RM announces it is to close processing centre in Portsmouth

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail announces it is to close processing centre in Portsmouth

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/busine ... -1-6160306" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PORTSMOUTH’S mail processing centre is to close and relocate out of the city.

Royal Mail said it has decided to relocate its mail processing operation from Slindon Street, Portsmouth, to Southampton as part of a wider, ongoing review of mail centres across the UK.

The move has put up to 360 jobs at risk, and the firm said it cannot comment on what impact workers will face as talks are still on-going.

Postal deliveries for the PO1, PO2, PO3, PO4 and PO5 postcode areas will continue as usual from the delivery office, based at Portsmouth Mail Centre, where 200 people work and whose jobs are safe.

Mail centre manager Stephen Rolfe said: ‘Change is absolutely essential to meet customers’ expectations of a world-class postal service, ensure we operate efficiently and provide a great quality of service in a smaller and radically changing market.

‘We understand any change to our mail centre processing operations in Portsmouth will, unfortunately, impact on some colleagues.

‘Our agreements with the Communication Workers’ Union set out an agreed approach to managing these changes and we will be working very closely with CWU and Unite CMA to support our people during what will, inevitably, be a period of uncertainty.

‘This review is part of the ongoing modernisation and investment in our business. This is vital in order to put Royal Mail on a sound, secure and sustainable footing for the future.’

Operation reviews at the site began in November 2012. Now the decision has been announced, the move will take place over the next 18 months.

Royal Mail said it is now delivering 54 million items a day, compared to 84 million six years ago, and so is reacting to this decrease in demand.

[SpacePhoenix]

Postal deliveries for the PO1, PO2, PO3, PO4 and PO5 postcode areas will continue as usual from the delivery office, based at Portsmouth Mail Centre, where 200 people work and whose jobs are safe.

I can't see that lasting too long, it's way to big a building for just that, it'll probably stay there until someone buys the land

[rainbowwarrior72]

They might turn it into a Super DO or a Hub. Also now this is a thought with Gatwick maybe merging with Croydon and moving in the future if 2nd runway gets go ahead and Dorset MC maybe being looked at could we have the makings of a Super MC covering BN/PO/SP/SO/DT/BH?

[whisperstar24]

careful what you wish for

[hubbahubba]

The DO at PO will become a MPU,as will Eastleigh DO,which is the nearest DO to SOMC.
Also if you look at the thread about TNT expansion that TBT posted the other day in blueshirts you'll see they expect to be doing end to end posting in the So/Po region by 2017, so less space will be needed for the inward operation.

[SpacePhoenix]

The DO at PO will become a MPU,as will Eastleigh DO,which is the nearest DO to SOMC.
Also if you look at the thread about TNT expansion that TBT posted the other day in blueshirts you'll see they expect to be doing end to end posting in the So/Po region by 2017, so less space will be needed for the inward operation.

That would possibly negate the need for turning the current PO DO into an MPU as from other threads on here DOs in areas where TNT operate have seen massive drops in the amount of sequenced mail. I would expect that RM will put the whole site up for sale otherwise what was the point in closing it (the only other reason that I can think of would be to move all DOs that cover the city, Gosport and neighbouring DOs into the current building to make a super-DO)?

[Tman]

otherwise what was the point in closing it ?

RM haven't, and don't intend to "close it". The O/W and late shift processing is being moved to SOMC, all other functions to remain in POMC.
Wouldn't be much chance of selling the site as the old RLB opposite the mail centre has been on the market for years with no takers, although the 2008 financial crash can't have helped with that.
Just pity the poor sods who have to relocate to SOMC....the most bitching unhappy mail centre in the UK.

[SpacePhoenix]

otherwise what was the point in closing it ?

RM haven't, and don't intend to "close it". The O/W and late shift processing is being moved to SOMC, all other functions to remain in POMC.
Wouldn't be much chance of selling the site as the old RLB opposite the mail centre has been on the market for years with no takers, although the 2008 financial crash can't have helped with that.
Just pity the poor sods who have to relocate to SOMC....the most bitching unhappy mail centre in the UK.

What's happening with PO's inward processing?

[Tman]

As PO only have LSMs and MTTs and the spares are nearly all gone I should think the I/W will go to SOMC too, leaving POMC with CSSs only.
I'm surmising at some point the Newport CSSs will be relocated into the mail centre too.

[SpacePhoenix]

As PO only have LSMs and MTTs and the spares are nearly all gone I should think the I/W will go to SOMC too, leaving POMC with CSSs only.
I'm surmising at some point the Newport CSSs will be relocated into the mail centre too.

How many CSSs in PO area at the moment (split between PO MC and Newport DO?)?

@hubbahubba if SOMC were to be expanded, how many extra CSS machines could they take and have they got the room to add more stacker modules to the existing CSSs?

[adb2aber]

From the look of it there is no room to expand - https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=southa ... ngdom&z=17

[SpacePhoenix]

From the look of it there is no room to expand - https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=southa ... ngdom&z=17

I wonder what the internal layout is like, are all office functions (resourcing, etc) all on one floor, if they are, maybe a mezanee floor could be created for some of them to move to, making more space for processing functions

[hubbahubba]

Most of the CSS are going to Eastleigh DO,so doubt we would be getting more in the future.All PO inward is coming to SOMC.
SOMC is on 2 floors,and the vastly under used canteen is on the same floor as processing,so expect that to be knocked through to create more sorting space.

[magnaman]

It looks like the government is going to invest millions in road links between the Bournemouth Spur Road(A338) and Bournemouth Airport. So if in the future RM decide to build a superhub for Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Southampton they might consider building at the airport, as Hurn is already the airport hub for the area.

[SpacePhoenix]

@hubbahubba would a TOPS 2k machine fit in the space currently taken up by the canteen (inc the height needed)?