mail sorting

The collection and sorting of individual items by the most economic method, concentrating together all items that are going to the same place or in the same direction, involves the use of local transport, usually operated by the postal services themselves, and sorting offices. The size of the…

…of other postal administrations, the sorting of mail has been gradually mechanized since the mid-1960s, with some 80 mechanized offices replacing more than 600 offices. The key to mechanization is an alphanumeric postal code that provides for sorting by machine at every stage of handling, including the carrier’s delivery route.…

…is handled by preparation and sorting machines and other forms of automation, a trend that was greatly assisted by the ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) postal coding program, which was introduced in 1963. The initial five-digit ZIP Code, which allowed for rapid sorting and targeted delivery, employed its first digit to…