Background
When Minnesota Life was deciding to install a mail delivery system
that would connect its new award-winning building with its existing
structure in downtown St. Paul, it considered only the most innovative
products. They chose Teledynamics multidimensional
track network.
The new 401 Building connects via a skyway with the original 400 Building
creating a two-city-block campus for over 2500 employees. The campus,
corporate headquarters for Minnesota Life Insurance Company, one of
the largest financial services groups in the United States, is comprised
of an L-shaped, bi-level structure, 9 and 13 stories, and a 21-story
building - for a combined square footage over one million. The $102
million building, won the 1999 "City Business" award for new office
development and has a variety of features that offer maximum flexibility
in office design, including Teledynamics' Telecar
monorail distribution system that seamlessly delivers mail point-to-point
throughout the new downtown campus.
Challenge
The challenge was to treat the two buildings as one harmonious unit,
not only architecturally, but also functionally - joining different
work centers, non-contiguous floors and separate buildings and, more
importantly, people and departments.
When the 400 Building was originally built, divisions were small and
each employee picked up his own mail. The original internal delivery
system was labor-intensive, entailing hourly desk-to-desk services.
Now, with many more departments and larger staffs, the need to connect
everyone quickly and efficiently was imperative.
Management required a system that would have tracking ability, standardized
delivery times, identify each building, floor and in-box clearly and
accurately, allow for growth, and be affordable. The system had to
be easy to understand and simple enough for staff to use without extensive
training, since the mailroom, which acts as a gateway to other departments,
had a high turnover rate. Since everything in the new building, from
telecommunications to lighting to security, was state-of-the-art,
the mail delivery process had to be cutting edge.
Solution
First Phase - Consultation [Design and Consulting]
Minnesota Life's Facilities Management staff researched thoroughly
before awarding the contract: attending trade shows, viewing products,
meeting with representatives, and securing references. They investigated
the latest mail distribution products available for vertical distribution
within the towers and horizontally between the two buildings. The
team ultimately decided on Teledynamics for a 26-station
system using 72 self-powered Telecar vehicles.
Teledynamics
showed Minnesota Life how they could design and install a seamless
system that would connect both buildings via the tunnel walkway. Originally,
the mail center was on the fifth floor, far from the loading docks
on the ground level, everything had to be hand-carried up to the mail
center. The new mail center is located in the 401 building next to
the enclosed loading dock making it easier to receive deliveries.
Kiosks, complete with copier, fax machine, standard forms and other
mailing necessities were placed on each floor. Mail is delivered to
these centralized kiosks and sorted into individual slots.
Second Phase - Implementation
The monorail system runs between the two buildings through a newly
built underground tunnel and into each tower through an elevator shaft.
Cars are loaded in the mail center and then sent to the specific floors
for mail distribution. The cars quietly travel 120 feet per minute
- horizontally, vertically, and even upside down. There are approximately
900-1200 transactions per day, each with a payload capacity of 30
pounds.
An average of 10,000 pieces of mail are routed daily, all mail is
sorted by floor and building and delivered every two hours. Misrouted
mail is identified and rerouted within 24 hours.
Incoming mail fills two to three mail hampers a day and is supplemented
by an average of 250 overnight letters. All incoming mail is processed
by 2 pm.
Outgoing mail fills three to five hampers a day, supplemented by 175
expedited pieces. (This does not include large mass mailings, which
are typically outsourced to a vendor.) Outgoing mail is processed
with machines that include charge-back systems so that each department
is held accountable for postage. Every 90 minutes, messengers deliver
mail to one of three centralized kiosks on each floor. Mail is routed
back to the mail center via the system, providing seamless turnaround
of important documents.
Third Phase - Continuation
[Realization/Maintenance]
Bar coding provides up-to-the-minute tracking of each car along the
route via optical scanners. The vehicles operate simultaneously, yet
independently, each with an on-board microcomputer for administrative
control. In the mail center, a large graphic, color-coded display
provides system status at a glance and offer real-time tracking information,
including vehicle location, station and switch status, and traffic
flow.
Results Selling senior management on a $1 million system to transport
mail more efficiently was initially a difficult task. The major selling
points were that the Telecar system provided point-to-point service,
allowing individuals to directly route mail bypassing the mail center
and a net reduction in staff. The creation of kiosks and the computerized
monitoring system reduced one messenger for every four floors. Staff
size was reduced from 16 messengers serving two buildings to 9 messengers
serving the entire campus, while maintaining 90-minute service to
34 floors. The net result is a cost-effective, streamlined workflow
system of internal delivery.
Computerized tracking was also an important factor in the decision.
In an age of compliance and confidentiality, it is critical to have
a system that provides a secure traceable way of routing mail internally.
The Telecar system has performed at nearly 100% uptime since beginning
operation. Because of Minnesota Life's confidence in Teledynamics,
they recently added seven new stations. "The Telecar monorail
system has increased the quality of internal mail service while reducing
operating costs by one-quarter". Minnesota Life's return on investment
for the $1.2 million conveyor system will be under five years.
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