UPS has announced the introduction of Trade Direct Air and Ocean services in Europe. This service combines the transportation and customs brokerage capabilities of UPS Supply Chain Solutions with final delivery of the shipment in the United States via UPS.
UPS Trade DirectSM services streamline supply chain continuity, making it easier to transport goods by air and ocean directly from warehouses in Europe through customs clearance points to multiple locations worldwide. European customers will now be able to ship goods to the U.S. market faster and more efficiently.
The introduction of Trade Direct in Europe follows the successful implementation of this service in the United States. Initially, the service will support European customers looking to get their goods to the U.S. market quickly and efficiently. At a later stage, still in 2005, UPS will introduce Trade Direct for inbound shipments from other parts of the world.
Businesses want to keep pace with changes in international trade flows and face growing pressure to be more flexible and efficient – says Fred Schardt, Vice President and Managing Director of UPS Supply Chain Solutions EMEA. UPS helps better manage trade while saving time and money at the same time. UPS Trade Direct is a combination of our heavy freight, customs brokerage, and small package transportation capabilities. This allows companies, both large and small, to reach the U.S. market faster and with minimal handling – Schardt adds.
UPS Trade Direct pilots the often complex route of international shipping freight on behalf of the customer. The service offers a single point of contact, a single shipping invoice, and excellent shipment visibility through UPS Supply Chain Solutions Flex® Global View technology, which provides multi-level shipment details.
Here is how Trade Direct works:
- Goods destined for shipment to the United States are individually packaged, labeled, and then combined into a single bulk load. Once transported by plane or ship, the goods clear customs in the United States as a consolidated shipment. Only then is the shipment de-consolidated back into individual packages or less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, bypassing the costly link of distribution centers. The separated shipments go directly into the UPS small package network for final delivery.
- Because UPS handles the goods throughout the entire process, customers know where their shipments were last scanned using shipment tracking and notification technology.