BREAKING - UPS Launches New Tech-Enabled Healthcare

Health Care Logistics, Technology UPS Premier is a new critical healthcare product portfolio using next-generation sensor and tracking technology to help pinpoint tracking accuracy, combined with a new operating model featuring priority handling from origin to destination. Company deploys consistent quality management system across 114 UPS, Marken and Polar Speed facilities globally. New UPS Healthcare and Life Sciences unit will have a dedicated focus on serving the unique needs of healthcare and life science companies globally.ATLANTA, October 21, 2019 –UPS today unveiled further service enhancements for existing and new healthcare and life science customers. UPS will offer a new portfolio of tech-enabled sensing and monitoring solutions to help with the highest-quality visibility, tracking and management options for critical healthcare shipments. In addition, all UPS healthcare operations will align under a consistent quality management and certification system to help meet high-quality operating standards and to simplify performance verification. To accomplish this, UPS is forming a dedicated Healthcare and Life Sciences (HCLS) unit.Digitally Enabled Healthcare NetworkThe UPS Premier product line will provide differentiated levels of service for healthcare customers. It will leverage UPS’s Smart Global Logistics Network package tracking capabilities, combined with new, next-generation, on-package sensor technology to enable priority flow paths, sortation, contingency actions and delivery services for critical healthcare shipments. This new portfolio will provide UPS’s most comprehensive priority-handling services for chain of custody, time-dependent and temperature-sensitive packages to help increase on-time reliability.“We’re giving customers an exceptional amount of visibility and security for their most critical healthcare and life sciences shipments,” said David Abney, chairman and CEO. “With these technologies and processing plans, we will have greater flexibility to protect these urgent packages along the ‘chain of custody,’ provide contingency solutions and ensure best-in-class service reliability.” This solution is part of an expansive effort UPS is undertaking to retrofit UPS’s facility network with smart, IoT systems to track healthcare packages. These technology-enabled solutions are scheduled to come online Q1 2020.“Excellent service is important for critical healthcare and life sciences shipments, no matter the situation,” Abney said. “And these solutions will enable UPS to do just that.”Re-designed Quality Management System (QMS)Healthcare customers rely on best-in-class UPS quality management systems for storage, inventory management and distribution of healthcare products, particularly those which are subject to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). The UPS quality management system has been re-designed to reflect similar systems that exist today at many pharmaceutical companies. The QMS features a cloud-based electronic document management system, global standard operating procedures (SOPs), best-in-class validation processes and global reporting tools.“Efficient inventory management is one of the most important healthcare supply chain components. Having visibility into all other inventory systems globally will allow for enhanced predictability, visibility, and planning for the customer,” explained Abney. “Managing and sharing tremendous amounts of inventory analytics and data will happen more seamlessly across all regions.”UPS Healthcare and Life SciencesThe decision to connect all UPS healthcare operations and commercial groups within a single UPS HCLS unit is a product of extensive collaboration with customers and industry experts to understand how UPS can better provide tailored services while rapidly responding to healthcare-specific needs. The unit supports operations and over 5,000 personnel from Marken, Polar Speed, and all 114 UPS healthcare facilities. The unit will have a dedicated and healthcare-trained salesforce and customer support teams for customers across the UPS global network. Global healthcare operations will be harmonized and enhanced to meet rigorous quality standards and service levels. In all aspects UPS HCLS will build on its customer-first focus.“We will operate a business model that puts our customers’ best interests first with focused and streamlined services. This model lays down the foundation for more product innovations and enhancements in the coming years,” continued Abney. “Connecting our global healthcare activities is a logical step to further improve the customer experience.”About UPS Healthcare and Life SciencesUPS Healthcare and Life Sciences provides global supply chain solutions and expertise to pharmaceutical, biopharma and medical device companies. UPS has approximately 8 million square feet of cGMP- or cGDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally. UPS also maintains one of the world’s largest networks of field stocking locations with approximately 900 sites. For parcels requiring strict temperature environments, from CRT to cryogenic, and those requiring around-the-clock monitoring, UPS has solutions such as UPS Temperature True™ and UPS Proactive Response™ services. UPS is committed to expanding its healthcare capabilities including acquisitions of Marken, CEMELOG and Polar Speed, to meet the complex and evolving supply chain needs of the healthcare and life science sectors. Visit ups.com/healthcare.