recped - there is often a fine line between what is fiction, and what is fact.
Here's what AUSSIE POST has to say in their 2003/2004 ANNUAL REPORT
PARCELS NETWORK RESTRUCTURE
http://www.auspost.com.au/annualreport2004/_p_parc_network.asp
The $129 million program to restructure and modernise Postís parcel handling and sorting network was nearing completion by 30 June 2004. The program is critical to Postís future growth in parcels as it will enable greater efficiency in parcel processing, reduce costs, improve delivery performance and provide greater processing capacity.
The program has involved the construction of new parcel processing facilities at Chullora (in Sydney) and Ardeer (in Melbourne) as well as a major extension to Postís existing mail centre at Underwood (in Brisbane). During the year, Postís new automated large parcel sorting and handling systems were installed at all three facilities. Formal acceptance testing of the three machines was completed in April 2004. An additional component of the parcels restructure program involves the relocation of Postís existing small parcel sorting machines to these three facilities ñ at Chullora, Ardeer and Underwood. This component of the program was completed after the end of the financial year (in July 2004).
The parcels network restructure program resulted in major changes to the network in Sydney and Melbourne. In Sydney, the centralisation of parcels processing at Chullora involved the closure of five parcel facilities (Villawood, Rosebery, Chatswood, Kingsgrove and Leightonfield). In Melbourne, the Southern Parcel Centre closed in September 2003 and the State Parcel Centre ceased operating in January 2004.
Postís transport operations in Melbourne and Sydney were also restructured as a consequence of changes to the parcels network. The Melbourne Transport Centre (MTC) in Port Melbourne was closed during the year, with the facilityís administration, truck and linehaul operations moving to the new facility at Ardeer and its van operations moving to the Melbourne Central Hub (also in Port Melbourne). In Sydney, the Sydney North Transport Depot was closed in August 2003, with operations relocating to other facilities.
And further- REGARDING THAILAND-
http://www1.auspost.com.au/priority/index.asp?area=features&article_id=137&issue_id=8
The Things That Bind Us
Direct-marketing giant, International Masters Publishers (IMP), makes cards that people collect - what the company calls card continuity products. Its Australian cards include series on health, cookery, gardening, wildlife and music.
Now, IMP has appointed Australia Post as the distribution provider for its Asia-Pacific operation, and Post will distribute to IMP`s customers throughout Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Already an Australia Post domestic direct-mailing client, this new contract is worth about $5 million a year.
Originally a Swedish-based direct-marketing company, IMP now operates in 25 countries. According to its Operations Manager Phill Vitek, the company does a direct mailout to several million people in the Asia Pacific region annually, working off rented and swapped lists, in addition to their own database. "All our direct-mail material for the region is currently printed and presorted in Thailand then sent to Australia in 40-foot containers for processing. Each consignment contains in excess of one million items which are sorted into the Australian mail system ready for distribution."
According to this, it appears, in this case LARGE volumes of specific mail are/were presorted in THAILAND, prior to being handed off to Australia Post. While apparently this may be unrelated to any overseas packages- it certainly reinforces the connection between MILLIONS of items being processed in THAILAND, before being sent to Australia for delivery.
