UPS launched a new ocean freight service that the company says provides faster door-to-door less-than-container-load (LCL) delivery. Preferred LCL Ocean Freight service combines the strength of the company’s North American ground network with containerized ocean services to provide Container Freight Station (CFS)-to-door delivery from Japan to the United States in as little as 11 to 18 days, depending upon the destination.
After arriving at a West coast port, preferred LCL ocean shipments will move to a trucking network operated by UPS to support air freight, facilitating faster transit and day-definite delivery to more U.S. destination points. In the case of East Coast destinations in the U.S., the preferred service will cut 5 to 6 days of transit time off the current standard service.
In addition to speed, the company says its Preferred LCL Ocean Freight service gives businesses full shipment visibility via its cutting-edge technology solutions such as Quantum View Manage or Flex Global View. UPS uses advanced handheld scanners and information management systems to capture and transmit pickup and delivery information not typically available for ocean shipments.
“Greater visibility and faster transit times in ocean freight drive increased global commerce opportunities for companies in numerous industries that want to capture the economies of ocean freight without sacrificing speed and service,” says Jimmy Crabbe, vice president of ocean freight services at UPS. “With our Preferred LCL service, companies can bridge the speed and economy gap between air and ocean freight services.”
UPS says that with its Preferred LCL service, customers in industries such as high-tech/electronics, healthcare, retailing and automotive can take advantage of the following benefits:
• Published CFS-to-door delivery transit times;
• Day-definite delivery commitments;
• Expedited inland transportation;
• Simplified per-kilo pricing and invoicing;
• Dedicated operational and bilingual customer support; and
• Advanced technology tools for maximum shipment visibility.
The new UPS service now is available between Japan and the United States and will be extended to include additional countries in Asia over the next six months.
