UPS Drivers in Asia Receiving New Wireless Computers
HONG KONG, Aug. 1, 2005 - UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced the rollout of a new generation of hand-held computer for its drivers in Asia that features Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to improve customer delivery.
The new computer, known as the fourth-generation Delivery Information Acquisition Device or DIAD IV, is smaller and lighter than its predecessors; contains a battery that lasts an entire work day, and supports four wireless communications systems.
“There’s really nothing else like it,” said Dave Barnes, UPS’s chief information officer, speaking at the UPS Technology Summit being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow. “We always talk about this computer in terms of technical improvements, but we never lose sight of what it really means: a new tool for our drivers to offer reliable, one-to-one customer service by putting up-to-date information about each customer’s delivery at the driver’s fingertips.”
More than 800 DIAD IV’s will be deployed in Asia in 2006. Co-developed with Symbol Technologies, UPS is deploying 40,000 globally this year. The company plans to have more than 70,000 in use worldwide by the end of 2007.
“UPS’s business in Asia is growing at double-digit rates,” said John Beystehner, chief operating office of UPS and a keynote speaker at the Technology Summit. “Business drives technology at UPS. The deployment of this state-of-the-art technology reflects this growth and the company’s commitment to making operations as efficient and productive as possible in Asia.”
UPS announced last month that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shanghai Airport Group which will lead to the establishment of the UPS International Air Hub at Pudong International Airport in 2007. UPS also announced the introduction of domestic express service in China.
UPS was the first in its industry to equip drivers with a handheld computer, starting in 1991. Through each successive generation of the DIAD, UPS has accelerated the availability of customer package tracking data as well as its ability to communicate with drivers. The latest version continues improvement in those and other areas such as:
- GPS will give a dispatch center the ability to locate the most convenient driver to respond to an On-Call Pickup (an unscheduled request for a driver to pick up one or more packages), for example. Eventually, the GPS link also will help drivers searching for an unfamiliar address and sound an alert if they’re in the wrong location for a particular delivery.
- The ability to connect real-time with four different wireless networks, including personal (Bluetooth); local (Wi-Fi), and wide area (GPRS or CDMA). The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities allow the DIAD to access printers and other devices within a UPS facility or with a customer’s PC. GPRS is another wide-area network standard used by UPS in the Americas, Europe and Asia. CDMA is a wide-area wireless network standard used by UPS in the U.S.
- A color screen that accommodates color-coding of messages to drivers.
“Over the past decade, the DIAD has been the critical customer-facing, front-end device of an integrated global network that’s now tracking some 14.1 million deliveries every day,” said Barnes. “DIAD IV significantly expands the visibility surrounding those packages, and that’s going to enable us to offer some nifty new services in the future.”
UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information, and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com.
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Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of UPS and its management regarding the company's strategic directions, prospects and future results, involve certain risks and uncertainties. Certain factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, governmental regulations, our competitive environment, strikes, work stoppages and slowdowns, increases in aviation and motor fuel prices, cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, and other risks discussed in the company's Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated herein by reference.
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