United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service is an American multinational package delivery and supply chain management company.
Along with the central package delivery operation, the UPS brand name is used to denote many of its divisions and subsidiaries, including its cargo airline, freight-based trucking operation, and its delivery drone airline. The global logistics company is headquartered in the U.S. city of Sandy Springs, Georgia, which is a part of the Greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
History
Foundation
On August 28, 1907, James Casey founded the American Messenger Company with Claude Ryan in Seattle, Washington, capitalized with $100 in debt. Most deliveries at this time were made on foot and bicycles were used for longer trips.The American Messenger Company focused primarily on package delivery to retail stores with special delivery mail delivered for its largest client the United States Postal Service. In 1913, the company acquired a Model T Ford as its first delivery vehicle. Casey and Ryan merged with a competitor, Evert McCabe, and formed Merchants Parcel Delivery. Consolidated delivery was also introduced, combining packages addressed to a certain neighborhood onto one delivery vehicle. In 1916, Charlie Soderstrom joined Merchants Parcel Delivery bringing in more vehicles for the growing delivery business. In 1919, the company expanded for the first time outside of Seattle to Oakland, California and changed its name to United Parcel Service. The name change to United Parcel Service was to remind the company expansion that operations were still United under the same organization and Parcel identified the type of business offered as part of its Service. Common carrier service was acquired in 1922 from a company in Los Angeles, California. UPS became one of the only companies in the United States to offer common carrier service. At first common carrier was only limited to a small area around Los Angeles but by 1927 expanded to areas up to 125 miles outside the city. In 1924, a conveyor belt system was debuted for the handling of packages for UPS operations.
In 1930, a consolidated service began in New York City, and soon after in other major cities in the East and the Midwest. The use of common carrier for delivery between all customers placed UPS in direct competition with USPS and the Interstate Commerce Commission. The common carrier service was applied in cities where UPS could use the service without the authority of the ICC and state commerce commissions. The first city for UPS to use common carrier status outside California was Chicago, Illinois in 1953.
UPS delivery vehicle in 1921
Air service through UPS was first used in 1929 through private airlines. However, The Great Depression and a lack of volume ended the air service. In 1953, UPS resumed air service called UPS Blue Label Air with two-day service to major cities along the East Coast and West Coast.
Expansion and diversification
In 1975, UPS moved its headquarters to Greenwich, Connecticut and began serving all of the 48 contiguous states of the United States. The expanded operations made UPS the first package delivery company to serve every address in the Contiguous United States. UPS went international in 1975 establishing operations in Canada and in 1976 operations were established in Germany. On February 28, UPS Ltd. began operations in Toronto, Ontario. UPS Canada's head office is located in Burlington, Ontario. In 1976, UPS established a domestic operation in West Germany.UPS Next Day Air Service was launched in 1985 for all 48 contiguous states plus Puerto Rico. In 1988, UPS Airlines was launched with authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration. UPS Airlines became the fastest-growing airline in FAA history and today is the 10th largest airline in the United States. Domestic air service was added to Germany in 1989. In 1991, UPS moved its headquarters to Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In 1992, UPS acquired both Haulfast and Carryfast and rebranded them UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Haulfast provided the pallet haulage and trucking network for the CarryFast group of companies. By 1993, UPS was delivering up to 11.5 million packages and documents per day.
The large volume of UPS customers in the 1990s made UPS develop new technology for better efficiency. A handheld device called Delivery Information Acquisition Device was created to record and upload delivery information to the UPS network immediately upon pickup by every UPS driver. In 1992, UPS began tracking all ground shipments electronically. In 1994, UPS.com debuted, and provided an interface to make what was primarily internal operational information available for customer access. In 1995, UPS acquired SonicAir to offer service parts logistics and compete with Choice Logistics. In the same year, UPS launched UPS Logistics Group to facilitate global supply chain management services and consulting for customer needs. In 1997, a walkout by the 185,000 members of the Teamsters shut down UPS for 16 days. In 1998, UPS Capital was established to enable companies to grow their business through a comprehensive menu of integrated financial services through UPS. UPS acquired Challenge Air in 1999 to expand its operations in Latin America.
On November 10, 1999, UPS became a public company in the largest initial public offering of the century.
