Date:01/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/01/stories/2006110103940500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Foreign Post turns a new leaf

T. Ramakrishnan

Improvements to the three-storey building for getting ISO 9001:2001 certification

CHENNAI: The Chennai unit of Foreign Post, located near the General Post Office at George Town, no longer looks a dungeon.

The three-storey building housing the office, where mailbags once used to be seen strewn around, presents a picture of cleanliness. On the ground floor, some plants are kept; there is a fish tank too.

Notice boards display reports appeared in the Press on the activities of the Postal Department. And, there is a "quality statement" printed on a board with signatures of the staff, from the Director to down below. The "quality statement" broadly indicates the responsibility on the part of the postal officials to their customers.

"These are only some of the improvements in the physical characteristics of our office. We have improved our functioning: better system of maintenance of records, installation of closed circuit television, establishment of customer care centre and more," says D.V. Mahesh, Director of Postal Services, looking after the Foreign Posts and Marketing.

Pallet boxes have been provided to keep mailbags to ensure FIFO (First In First Out). A hoist facility will be set up to avoid manual handling of bags from one floor to another. A health and fitness centre has been formed.

For the past year, the office has been implementing 5S Japanese techniques, which broadly stand for house keeping practices for total quality management.