UPS invests in Asian express operations

Express firm UPS has revealed a series of investments in Asia that it claimed would increase its service footprint and expedite delivery times.

The company said that in the first half of the year it had invested in the following:

• Shenzhen Asia Pacific Air Hub upgrades that increased the hub’s processing capacity by nearly 50% in preparation for volume gains in the coming three years.

• Transit times reduction across 2,300 trade lanes: Intercontinental transit times reduction by up to four days, while shipments with destinations in Asia see transit times improved by up to two days.

• Improved geographic reach of UPS Worldwide Express services, offering international shipping with time-definite deliveries in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and South           Korea; Customers in Xi An, China and new provinces in Vietnam can now access UPS Worldwide Express Freight, guaranteed door-to-door service for palletized shipments over 70kg.

• Extended pick-up times by up to five hours for export shipments from China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, widening production windows and giving businesses additional time to fulfill customer orders.

UPS’s Shenzhen Hub serves as a transfer point for shipments moving within the region, and the enhancements improve both reliability and quality of service provided to UPS customers in Asia.

“At the root of the investments in our Smart Logistics Network is a simple desire to make global commerce easier for Asian businesses—because when they grow, we grow too,” said Ross McCullough, President, UPS Asia Pacific Region.

“More UPS customers in the region will now be able to have their shipments sent and received in less time; they’ll be able to find us easily in more cities and towns, and they’ll be able to send shipments later in the day than before—all of which will open new opportunities for businesses in the region to trade more efficiently with the rest of the world.”

Wilfredo Ramos, Vice President of Strategy, UPS Asia Pacific Region, added: “We’re seeing new realities in this region that demand not only inventive solutions but also higher levels of service.

“Businesses have come to rely on UPS’s extensive experience to help them navigate the volatile highways of trade today. Together with our brokerage capabilities, upgrades like the one at our Shenzhen Hub will give UPS the flexibility to support increases in intra-Asia trade volumes in the coming years.”