21st century
In 2001, UPS acquired Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. In 2003, approximately 3,000 Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. were rebranded as The UPS Store.In 2004, UPS entered the heavy freight business with purchase of Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, a former subsidiary of Menlo Worldwide. UPS rebranded it as UPS Supply Chain Solutions. The purchase price was US$150 million and the assumption of US$110 million in long-term debt. On August 5, 2005, UPS announced that it has completed its acquisition of less-than-truckload trucking company Overnite Transportation for US$1.25 billion. This was approved by the FTC and Overnite shareholders on August 4, 2005. In 2005, UPS offered non-stop delivery service between Guangzhou and the United States. On April 28, 2006, Overnite officially became UPS Freight. On October 3, 2005, UPS completed the purchase of Lynx Express, one of the largest independent parcel carriers in the United Kingdom, for £55.5 million after receiving approval for the transaction from the European Commission. The first joint package car center operation in Dartford, Kent, was opened in 2006.
On August 28, 2007, United Parcel Service celebrated its 100th anniversary. All Nippon Airways, a Star Alliance member, and UPS formed a cargo alliance and code-share to transport member cargo in 2008, similarly to an airline alliance. On March 19, 2012, UPS announced that it intended to acquire TNT Express for $6.8 billion, in a move to help expand its presence in European and Asian markets. However, the deal fell through in January 2013, after it was announced that UPS had failed to obtain permission from the European Commission and as such had been blocked on competition grounds. In February 2012, UPS acquired Brussels-based company Kiala that provides e-commerce retailers the option to have goods delivered to a conventional retail location.
In May 2019, UPS launched a partnership with autonomous trucking startup, TuSimple to carry cargo across Phoenix, AZ and Tucson, AZ.
In October 2019, UPS won the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones. The certification will allow UPS to deliver health care supplies using a fleet of drones.
On January 29, 2020 UPS announced it was investing in UK start-up Arrival and ordering 10,000 Generation 2 electric vehicles as a step towards a cleaner, more high-tech fleet. The deal runs from 2020 until 2024 and was reported to be worth more than $400 million.
In March 2020, the company has appointed Carol Tomé to succeed David Abney as its chief executive officer. It was viewed as a move to steer the parcel delivery company through the turbulence of trade wars, technological disruption and the risk of a pandemic-induced recession.
Finances
For the fiscal year 2019, UPS reported earnings of US$4.440 billion, with an annual revenue of US$74.094 billion, an increase of 3.1% over the previous fiscal cycle. UPS ranked No. 41 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.| Year | Revenue in mil. USD | Net income in mil. USD | Total Assets in mil. USD | Employees |
| 2005 | 42,581 | 3,870 | 34,947 | 407,000 |
| 2006 | 47,547 | 4,202 | 33,210 | 428,000 |
| 2007 | 49,692 | 382 | 39,042 | 425,300 |
| 2008 | 51,486 | 3,003 | 31,879 | 426,000 |
| 2009 | 45,297 | 1,968 | 31,883 | 408,000 |
| 2010 | 49,545 | 3,338 | 33,597 | 400,600 |
| 2011 | 53,105 | 3,804 | 34,701 | 398,000 |
| 2012 | 54,127 | 807 | 38,863 | 399,000 |
| 2013 | 55,438 | 4,372 | 36,212 | 395,000 |
| 2014 | 58,232 | 3,032 | 35,440 | 435,000 |
| 2015 | 58,363 | 4,844 | 38,311 | 444,000 |
| 2016 | 60,906 | 3,431 | 40,377 | 434,000 |
| 2017 | 65,872 | 4,910 | 45,403 | 454,000 |
| 2018 | 71,861 | 4,791 | 50,016 | 481,000 |
| 2019 | 74,094 | 4,440 | 57,857 | 495,000 |
Operations
UPS's primary business is the time-definite delivery of packages and documents worldwide. In recent years, UPS has extended its service portfolio to include less than truckload transportation and supply chain services.UPS reports its operations in three segments: U.S. Domestic Package operations, International Package operations, and Supply Chain & Freight operations.
U.S. Domestic Package
U.S. Domestic Package operations include the time-definite delivery of letters, documents, and packages throughout the United States.International Package
International Package operations include delivery to more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, including shipments wholly outside the United States, as well as shipments with either origin or distribution outside the United States.Supply Chain & Freight
Supply Chain & Freight includes UPS' forwarding and contract logistics operations,UPS Freight, and other related business units. UPS' forwarding and logistics business provides services in more than 175 countries and territories worldwide and includes worldwide supply chain design, execution and management, freight forwarding and distribution, customs brokerage, mail and consulting services. UPS Freight offers a variety of less than truckload and truckload services to customers in North America.
