Earlier this week, UPS announced it has expanded its UPS Worldwide Freight Express service.
This service, which functions as an express freight service geared towards urgent, time-sensitive, and high-value international shipments, was initially launched by Big Brown in January 2013. And it is an extension of the UPS Worldwide Express package portfolio, providing what UPS describes as a “seamless” experience between shipping express package and express freight.
With this expansion, UPS said it has added eight new origin and five destination countries, with Bulgaria, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Romania, and Serbia adding origin service, and El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama adding destination service.
This represents the second time in 2015 that UPS has expanded its UPS Worldwide Freight Express service, following January’s addition of 12 new origin and nine new destination countries, with Chile, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Turkey and Vietnam adding origin service and Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Vietnam adding destination service. This service is now available in is now available in 58 origin and 56 destination countries and territories.
“Eastern Europe is experiencing growth in the manufacturing and automotive industries and Latin America is undergoing rapid expansion of general industrial, healthcare, apparel, and high tech businesses,” said Nick Basford, UPS vice president of international marketing, in a statement. “We expanded the number of countries we serve due to consumer requests and anticipated future demand. UPS’s reputation for both reliability and speed, which is critical for urgent shipments, resonates with customers. We are working constantly to meet customer needs for global trade.”
UPS officials said this service provides faster guaranteed pallet shipments over 150 pounds in more lanes than any other carrier, with door-to-door delivery and day-definite. It also included customs brokerage service, with Saturday deliveries available for select U.S. and Canadian postal codes, they added.
The biggest competitive advantage of this service, a UPS spokesperson told LM, is guaranteed palletized freight is faster in more lanes than any other shipper, including top lanes.
“Speed is the primary need when shippers use an express freight service because it’s an urgent need,” he added. “How fast? We are talking speeds of 1-3 days to most locations globally. Cost is not as much of a consideration because the business need justifies the cost.
Other notable benefits of the service cited by UPS include:
-guaranteed palletized service, which moves primarily within the UPS network. Brokerage is included and customers have one salesperson to work with for packages and freight;
-reliable, guaranteed delivery when needed most for emergencies (for example: retail and distributor stock-outs, parts to repair a critical machine or healthcare shipments) – even on Saturdays in some US/Canadian postal codes) and expected shipments (for example: product launches);
-shipments can be booked online through some of the same systems. Worldship customers, for example, are already users, making it even easier; and
-integration with UPS international tools (for example: UPS Import Control, Quantum View Manage, UPS TradeAbility, UPS Paperless Invoice, WorldShip, and international billing options)