Staples Awards UPS Supply Chain Vendor of the Year

Mississagua, March 23, 2009

UPS Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), a leading provider of shipping and logistics solutions, won the “Supply Chain Vendor of the Year” award from Staples Canada.

Staples recognized UPS SCS today for its commitment to improving the Staples supply chain. Staples, a long-time customer of UPS, highlighted UPS's continuous process improvement and focus on service excellence as two key factors in winning the award.

"Our partnership with Staples thrives because of our commitment to open communication at each step of the supply chain and our ability to adapt and evolve to Staples's changing needs," said Scott Lane, Director of Operations, UPS SCS. "This award reflects our mission to provide exceptional customer service at every level of the supply chain, to each and every one of our customers."

Staples and UPS SCS have an alliance that allows them to get the most of what each other has to offer. UPS SCS maintains a high level of flexibility when it comes to dealing with the fluctuations in demand that Staples experiences on a regular basis. When there is a spike in volume – for example, during the Back to School period – UPS can shift its labour resources and storage capacity to ensure that the increased volume is handled as efficiently and effectively as possible. The award also highlights UPS's adaptability and network capabilities. For example, when Staples volume reached the point where it needed to open a Vancouver facility to distribute to their western stores, UPS was able to accommodate their needs in Western Canada. This presented a significant cost savings for Staples in addition to reducing their lead times for store fulfillment.

"Companies like UPS are vital to the success of our supply chain," says Pete Gibel, Vice President of Merchandising, Staples Business Depot. "We need the flexibility and quality service they deliver to meet and exceed our customers' expectations. Working with UPS SCS makes our job easy."