UPS today placed in service a new international hub in Shanghai, China. The company says the new hub will improve access to China and speed the movement of express packages and heavy freight around the world.
The facility is located at the Pudong International Airport, in the Yangtze River Delta area, and now becomes the key gateway linking China to UPS’s global network, the company said. It features the largest on-site 24/7 customs inspection area in Shanghai and was built to a unique design that facilitates rapid handling of express packages in addition to heavy freight.
(Continued)
“Everything about this facility was built for speed and reliability,” said Dan Brutto, president of UPS International. “Linked now to our vast integrated transportation network, it opens wider the doors of commerce with China. We believe Shanghai will become an even more attractive business location because our customers will recognize the importance of a world-class UPS facility that provides rapid access to the world.”
Joining Brutto at a special opening ceremony were Mr. Wu Nian Zu, Chairman and President of the Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA); Derek Woodward, president of UPS Asia Pacific Region, and Richard Loi, the head of UPS China.
“As the world’s third largest airport by cargo tonnage, and with annual growth of 11.5%, Shanghai Pudong International Airport offers a well-established air network that connects 179 international and domestic cities,” said Mr. Wu, Chairman of SAA. “The opening of the UPS hub, the first foreign-run hub in the West Cargo Handling Area, further accelerates the implementation of the national Shanghai Aviation Hub Strategy, strengthens the position of the airport and boosts the economic development in Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta and China,” he continued.
The hub features 117 conveyor belts and 47 docking bays and has a package sorting capacity of 17,000 pieces per hour. It also is designed for simultaneous rapid processing of heavy freight.
To speed the processing of packages and freight, UPS collaborated with Shanghai Customs to deploy an industry-first customs risk management system at the facility. By merging UPS information with Customs to identify high-risk items for inspection, the system minimizes unnecessary checks and expedites shipment clearance for delivery to recipients.
The dedicated customs area is equipped with advanced technology enabling automated import and export inspection, thereby increasing overall package flow efficiency. With a touch of a button, specific packages can be routed off the main conveyor belts for inspection without impacting the flow of the remaining packages, says UPS.
With its high sorting capacity, the hub improves delivery times for customers in eastern China by a full day, the carrier claims. In addition, pick-up times for express and cargo shipments in Shanghai will be pushed back by one hour and four hours, respectively, so customers have greater flexibility in shipment preparations.
Another industry-first feature, says UPS, is the “Shipper Build Area” at the General Cargo Handling Area, which allows customers to perform on-site packaging before goods are loaded on the aircraft. This eliminates the current industry practice of processing goods at a separate facility.
