Northrop Grumman wins $875 million postal contract

Northrop Grumman wins $875 million postal contract Los Angeles-based defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. said Thursday that it had been awarded a $874.6 million contract from the U.S. Postal Service to provide automated mail handling equipment.
   Northrop will provide 100 flats sequencing systems, or FSS, to automate the flats mail stream, which includes large envelopes, catalogs and magazines. The FSS is a next-generation sorting system that allows flats mail to be sorted quickly in the order of delivery, making it easier to prepare mail for each carrier's daily route.
   The systems will begin installation at postal service facilities next year and work is expected to be completed by 2010.
   Northrop is serving as the FSS prime contractor. It jointly developed technologies in the system with Solystic and Siemens Energy Automation Inc.