FedEx predicts record shipments Monday

   After showing steady increases in package volumes each holiday season since 2005, FedEx officials are predicting that 19 million packages will move through the company’s networks on Monday, setting a new one-day volume record.
   If correct, Monday’s activity will be a large increase over last year, when on Dec. 12, the company handled 17.2 million packages. According to a press release, the rapid rise began on Dec. 12, 2005, when officials saw a volume of 9.8 million packages.
   According to a press release, FedEx systems will process more than 200 packages a second on Monday. The company attributes the uptick in packages, in part, to increased online sales.  
   Monday’s total will help FedEx achieve another record, as 280 million packages are expected to route through FedEx between Thanksgiving and Christmas — a 13-percent increase over last year’s holiday shipping total.
   “At FedEx,” the company’s T. Michael Glenn said in a statement, “we have been preparing for this busy holiday shipping season for almost a year now.”