OWEGO, NY, 14-APR-03 -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $2.8 million contract from the U.S. Postal Service to supply systems that will automatically place lids on mail containers and help achieve cost savings in dispatch operations. The initial contract is for 20 Automatic Flats Tray Lidder (AFTL) systems, with options for up to 200 systems. The base contract period of performance is now through September. Installation of the 20 AFTL systems will begin at U.S. Postal Service processing and distribution centers (P&DCs) and airmail facilities (AMFs) throughout the nation in July.

The AFTL system is one more piece of the U.S. Postal Service's plan to automate its mail processes, said Brian Tanton, vice president of Material Handling and Identification Solutions for Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies. Winning this contract illustrates Lockheed Martin's ability to provide technology that supports the U.S. Postal Service's quest to improve productivity, increase material movement efficiencies and reduce manual interface in material handling tasks.

The AFTL system automatically places lids on mail containers commonly called flats trays by the Postal Service. The system is part of an overall dispatch modernization effort aimed at providing increased throughput and performance during peak periods, while capturing sustainable labor savings.

Lockheed Martin will provide program management, engineering, manufacturing, integration, testing, training, technical data, and operation and training manuals. Industrial Manufacturing and Installations Inc. (IMI) of Littleton, CO, the designer of the prototype system, will provide engineering support as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin.

The AFTL system complements other dispatch automation technology and equipment designed and deployed by Lockheed Martin for the Postal Service such as systems that automatically sleeve and band letter trays as well as automatically assign airline flights to both trays and sacks of mail.