (APPS) route items to the correct destination.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology allows machines to read handwritten and printed addresses. When a machine cannot read an address, it captures an image and sends it to a Remote Encoding Center where an operator keys in the ZIP code.
These systems process billions of mail pieces annually and are the reason that address formatting, barcoding, and ZIP code accuracy directly affect delivery speed.