UPS has expanded its faster LCL service to 10 additional Asian ports after its successfulrollout in Japan.
UPS has just begun offering the Preferred LCL service to customers shipping to the United Statesfrom the Chinese ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo and Xiamen. The service will be expanded toBusan, South Korea, and Taipei, Taiwan, in March this year. In April, other ports will be addedincluding Bangkok (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Singapore, and Hong Kong.
UPS Preferred LCL (less-than-container-load) Ocean Freight provides up to 40% fasterport-to-door delivery to the United States for LCL shipments while still delivering the economicadvantages of ocean freight.
Jimmy Crabbe, vice president of ocean freight services at UPS, commented: “Amid a recoveringeconomy, importers are seeking faster ways to get products to market while at the same timebalancing transportation costs. With our Preferred LCL ocean service, we are giving customers moreflexibility by offering another cost and speed option when considering air freight or ocean freighttransportation.”
The new UPS Preferred LCL Ocean Freight service can potentially cut a typical 3-to-4 week oceantransit time nearly in half. After arriving at a West Coast port, Preferred LCL ocean shipments aremoved through an expedited UPS North American ground network used for air freight shipments. Thisnetwork ensures faster transit and day-definite delivery to more US destination points thancompeting services and cuts 8-to-16 days of transit time off the current standard service for Eastcoast deliveries, according to the company.
In addition to faster service, Preferred LCL Ocean Freight gives businesses full shipmentvisibility via UPS’s technology solutions such as Quantum View Manage. UPS uses advanced handheldscanners and information management systems to capture and transmit delivery information nottypically available for ocean shipments.
UPS said the service is ideal for customers in the high-tech/electronics, healthcare, retail andautomotive industries, which also benefit from additional features including simplified per-kilopricing, streamlined invoicing and day-definite delivery commitments.
In addition to Full Container Load service, the company offers a standard LCL service thatprovides reliable fixed-day port departures and arrivals supported with tracking technology. Withscheduled service on 1,600 direct lanes between 116 countries, UPS’s LCL services are accessible totrading partners responsible for 97% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.
