UPS has announced the launch of UPS Express Critical, a service that combines all of the same-dayand urgent capabilities of UPS SonicAir, UPS Airlines and UPS Freight, allowing customers to more
effectively manage package and heavy freight shipments together.UPS Express Critical includes next-flight-out air express within North America and betweenmajor metropolitan areas worldwide, air charter worldwide, a “hand carry” dedicated courier, andexclusive, non-stop, door-to-door ground transportation throughout the USA, and into Canada andMexico.
“This is a same-day critical service that works for any size or weight shipment whilebringing tracking and billing together on a single platform,” said Dan Brutto, UPS president ofglobal freight forwarding.
For the first time in the industry, customers have a single point of contact regardless ofwhether they are shipping a small package or a 1,000 pound machine part – air or ground, domesticor international, UPS announced. Customers have a single call center, one bill and one website tomanifest and track their truly urgent shipments. UPS Express Critical likewise makes billingsimple, allowing package shippers to bill their freight shipments on their package account and viceversa.
“A single integrated operation for all urgent transportation needs is a differentiator forUPS,” Brutto added. “Traditionally in our industry, you called different places to move somethingbig versus something small. We think our approach is really going to help our customers becausewhen every second counts, they’ll be calling the same person no matter what they’re shipping.”
“The producers of goods used to dictate demand based on how fast things could be pushedthrough the production and distribution process,” he concluded. “Now the pace of business isdictated by the customer’s customer at the other end of the supply chain. This trend will continueand UPS now is positioned to set the standard for convenience in the urgent shipping category.”
