NUREMBERG, Germany - Siemens has won a contract worth 80 million euros from the United States Postal Service (USPS) to further upgrade its letter sorting machines. Siemens Dematic will design, manufacture, and install special ventilation and filtration systems (VFS) on the letter sorting machines, which also come from Siemens.

A new technology from the company will be used for the first time. It is intended to reduce USPS workers' exposure to potentially hazardous airborne particulates on in-bound mail-processing operations. Beginning in spring 2004, the new systems will be installed in 280 mail centers across the United States.

The contract awarded to Siemens Dematic is part of a larger, on-going USPS program to minimize health threats to employees and the public should events similar to the 2001 anthrax attacks occur in the future. Siemens Dematic's unit in Arlington, Texas, will provide the upgrade.

The mail cleaning process is said to meet the highest technical and safety standards. During mail processing in the letter sorting machines, the system automatically pulls air through a series of filters. The filtration system provides extremely fine filtering that effectively captures and contains 99.97 percent of contaminants, says the company. This new system has already undergone efficiency testing by the U.S. National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH).

For more information, visit www.siemens-dematic.com.

Publication date: 12/29/2003