FedEx adds more than 30 origin locations to its International First service offering

Earlier this week, FedEx said it is expanding its International First service for early deliveries with the addition of 31 new origin countries, which will bring the total number of origin markets for the service to 97.

FedEx describes International First, which was initially rolled out by FedEx in 1987, as a time-definite, customs cleared, door-to-door express service with a pre-defined delivery commitment for shipments up to 150 lbs. per package. It said customers receive International First deliveries as early as 8 a.m. in the United States, 9 a.m. in Europe, and 10 a.m. in Asia, Canada and Latin America and is often the delivery service of choice for customers shipping time-sensitive materials, including business documents, electronic and high-tech equipment, medical devices, clinical trials and entertainment industry-related gear.

The company said that depending on origin and destination, International First shipments typically arrive within one-to-three business days and often at the beginning of a business day.

The new origin markets for the International First service include: Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bolivia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Poland, Singapore, Suriname, Sweden, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates. A complete list of International First origin markets is available here.

“This latest ‘International First’ expansion highlights the FedEx commitment to serve our customers who need to ship critical, time-sensitive material. The expansion also aligns with our global growth strategy, and the need to stay ahead of customer demand,” said Raj Subramaniam, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy, Communications and Marketing, FedEx Services, in a statement.

A FedEx spokesperson told LM that FedEx is always looking to expand its services based on its customers’ unique and ever-changing needs. 

“Constantly monitoring what our customers want allows us to adjust our network accordingly and make decisions on where to expand existing services or offer new services,” she said.

When asked what the biggest benefits of International First are for shippers, the spokesperson cited how it gives shippers another timing option for critical shipments moving through the global marketplace, highlighting how International First is especially designed to arrive at the start of the business day—a deadline that’s proven to be a useful option to many customers.

Going forward, FedEx will continue to grow and expand as necessary based on the needs of its customers the spokesperson said, adding that this is the first expansion for this service since August 2012.