UPS Releases New Article for Valentine's Day - Seite 2

UPS's leading role in this temperature-sensitive supply chain centers on being the largest air cargo carrier at Miami International Airport -- which handles 90 percent of the flower imports to the U.S. We have direct connections to all the major flower-producing countries.

This year we expect to ship more than 110 million flowers -- about 10 million pounds -- mainly from Colombia and Ecuador. Flowers are among the most fragile items we ship. We know that one slip anywhere along their journey could have huge consequences for customers. We have to get it right.

The peak period for imports is between January 21 and February 8 -- starting with flowers being cut, hydrated and packed in bunches in coolers in the fields.

A refrigerated UPS truck takes them to UPS air cargo. From there, they travel by temperature-controlled aircraft to Miami. UPS regularly runs six flights a week to Bogota, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador. To handle the Valentine's Day rush, we will add an additional 40 flights of 767s, all packed with flowers. There is also a full crew always in reserve for overtime. As you can see, we're not taking any chances.

Within minutes of arriving in Miami, the flowers -- all kinds, with roses the majority -- are unloaded on pallets and placed in our 27,000 square-foot cooler, making it the equivalent of five basketball courts packed with boxes of flowers.

It's a technologically advanced facility that features fast-closing doors to make sure the cold stays in and the Miami heat stays out. To keep the flowers safe and moving quickly, our people work six- or seven-day weeks, 12 hours a shift.

Department of Agriculture agents inspect the boxes right at the Miami facility, which speeds clearance and shaves time off the trip. The importers then pick up the cleared shipment in refrigerated trucks, and the flowers are on the way to shops and wholesale distributers across the country. The entire process -- from farm to importer -- can take as little as 15 hours.

For retailers, the calendar or weather can throw additional challenges into the mix. In 2014, it was both. Last year Valentine's Day fell on a Friday, which is a challenge for the important office deliveries because many people leave early for romantic weekends or work from home on Fridays.

The degree of difficulty went up even higher last year because Monday was President's Day. And just to make things especially interesting, the entire East Coast was hit hard by a snow storm that dumped as much as a foot of snow on many areas. This year, Valentine's Day is on a Saturday, again adding pressure for office deliveries -- with major storms early in the week.

Our system is multi-country, multi-modal, technologically advanced and highly synchronized -- all so we can greet our loved ones with a bouquet gift of fresh and sweet-smelling flowers. And for anyone who has lost track of the days and walks in the door clueless and empty-handed? Sorry fellas, you're on your own.

Jose Acosta is UPS Americas Region President of Latin American Operations and Public Affairs.

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Contact
Dean Foust
UPS Executive Communications
404-828-7123