Other business units within this segment include The UPS Store and UPS Capital.
- Trailer / railroad reporting marks: UPGX, UPGZ, UPOZ, UPSZ, UPWZ, UPSC, UPSU, NONZ
- NMFTA SCAC code: UPSS, UPSN, UPSC
Personnel structure
Chief executives
- 1907–1962, James E. "Jim" Casey
- 1962–1972, George D. Smith
- 1972–1973, Paul Oberkotter
- 1973–1980, Harold Oberkotter
- 1980–1984, George Lamb
- 1984–1989, John W. Rogers
- 1989–1996, Kent C. "Oz" Nelson
- 1997–2001, James P. Kelly
- 2002–2007, Michael L. "Mike" Eskew
- 2008–2014, Scott Davis
- 2014–2020, David Abney
- 2020–current Carol Tomé
Competitors
Historically, the bulk of competition for UPS came from inexpensive ground-based delivery services, such as Parcel Post or Choice Logistics. In 1998, FedEx expanded into ground parcel delivery through its acquisition of RPS, rebranding it as FedEx Ground in 2000. In 2003, DHL acquired Airborne Express, expanding its operations in the United States.
In response to the expansion of FedEx and DHL, UPS partnered with the US Postal Service to offer UPS Mail Innovations, a program that allows UPS to pick up mail & packages weighing under one pound separately from the main ground network and transfer them to a USPS center, or destination delivery unit, for final distribution. This process is also known as zone skipping, long used by Parcel Consolidators. UPS also has a separate product called "SurePost" which uses the UPS Ground network to deliver packages weighing under 10 pounds to the nearest UPS Package Center, which transfers them to the USPS DDU for "final mile" delivery.
More recently, the continued growth of online shopping, combined with increasing awareness of the role of transportation on the environment, has contributed to the rise of emerging competition from niche carriers or rebranded incumbents. For instance, the US Postal Service claims "greener delivery" of parcels on the assumption that USPS letter carriers deliver to each US address, six days a week anyway, and therefore offer the industry's lowest fuel consumption per delivery. Other carriers, like ParcelPool.com, which specializes in residential package delivery to APO/FPO addresses, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other US Territories, arose in response to increased demand from catalog retailers and online e-tailers for low-cost residential delivery services closely matching service standards normally associated with more expensive expedited parcel delivery.
Transportation
UPS operates over 119,000 delivery vehicles worldwide, ranging from bicycles to tractor-trailer trucks. In a long-running company policy to avoid advertisement or endorsement of a vehicle manufacturer, all external manufacturer emblems and badging are removed when a vehicle enters service.The typical lifespan of a UPS ground vehicle is 20–25 years, lasting until the structural integrity is compromised. The company does not re-sell any of its ground vehicles, so retired vehicles are almost always stripped of reusable parts before being sent to be crushed/broken up. Prior to scrapping, UPS trucks and trailers have all company branding painted over and are assigned an ADA number and must be crushed under the supervision of UPS Automotive personnel, which records the vehicle's destruction. The only exception to this policy are vehicles taken off the road for internal use; package cars are used for various purposes ; older semitractors sometimes see use as terminal tractors.
Delivery vans
UPS refers to its delivery van as a "package car". Several designs and sizes are used by the company, dependent on routes and package volume.Morgan Olson, Union City Body, and Utilimaster manufacture the bodies for UPS delivery vans. While older vehicles were based on Ford or General Motors P-chassis, vehicles manufactured since the 1990s are based on Navistar, Freightliner, or Workhorse chassis. Originally, UPS delivery vehicles were equipped with manual transmissions and steering, although many newer vehicles are updated with automatic transmissions.
For lower-volume delivery routes, UPS utilizes production-based vehicles, including minivans and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter box vans. UPS has ordered Modec electric vans for its UK and German fleets. Energy costs play a huge part in the potential profitability of package delivery companies.
Most package cars have no air conditioning, with the exception of tractor-trailers. This has been considered to be a contributing factor to heatstroke and other heat-related health problems in drivers who work in these vehicles for the entire shift.
On January 29, 2020, UPS invested in Arrival and ordered 10,000 Generation 2 Electric Vehicles.
