Logistics Design Alternatives to United Parcel Service

The key success to UPS was efficiency. Every route is time down to the traffic light. Each vehicle was engineered to exacting specifications. The drivers endured a daily routine calibrated down to the minute. This demand for machinelike precision met with resistance by UPS heavily unionized labor force.

Recognized as one of the world’s fastest growing economies, UPS has targeted China as the primary location to expand its international footprint. UPS operations consist of three segments; U.S. Domestic Package division reports on package delivery within the United States. International Package division reports on package delivery in Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America, India, the Middle East and Africa. Lastly, Supply Chain Solutions reports on all local and international freight forwarding and logistics services provided to consumers. UPS has a strong presence in Europe delivering to physical address, which accounts for nearly half of the firm’s international reporting segment (United Parcel

United Parcel Service, a logistics company has established itself through its strong corporate culture, continuous ability to innovate, and its far-reaching global network. The company has maintained a competitive advantage over the years by implementing continuous growth strategies—the first was geographic expansion, next the early adaptation of electronic tracking technologies, and then came a series of acquisitions. Although UPS is financially strong and is able to maintain its role in the courier and delivery industry—it is vital that UPS continue to act strategically as to strive for long-term success. UPS is heavily dependent on the U.S. economy and it is important that it find greater and more profitable ventures

The United Parcel Services share of the marketplace commands attention: -400,000 (+) employees -$51.5 billion earned 2008 -14% profit margin -90,000 vehicles and 268 jets -Operations in over 200 countries (Thomas, Linder, & Dutra, 2006). Organization has allowed UPS to operate in financial, retail, technology and nonprofit markets as well as logistics. Management Leads with the philosophy of talent cultivation through long-term employment relationships, developing committed, aligned and experienced partners. 54% of full-time drivers started as part-time. 68% of management was promoted from within. 78% of Vice-presidents once held non-management positions with UPS (Thomas et al., 2006). Controlling within UPS develops around the standard of constructive dissatisfaction, the belief that all process can be improved on and all parameters may be extended. Constructive dissatisfaction, a culture of ownership along with continual training and market awareness keep UPS a pioneer. External Factors Globalization has empowered UPS to update their strategy to synchronizing global commerce: of goods, information and funds (Thomas et al., 2006). Once a local delivery service, now UPS is recognized globally, embracing diversity with owners and customers in from every nation. Concerned with environmental impact of big business, UPS has cut carbon emissions, from airliners, 22% since 1990, and plans to cut

Organizational Structure Organization structure is the differentiation; that is the way the organisation is differentiated into tasks, responsibilities, departments and hierarchies and the integration (the way the organisation is coordinated to form a unitary whole). It defines how activities in the organization are directed toward the achievement of organizational aims. The structure provides the foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines rest, determines which individuals get to participate in which decision making processes and thus to what extent their view shape the organization’s actions (Stephen, 1987) United Parcel Services Organization Chart United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) is the world’s largest package delivery

As the world’s largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services, UPS, continues to develop the frontiers of logistics, supply chain management and e-commerce combing the flow of goods, information and funds. This past October UPS Logistics Solutions was voted #1 logistics provider by Logistics Solutions. When conducting an industry analysis, it is important to explain the competitive forces model (CFM) of UPS. The first component of competitive forces model are the customers. Their customers consist of business organizations, and the general public. The second CFM component is competition. UPS have a lot of competition in its field, but the most competitive company is FedEx. Since FedEx provides the same services as UPS; both are neck to neck in competition, but UPS has an established history, and because of that, they have more loyal customers, and they are worldly known. They have established them-selves as the elite, with their commercial on television. Showing how they can deliver from one place to another with same day delivery and

The United Parcel Service is the largest package delivery company in the world. They have worked for over 108 years to gain this title. UPS.com states that the current strategy is “Create Value, Transform, and Invest to Grow”. This is a major reason that UPS currently has the competitive advantage over other shipping companies. It is also the reason that the company strives to become better at what they do every day.

Operation leaders are tasked to identify the critical success factors and core competencies of their business functions and objectives in order to generate sustainable long-term growth. Critical success factors are actions essential for a business to reach its objectives. (Heizer & Render, p. 42, 2009). UPS’s key success factors are its efficiencies in scheduling, integrating the stream of goods, its ability to provide multiple solutions such as “harmonizing the flow of goods, information and funds across customer supply chains” while enabling consumers to “evolve in new and necessary ways” (Lewis, Forquer & Quinter, pg. 2, 2007). UPS’s environmental factors include their supply chain design and planning, competitors in logistics such as FedEx, distribution services, diversification in the global environment and focusing on differentiation. UPS is also an expert in its industry because the strategy is globally focused and is centered on diversification of its systems (See Appendix1.1)

Part A: Describe how you would design a new logistics network consisting of only a single warehouse.

UPS system is based on traditional ABC in that it takes detailed functional cost and maps it to the products based on the activities that the products drive (ups.com). UPS is a cross functional discipline, in that it identifies activities within a function or process, measures the cost associated with the activity and then assigns the cost to a product. UPS responded to technology, the market and changing times by developing new business strategies to focus on customer needs. The new change in the business environment demands the organizations to gather the relevant data and information about the customers, costs, procedures, services, products and activities (Danish, Hasan & Abid, 2013). They needed a better understanding of specific segments of their business. UPS operations are extremely complex with a wide variety of service options, operating conditions and support activities (ups.com). UPS’s ABC system is unique in that it leverages our database of work measurement and package movement detail

UPS is a global package delivery business that specializes in not only managing the movement of goods, but the information and funds that moves with those goods in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS’s target market is primarily U.S. companies that ship business to business via ground delivery and whose delivery time is not

UPS and FedEx are the leading parcel carriers in the U.S. FedEx has significantly expanded their capability to compete with UPS’s dominant ground delivery service.

UPS has been in the package delivery business for 95 years, providing services to businesses and consumers worldwide in more than 200 countries. In 1994, UPS began to investigate the potential of e-commerce and started an internal group focused on enabling e-commerce. UPS redefined its core business and found ways to change its structure and processes, forming new businesses to take advantage of new opportunities. UPS was interested in finding ways to leverage their extensive infrastructure and expertise in basic transportation of goods, services, and

 *New Products,ServicesandBusiness Models- The information systems of UPS created new way on how to offer delivery service. It has transformed the way the company gathers information, creating routes etc.

United Parcel Service (UPS) founded in 1907 is the largest transportation company and the largest air freight carrier in the world. In 1987 due to rapidly changing external environment UPS faced serious challenges to its long-established policies of on-the-job training and promotion from within. With the increase in competition UPS realized that it is lagging in computerization and it thought of seeking technical expertise which it could not get from within. The concerns they had are how to hire new talent, how to assimilate, and to what extent new people would conform to UPS culture.