OWEGO, NY, 07-MAR-00 -- Lockheed Martin Postal Systems has been awarded a $73.4 million contract to provide the U.S. Postal Service a new parcel mail processing system called the Singulate, Scan and Induction Unit (SSIU). As prime contractor, Lockheed Martin will provide 42 SSIUs in 21 Bulk Mail Centers nationwide and is responsible for the systems integration of the units. Installation of the 42 units will begin in June 2000, with final installation scheduled for July 2002.

Lockheed Martin will provide one of the key elements of the SSIU, called the singulator, which is known as the heart of the system. The singulator is a material handling device that takes an unorganized stream of mail and creates a string of individual mail pieces. The system also will include a data collection system to identify the delivery bar code information, enabling the mail pieces to be delivered to the proper destination on the Bulk Mail Center's existing parcel sorters. The mail piece will then travel onto a sorter, where it will be diverted to one of several processing destinations.

Lockheed Martin is pleased to provide the Postal Service with the latest technology for processing parcel mail, said Michael B. Schoultz, Lockheed Martin Postal Systems president. The SSIU represents a tremendous advancement for Lockheed Martin's material handling business portfolio and illustrates our ability to provide our customer with new technology to meet their needs in automation.

The U.S. Postal Service, the most highly automated postal system in the world, with more than 12,000 pieces of mail processing equipment and nearly 40,000 post offices, has been able to use technology initiatives such as the SSIU system to constantly improve service, while maintaining the lowest postal rates in the industrialized world.

A leader in design, production and systems integration of a broad product portfolio of recognition, sortation, material handling and information management systems equipment and technology. Lockheed Martin Postal Systems serves customers including domestic and international postal services and commercial customers. Postal Systems, with facilities in Owego, N.Y., Orlando, Fla. and Tulsa, Okla., is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.