bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

UNITED Parcel Service has recorded a 45 per cent growth in its express business in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, says a senior executive.

   UPS regional manager for business development in North Asia-Pacific Perry Chao said 40 per cent of the business involved garments, 30 per cent technological equipment such as computers and the balance sundry items.

  ''In the expedited services, our business has grown by 98 per cent,'' he said, adding that this relatively new service had become widely accepted as it was cheaper, offered higher flexibility and on-time delivery.

  UPS groups the northern region to include Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, and some islands including Singapore.

  The expedited package service to the US, which was introduced in 1991, was expanded in May 1991 to include seven European countries. The new service was offered to Hong Kong in May 1992.

  Mr Chao said the expedited service, which was now dominated by computer and electronics items, had grown rapidly because the market had been looking for alternative services.

  ''When the customers do a weight and balance check between how much it costs for express and for expedited, I think they find expedited is not as expensive as express, but has higher flexibility, higher options in terms of billing and better consistency on time delivery,'' he said.

  Describing China as a ''rapidly booming'' market, Mr Chao said UPS, which also had offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, was planning to increase its mainland manpower to meet the increasing demand.

  On a regional basis, UPS is keeping close tabs on Pakistan and India which are rapidly changing.

  Mr Chao said several multi-national companies were moving to invest in India after the recent government's announcement that it was lowering its import taxes and would allow convertibility of the rupees.

  ''Business is booming due to its low labour cost and high population. The computer literacy among the people is also high,'' he said.

  UPS, which operates out of offices in New Delhi and Bombay which act as import and export hubs, employs 1,500 people supported by 180 vehicles in India.

  UPS country manager for Hong Kong Richard De Souza said business in Hong Kong was expanding at such a fast pace that the company was constantly looking for more space.

  UPS, which started as the American Messenger Co in 1907 in Seattle, Washington, was setting up another multi-million dollar facility in Kowloon Bay in October to supplement its six present offices and facilities, he said.

  The facility would be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment to assist UPS employees in their operations, Mr Chao said.

  UPS, which operates its own scheduled flights out of Hong Kong, had a 100 per cent utilisation, he said.

      The company, while emphasising on quality service to customers, also encouraged all its employees to study and improve their own capabilities, Mr Chao said.

  As they qualified, they were allowed to move to other duties so that they would not be bored with one type of job, he said, adding that continual training and improving the lot of the employees helped to lower the rate of staff turnover in the company.



UPS express parcel trade jumps 45pc