Tractor-trailers
UPS commonly refers to its ground package tractor-trailers as "feeders"; these vehicles are distinct from the UPS Freight fleet. In line with its delivery vehicles, nearly all UPS tractor units are painted in a Pullman brown livery. Prior to the 1990s, many tractors were of cabover configuration; as trailer-length laws were revised in the United States, the company transitioned towards the use of conventional-style semitractor. As of 2018, nearly the entire UPS semitractor fleet consists of conventional-cab trucks.In North America, UPS utilizes a fleet of trucks from several manufacturers, including Mack Trucks and Navistar, along with PACCAR vehicles. Older vehicles in the fleet include Ford/Sterling tractors, Freightliner ; Mack CH and International 8100 tractors are in the process of being phased out.
Previous trucks used by UPS include the Ford L9000, Ford Aeromax, International 8100/8200, International 9670, GMC Astro, Peterbilt 362, Ford L9000, Ford Aeromax, WhiteGMC High Cabover/Road Commander II, Mack CH, Mack MH UltraLiner, Mack F, and Diamond T/Diamond Reo cabovers. At one time, UPS used electric-powered trucks for deliveries in Manhattan, NYC. There were only a few hundred of them, but they were notable for their "spooky silence" when running.
Painted a light gray, company-owned semitrailers are distinguished by a large UPS emblem on the forward portion of the trailer sides; newer trailers are distinguished by the fitment of trailer skirts. Designed in several configurations, UPS uses several lengths of trailers. Along with standard flat-bottom van trailers, there are drop-frame trailers and trailer-on-flatcar trailers ; the latter are trailers designed for transport on railroad cars.
Dependent on state and provincial regulations, many UPS short trailers are towed in tandem.
Bicycles
In 2008, UPS started hiring bicycle delivery personnel in Vancouver, Washington, and in several cities in Oregon. In fall of 2018, UPS announced a new program in Seattle, Washington using pedal-assist electric cargo bikes around Pike Place and other congested downtown areas. In Amsterdam UPS also uses Urban Arrow delivery bicycles for delivery via a granted concession.Trains
UPS contracts with several railroad companies in the United States to provide intermodal transport for its cargo.Cargo airline
The fourth-largest cargo airline worldwide, UPS Airlines flies to over 800 destinations worldwide. Formed in 1988, the airline is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky with additional hubs in the United States located in Rockford, Illinois and Philadelphia. Outside of North America, a hub in Cologne, Germany services Europe; in Asia, UPS Airlines operates a facility in Hong Kong and two hubs in mainland China.Consisting of a fleet of over 260 aircraft, the airline competes directly against FedEx Express, facilitating air shipments by the company in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Cargo drone airline
UPS Flight Forward is a subsidiary which was formed in July 2019 and approved by FAA for Part 135 Standard certification, first ever to receive this specific type of certification. The FAA's Part 135 Standard certification allows company to operate an unlimited number of drones of any size even at with an unlimited number of remote operators in command.Company brand
Brown
The brown color that UPS uses on its vehicles and uniforms is called Pullman brown. Company founder James E. Casey originally wanted company vehicles to use a yellow paint scheme, but one of his partners, Charlie Soderstrom, stated that a yellow vehicle would be hard to keep clean and that Pullman railroad cars were brown for just that reason.During the 2000s, the company used the familiarity of its color scheme in an advertising slogan: "What can Brown do for you?"
Font
UPS commissioned brand consultancy FutureBrand to develop its own font, UPS Sans, for use in marketing and communication material. UPS Sans was created by slightly altering certain parts of FSI FontShop International's font FF Dax without permission. This has resulted in an agreement between FSI FontShop International and FutureBrand to avoid litigation.Environmental record
As of 2013, UPS has over 104,900 vehicles in operation worldwide including nearly 7,000 alternative-fuel vehicles. In May 2008, UPS placed an order for 200 hybrid electric vehicles and 300 compressed natural gas vehicles from Daimler Trucks North America. The company added 200 hybrid electric vehicles to its fleet in 2016.UPS received a "striding" rating of 80 points out of 100 totals on the environmental scorecard by the Climate Counts Group for its efforts to lessen the company's impact on the environment. UPS has also been awarded the Clean Air Excellence Award by the United States Environmental Protection Agency because of the alternative fuel program it has developed.
In October 2009, UPS became the first small-package carrier to offer customers the chance to buy carbon offsets to neutralize the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the transport of their packages. Although initially only available on ups.com and to high-volume shippers, they are now widely available through UPS shipping systems and UPS Ready third-party shipping systems.