Osan implements new postal tracking
A new tracking system — the first at an Air Force base in the Pacific — is helping postal workers at Osan automate registered mail and package deliveries.
The system, called UPS Trackpad, is a United Parcel Service system that uses bar codes and computer scans to track certain mail inside the post office, said Senior Airman Bradley Williams, who implemented the system at Osan.
The Trackpad program replaces hand-written cards that once traced a package, registered or insured mail from delivery at the back of the post office to the customer, said Williams, 21, of Modesto, Calif.
The automated system adds an extra label to the package as it enters to the post office, Williams said. That label contains an identification code that matches information on the yellow card that customer’s find in their boxes to notify them that they have a piece of mail waiting.
Last Wednesday, the Osan post office got 75 pieces of mail. In post office lingo, a piece can mean an individual box or a bag full or letters and magazines. On a typical Monday, the post office gets about 350 pieces, Williams said.
