UPS has improved its Trade DirectSM service. The improvements allow customers to use a common computer application to prepare and process freight and package shipments of all types. They also allow freight movements, including less-than-truckload, to be tracked online at UPS.com just like small packages.
The enhancements reportedly make it easier for shippers to check the status of their goods in transit and reduce the amount of time necessary to prepare shipment labeling and customs documentation. It allows shippers to more easily move goods directly from international factories through customs to multiple locations in the United States or Europe, eliminating the need for warehouse stops. In the most common application, individually packaged goods are labeled for their U.S. or European delivery and then consolidated into one freight shipment. After moving via airplane, ship or truck, the goods clear U.S. Customs as a consolidated unit. That unit is then unloaded and the individual packages or pallets are routed directly for final delivery, speeding goods to market.
UPS unveiled the improvements at its annual Technology Summit held this year in Hong Kong, a time of the year when retailers begin their peak season stocking for the holiday shopping season.
"Trade Direct speeds transit times for our customers even as supply chains get longer and more complex and cuts the expense of warehousing," said Kurt Kuehn, UPS's senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.
