Joann WhitcherLouis DeJoy, the 75th Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service, presented a keynote last week at PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas centered on his Delivering for America plan, a blueprint for putting the Postal Service on a positive trajectory, including new opportunities for the mailing and shipping industry.
Describing the situation when he came on board as Postmaster General in May of 2022, DeJoy said, “Conditions were bad and metastasizing at a rapid pace. We were on pace to lose $20 billion and run out of cash in nine months. We were significantly underinvested in our infrastructure.”
Mail volume had declined 42% and was predicted to drop another 30%. The USPS had not met its delivery standard in 10 years. There was a more than 40% turnover rate in the pre-career workforce. The organization had lost its voice to advocate for itself.
“We go to 163 million addresses every day – that’s the magnificence of the Postal Service,” said DeJoy.
DeJoy initially focused on three tenets:
- Having the people to deliver to 163 million addresses six days a week
- Committing to becoming self-sustaining
- Sharing the belief that the USPS was going to here 10 years from now
The third tenet, said DeJoy, is probably the most important because it requires a vision for the future — which means you must have a strategy and execute. “That’s what we’re in the process of doing, what we have been doing,” he said.
DeJoy ‘s goal is for the USPS to become the preferred delivery provider. “We reconnected with customers,” he said. “We expanded our packaging capacity, so our capacity is up from around 25 million to 60 million. We’re engaging our workforce by building on a discipline of collaborative teamwork.”
New service standards enable a more efficient and reliable network, so, for example, trucks only 30% full aren’t driving around the country.
Nearly $6.3 billion invested in core postal infrastructure over the coming decade — covering delivery vehicles, technology, retail locations, processing equipment, facility buildings, and delivery operations. The Postal Service is committed to green transportation: Its recent order of 50,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles for $3 billion included 10,019 battery electric vehicles.
The rollout of USPS Connect, which broadens network access to next-day delivery capability for businesses. USPS Connect was leveraged to deliver more than 320 million COVID test kits during the pandemic.
“I see us as not only being the most trusted organization in America but becoming the best run agency in America,” said DeJoy.
