Milestones

June 2011: Sequencing to be introduced

On 28 June 2011, the Board of Directors of Swiss Post gave the green light to the introduction of automatic sequencing. This technology enables the majority of mail to be pre-sorted right down to the individual house letterbox level. Swiss Post is deploying existing as well as new sorting equipment. The changeover will not result in any compulsory redundancies.

December 2010: Delivery cut-off point returned to the morning for all customers

On the basis of the test results up to now and feedback from customers, in December 2010 Swiss Post decided that, in future, letters would once again be delivered during the morning to all customers in the pilot areas. Adjustments to route plans in the test areas  were completed by April 2011. In order to obtain findings about further automation and new processes, the tests had run until April. The tests on sequencing carried out up to now have produced positive results. The potential of this technology is undisputed.

September 2010 until April 2011: Pilot tests in delivery

Between September 2010 and April 2011 tests in letter delivery were carried out in 80,000 households in eastern, central and western Switzerland. These involved examining automatic sequencing, changes to workflows, alternative working models and the use of new vehicles and sorting racks. The tests resulted in changes to route planning and delivery times – some customers received their mail by 2 p.m. at the latest.

August to October 2010: Dialogue events for employees

The project managers and the Head of Delivery organized dialogue events to inform employees about the Distrinova project. They answered questions, discussed concerns, and listened to feedback. At "market stands", the participants were able to find out about the new developments and exchange views on the potential changes with the project managers.