IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orinte/v17y1987i2p1-12.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Postal Automation (ZIP + 4) Technology: A Decision Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Jacob W. Ulvila

    (Decision Science Consortium, Inc., 7700 Leesburg Pike, Suite 421, Falls Church, Virginia 22043)

Abstract

The US Postal Service recently decided to continue the nine-digit zip code (ZIP + 4) for first class business mailers and to purchase additional capital equipment as part of postal automation. Prior to this decision, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) and its contractors performed technical and economic analyses and evaluations of the options available to the US Congress and the Postal Service. Postal automation options involved capital investments of over $350 million and annual maintenance and other costs that could escalate to over $300 million a year. However, potential annual savings of up to $1.5 billion from reduced clerk and carrier costs were possible but highly uncertain. This decision analysis was the basis for OTA's economic evaluations in the face of uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob W. Ulvila, 1987. "Postal Automation (ZIP + 4) Technology: A Decision Analysis," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 17(2), pages 1-12, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:17:y:1987:i:2:p:1-12
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.17.2.1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/inte.17.2.1
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/inte.17.2.1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:17:y:1987:i:2:p:1-12. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.