UPS makes major expansion to its Worldwide Express service

UPS today announced it has made a significant expansion to its UPS Worldwide Express service by adding more than 41,000 global postal codes, which it said will result in earlier guaranteed-delivery options for shippers that only previously had end-of-day guarantees.

This service provides customers with guaranteed delivery on the next possible business day by 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, or 2 p.m., based on destination. UPS said individuals and companies of varying sizes can use it, but it is geared towards ones with time-sensitive international shipment and is available in 65 countries that make up 91 percent of global GDP.

UPS Worldwide Express service will be available in the new global postal codes beginning on October 19 and will be the largest one-time expansion of this service ever, according to UPS.

The bulk of the new postal codes are in the Asia Pacific region, with UPS expanding coverage in Europe and Canada. Other regions where new postal codes will be served include Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa.  

“The need [to expand] was driven by our customers’ desires for more time-definite delivery options,” said UPS spokesman Kyle Peterson in an interview. “With delivery earlier in the day, Worldwide Express gives shippers an additional option for packages that can’t wait. UPS chose the postal codes for WWE expansion based on a combination of network capabilities and shipment activity.  UPS already has a large geographic footprint that covers the world’s major cities, so this expansion extends that reach beyond city centers and into extended metro areas.  This expansion accommodates new commercial centers as well as the growth in e-commerce deliveries.  We started analyzing new postal codes early this year.”

With delivery earlier in the day, Peterson said that Worldwide Express gives shippers an additional option for packages that can’t wait.

He explained that any company with urgent international shipping needs will benefit from this expansion of UPS Worldwide Express. Companies in the high-tech, retail and industrial manufacturing industries are the biggest users of this service.

“We are pleased to expand the global footprint of UPS Worldwide Express,” said Nick Basford, vice president of international marketing at UPS, in a statement. “As international trade continues to grow and supply chains become increasingly global, businesses need guaranteed time-of-day delivery they can count on. Their success, in turn, drives global commerce and creates jobs.”

UPS Worldwide Express was first introduced by the company as a branded service in 2007.