Visiting Singapore Mail Processing Centre MPC Eunos Branch

A few weeks back we were being invited to visit Singapore Mail Processing Centre at Eunos Branch by SingPost. Its was a fun and educating trip where we learn how mails are being process after we drop them into the post box. I am sure most of us are not aware of how our mails are being sort through the different process before it reached the receivers. And it was only after tour that we realised there are so many steps and work involved in order to deliver our daily mails despite of the minimum postage of 26 cents stamps that we paid.

Everyday SingPost deal with an average of 3 millions over postal items and although most of the sorting process are being operated by machines with minimum human help but still about 20% or less of the mails with undetectable addresses (not written in English) or bulky items are being manually sorted by human.

In order to provide better services to their customers, SingPost will be going through some major upgrade on their Mailing Process systems in July 2013 to prepared future demands on a better postal services.

Bar Code Sorter reads the ID tag on stamped mail and prints destinations bar code on envelopes at 35,000 per hours.

Corporate Mails takes up about 80% of the daily postal items.

Manual stamping for large and bulky mails with hand written address that could not be fixed and detected by the Bar Code Sorter.

Operators trying to captured the image of the printed address on the mails and sent them out for sorting.

My boy was excited to be able to try out the mail processing system.

Different types of "stamping" such as pre-paid postage, stamps and franking found on the envelopes. 

Just for your information, more than 90% of the basic mails are being delivered on the next day delivery which can be considered as the best service record in the world.

Other than handling basic and corporate mails, each day on an average SingPost has about 14,000 undeliverable mails/items due to wrong or unrecognizable address as well as no trace of return address. These mails/parcels are then held for at least 3 months for the owners to claim. But after the dateline those items which could not be donated to the Red Cross will be automatically disposed without being opened.

For kids who sent their letters to Santa Claus during the month of  November and December, SingPost will still help to send them to the home of Santa Claus in Finland out of goodwill.

Beside those undelivered mails/parcels, we were also amazed on those loose items that being put into the post box each day. On and off SingPost will received loose items like toys, books, wallets, identification cards cards and etc in the post box island wide together with the rest of the mails. SingPost will then consolidated those items and sent them in bulks to the related banks or government departments. 

Photo Credit: SingPost

For your reference SingPost do offers a wide range of options to help customers to deliver their documents and parcels including fast delivery and standard delivery services within Singapore and overseas (over 200 countries). Depending on your items, you could select the type of deliver services accordingly to your preference by referring to the chart above.

A.M. Mail is a postage-paid local delivery service that offers an earlier delivery time for urgent mail. Customers may choose from either Letterbox Delivery (SG$2.60) or Doorsteps Delivery (SG$3.90)to deliver their mail (maximum weight is 300g) in a postage-paid A.M. Drop the envelopes at any of SingPosts posting boxes during the regular mail collection hours and the mail will be delivered to the recipients not later than 11.00am the next working day.

SmartPac is a postage-paid postal service for delivery anywhere in Singapore within the next working day at a fixed price of SG$4.70 which comes with free packaging box for delivery up to 3kg. On top of it, SmartPac also provide an easy online Track And Trace access which allows customer to check the whereabouts of their package 24hrs a week too.

For those who stays around 5 mentioned area stated below, POPStation or "Pick Own Parcel Station" is a new pilot phase system which allows selected customers (vPOST members or customers with SingPost/Speedpost Deliver Advice) to collect their parcels 24hrs a week at the designated  5 POPStation such as:-

- Bishan Community Club
- NUS Stephen Riady Centre
- Sengkang Community Club
- Singapore Post Centre
- Tanglin Post Office

Other than postal services, SingPost also handles Basic Banking Services, Financial Services, Remittance and many other services.On the go, you could also download SingPost Mobile App on Apple iOS and Google Android which will help you to track parcels, locate a post office, find a postal code or calculate postage and etc in just with a few clicks.

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Must Try Shunfu Mart Food Centre

Upon stepping into Shunfu Mart a few days ago, we spotted "Chocolat N’ Spice" outlet near the entrance,  facing the bus-stop. As when you walk nearer to the stall you will be perfumed by the fragrant of those freshly baked muffins. Over at the stall they have around 13 different kinds of muffins(such as Double Chocolate, Cheese, Carrot, Orange Peel, Mocha, Blueberry and etc) ranging from S$1.20 to S$1.50 depending on your choice. For a chocolate lover I definitely cannot resists on getting their popular double chocolate muffin and walnut brownie. Their brownie is so soft, moist and delicious that my boy finished it off even before I could take a photo of it. 
Price: Chocolate Brownie @ S$1.40 per slice, Double Chocolate @ S$1.40 each; Banana Walnut @ S$1.20 each and Pumpkin @ S$1.20 each

The muffins from Chocolat N’ Spice’s are incredibly moist, soft, fragrant and most importantly it is not too sweet which makes it a healthy choice for everyone in the family.

