United Parcel Service (UPS) has implemented service and capacity enhancements in Malaysia in anticipation of a robust economic and trading environment in 2019.
This move follows government-led growth initiatives supporting SMEs and the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), which aims to boost cross-border e-commerce.
In 2018, Malaysia’s strong export performance helped to drive total trade to RM1.876 trillion. This was bolstered by a 9.1 per cent increase in manufacturing exports, as well as overall growth in exports to China, ASEAN, the US and EU among others.
“The Malaysian economy is experiencing an evolution as SMEs, manufacturing and e-commerce take more central roles in driving growth,” said Lim Tze Hsien, Managing Director of UPS Singapore and Malaysia. “It is with these factors in mind that we have bolstered our offerings in Malaysia, with network and service enhancements designed to reduce time-in-transit and turnaround times, give local recipients greater control over their shipments, and extend our geographical reach so that businesses across the peninsula can have access to the same high-quality logistics services available to businesses in major metropolitan and industrial areas.”
Recent UPS enhancements in Malaysia include:
Faster delivery and extended pick-up times for export shipments from Malacca to Europe and within Asia Pacific, and from Kuantan to the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Speedier receipt of import shipments from the US, Europe and Asia Pacific to businesses located in Klang Valley, Southern Kuala Lumpur and Malacca.
Increased retail access points to help Malaysia sellers streamline fulfillment and shipping services to consumers in the US and Canada.
The introduction of UPS eFulfillment to help Malaysia sellers streamline services to consumers in the US and Canada, along with other products including UPS My Choice and UPS Worldwide Express Freight Midday.
The company also recently appointed 26-year UPS veteran Michelle Ho to the position of President, South Asia District, UPS Asia Pacific, to drive strategic growth for UPS’ express operations in over 28 emerging and mature markets across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, based out of Singapore.
“We’ve made considerable progress in improving transit times for shipments in and out of Asia; with many intra-Asia shipments being delivered the next day— continuing to build on these improvements will be one of my key goals in heading up our South Asia District,” said Ho. “In the last quarter of 2018 alone, UPS saw an average of 10 percent export volume growth year-on-year across Southeast Asia. As Malaysia continues to bolster its SMEs, fast, efficient logistics will be fundamental in importing complex components for high-tech products, ensuring international retailers have sufficient stock of Malaysia-made products, and driving increased satisfaction for online shoppers.”