What's the U.S. Postal Service done for you lately? Hopefully, your answer is - delivered my mail in a timely manner. But even the USPS knows that isn't always the case. Fortunately, there's something being done about mail that gets delayed or even lost along the way. (That may be the perfect lead in for a great joke, but I'm going to suppress the urge.)

At the end of July, the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service filed its report entitled "Embracing the Future." This is the first time a commission has reviewed the postal service since 1968.

And the Commission doesn't waste any time in its executive summary getting into the shortcomings. Its first two sentences are: "Universal postal service remains vital to the nation and its economy at the dawn of the 21st century. Unfortunately, the institution that delivers it is in significant jeopardy."

Later on, the report talks about what the USPS can do to "push the envelope of innovation." And right there on page 149 is a photo of the mail sortation system featured on our cover this month.

As you will read in our story (First-class handling), this is a first of its kind system known as the automated package processing system (APPS). What you see is so new, it's actually the prototype that is being replaced by a production model as you read this.

The APPS at Minneapolis' Twin Cities Metro Hub is the lead in a $300 million order for at least 70 systems across the country. Along with the big money come big expectations. But from all early indications, the APPS is already delivering top performance by pushing the envelope of innovation.

Throughput of second-class and standard mail as well as priority mail at the Hub is up 83%. Meanwhile, mail that once sat at the hub for three days is now there less than four hours. As Jim Clausen, facility manager, explains, "this hub was once seen as a hindrance to handling mail in the Twin Cities district. Now it's an extreme asset."

Clausen has long been in the thick of the fight when it comes to postal automation (Automation - the way to go). Like the President's Commission, he sees more progress ahead on the materials handling side but even greater strides when it comes to information technology.

Both talk about building networks across the entire system that tie together facilities and customers. Both talk about applying existing technologies to deliver better customer service. And both know it's doable. Or as was said in a final paragraph of the report, "the Commission urges speed and conviction in support of Postal Service modernization." Now, if the USPS will just follow through on what it's started.