Chocolat N Spice

Blk 320, #02-12
Shunfu Mart (Shunfu Market)
Singapore 570320
Website: http://www.chocnspice.com/

Phone Orders (No delivery)
Mobile No.: 9383 0413 (Every Tuesday and Thursday; 4.00pm - 8.00pm)

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Friday: 9.30am – 2.30pm;
Saturday: 10.00am – 2.30pm
* Closed on Monday and Sunday

Apart from those delicious muffins that we bought home, our mission at Shunfu Mart is to try out some of those delicious hidden gem that we are not aware of. First we spotted Hakka Suan Pan Zi(abacus seeds) from Mei Zhen Hakka Delicacies(美珍客家美食) which is also recommended by a few local TV food programmes, Newspapers and Food Magazines. So without hesitate, we order a plate and try. Overall the texture of the abacus seeds was soft and fragrant but on the down side it was slightly toward the salty side and was quite oily which makes it a bit greasy for our liking.
Price: Hakka Abacus Seeds (Yam Balls) @ S$3.50/S$5.00/S$6.00 per plate

Other than Abacus Seeds, this stall also sells Hakka Style Mushroom Soon Kueh, Steamed Yam Cake, Glutinous Rice, Yam Porridge, Chee Cheong Fun and etc. Perhaps next round can their yam cake and soon kueh. For your information, they also have a outlet at 2 Orchard Turn, #B4-04C ION Orchard too.

Mei Zhen Hakka Delicacies(美珍客家美食)

Blk 320, #02-26
Shunfu Mart (Shunfu Market)
Singapore 570320

Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Sunday: 7.30am to 2.00pm
* Closed on Monday and Tuesday closed

Next we also tried LEONG, Hainanese Chicken Rice which is recommended some patrons next to our table. Indeed the rice was very fragrant, well cooked, fluffy and infuse with trace of minced ginger together with garlic and chicken broth that makes it so delicious. Secondly the rice itself is not oily like those served in some other chicken rice stalls that sometime even drizzle of extra sesame oil or light sauce sauce.
Price: Chicken Rice with random parts @ S$2.80 per plate
Price: Chicken Rice with Drumstick @ S$3.50 per plate

The chicken at this stall is so smooth and tender with juicy meat and springy bite that makes you keep eating it. Somehow the few of us who tried the chicken also agreed that it has indeed being cooked and properly chilled to achieve the firm and yet not oily skin. Other than our favourite drumstick portion, we also tried their skinless chicken breast, which I thought it might be just another plate of tough and tasteless chicken breast meat. But I was wrong, after trying a piece of it I was surprised on how soft and fragrant it taste. And it  was till then I get to know the name of this traditional Hainanese home cooked dish that most Hainanese woman prepared at home was known as “妈妈的味道” translate as “Mum’s flavour”.

Leong Hainanese Chicken Rice

Blk 320, #02-22
Shunfu Mart (Shunfu Market)
Singapore 570320

Lastly lets look at this so called "Must Try" dish in Shunfu Mart from this stall known as "Fu Shi (Traditional) Roasted.Wanton Mee - 富市（传统）烧腊.云吞面" which is managed by an ex-taxi driver who loves food and decided  open a Char Siew and Sio Bak(Roasted Pork) stall for his passion  and love on eating  his favourite Char Siew and Sio Bak. The Char Siew at this stall is not those usual "Reddish Brown" coloured but rather light and natural in with a layer of honey glaze and tender and juicy meat. For me, I prefer their Sio Bak over Char Siew as I love its crispy skin(on top) with the soft texture from the meat that infuse with a light fragrant of spices which makes it that goes well with white steamed rice.

Other than their famous Char Siew and Sio Bak, this stall also have roasted duck, dark soy sauce chicken, wanton noodles and etc. From the ieatishootipost forum, on and off the boss will come out with some new products or improvise the version of his char siew with new ingredients or even having some hearty soup such as Salted Duck and etc.

Fu Shi (Traditional) Roasted.Wanton Mee - 富市（传统）烧腊.云吞面
Blk 320, #02-25
Shunfu Mart (Shunfu Market)
Singapore 570320

Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Sunday: 8.30am to 1.30pm
* Closed on Monday and Tuesday


If you have being to Shunfu Mart or as a regular patron(s) over at those stalls, do share with us your dining experience and what are some of the "MUST TRY" items that we have miss out.

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