What's happening in the paper supply chain? On Thursday, the Postal Customer Council (PCC) Advisory Committee hosted a webinar about the ongoing paper challenges with Greg Lovensheimer, COO of Millcraft Paper. Mr. Lovensheimer covered the factors impacting the paper market, including production, availability and pricing. The presentation and recording are available on PostalPro.
Five key trends in the paper market are:
- Technology (labor, data, omnichannel).
- Environmental Sustainability (carbon footprint, fossil fuels, scorecard).
- Durability of Supply Chain Links (partners’ visions, inherent risks, suppliers’ suppliers).
- Partnership (fewer options, concentration of market, visibility of supply chain, forecasting).
- Transportation (long-term driver availability, last mile costs, cameras and GPS everywhere).
In last week’s wrap-up, we covered the US Postal Service (USPS) plans to consolidate Destination Delivery Units (DDUs) from approximately 16,000 DDUs to 11,000 Sorting and Delivery Centers (S&DCs). Steve Hutkins of “Save the Post Office” has published an informative blog post entitled, Introducing the New USPS Sorting & Delivery Centers. Mr. Hutkins provides an in-depth review of what is known about consolidation plan, the potential impact on carriers, and the millions of additional miles being added to delivery routes. A “must read” article.
The FedEx dispute with contractors has heated up. Last Friday, FedEx filed suit against one of their most outspoken contractors, and then terminated their contract. The contractor, Spencer Patton, has said in the past he knew that his comments put his contracts in jeopardy.
National PCC Week will be September 19 -23, 2022, with the theme of “Facing the Future Together”. Over 80 PCCs around the country will be hold in-person, remote and hybrid events. Check out the national PCC website to find an event near you. Mark Fallon will be speaking for the Greater Boston PCC on September 20th, and for the Greater Baltimore PCC on September 23rd. Hope to see you there!
The USPS is changing, but to thrive in the 21st Century, it will need to transform. Retail locations will need to be repurposed and services will need to be reimagined. We share some ideas in our latest blog post: Comprehensive Postal Reform – Part Three: Imagining a New Future.
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