UPS has reported that it has achieved superior on-time delivery performance during the first-half of the 2018 peak period thanks to unprecedented capacity expansion and new technology deployment. The global logistics company has delivered record volumes, on time thanks to greater collaboration with its customers, improved network resource utilization, new automated capacity and the dedication of UPS employees around the world.
“During this critical period, we are pleased to be in a position to help even more customers attain their growth goals,” said UPS chairman and CEO David Abney. “Our transformation initiatives are enabling UPS to perform at high levels, even as we handle nearly double the average daily package volume as the rest of the year. We are confident we will sustain these high levels of service and we’re ready to take on even more customer shipments in the coming weeks.”
Ahead of the peak 2018 holiday season, UPS rolled out approximately 20 new technologies to help it cope with demand. One of those technologies was its Peak Volume Alignment Tool (PVAT), which uses advanced analytics to enable UPS to efficiently manage loads by synchronizing volume demands with capacity. It also developed Network Planning Tools (NPT), which combine advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and operations research to help the operator coordinate tractor-trailer movements between sortation hubs and avoid bottlenecks.
The logistics company also developed the UPSNav, which is an update to UPS’s On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (ORION) solution. UPSNav provides UPS drivers with a new level of accuracy and precision, enabling them to operate at top efficiency while improving the customer experience. Furthermore, its Dynamic Sort Instruction (DSI) tool transforms a highly complex package-sorting process into a simple scan, listen and sort process. DSI increases employee productivity and shortens the training time for UPS’s 100,000 seasonal workers.
In terms of expansion investments, UPS made significant investments to provide new capacity and network resources for the peak holiday season. The company has opened 22 new or retrofit automated facilities globally, with between 25% and 35% higher efficiency. Additionally UPS added more than 300 new trucks to its delivery fleet.
“I want to thank our customers for their collaboration and commend our employees for their dedication. We are halfway through the peak shipping season. We’re pleased with the way our network is running and ready to handle the ramp up of delivery demand as we enter in the final weeks of the year,” concluded Abney.