UPS beefs up package delivery, 3D printing capacity

The express carrier and logistics provider is building a package terminal in Southern California and integrating 3D printing into a facility in Singapore.

   Integrated logistics company UPS said this week it plans to open a new package center in Compton, Calif., and is expanding its 3D printing network to Asia.
   The Compton facility, located in a former brick factory site, is being modified to dispatch more than 300 delivery vehicles and add 50 full-time equivalent jobs when it opens in late 2017 to meet growing demand for e-commerce deliveries in the Los Angeles area.
   The 521,000-square foot building is within a short distance to multiple airports, port and rail connections.
   UPS said sophisticated package sorting equipment and other automation will be integrated in the new facility, enabling increased accuracy for deliveries and efficiency during peak times.
   The company already operates 32 package centers in Southern California.
   Meanwhile, UPS said it is partnering with Atlanta-based Fast Radius to open a 3D printing factory in a UPS facility in Singapore by the end of the year. Fast Radius provides additive manufacturing services to several industry sectors. UPS also will establish a Center of Excellence in Asia to help customers understand 3D printing opportunities for producing industrial parts, which can then be expedited for delivery via UPS’ package delivery network.
   Companies that virtualize their inventories by relying on 3D printing can not only save costs by reducing the number of parts made “just-in-case,” but can also produce smaller quantities cost effectively and with the same quality, in addition to minimizing lead-times, since parts are produced closer to where they are needed, according to UPS.
   “3D printing will have a significant impact on industrial manufacturing and 21st Century supply chains,” said Ross McCullough, president of UPS Asia Pacific region. “At UPS, we are embracing disruptive technologies and integrating them into our global logistics network. We believe that much like ecommerce digitized and transformed retail, 3D printing will have a similar impact on manufacturing.”
   Once the facility opens, customers can place their 3D printing orders either via the Fast Radius website or by visiting the factory located at UPS House in Singapore. Fast Radius will direct the order to the optimal manufacturing location either in Singapore or the U.S. based on speed, geography and product quality requirements. UPS can ship as early as the same day. In the U.S., the 3D printing network also includes more than 60 The UPS Store® locations, providing multiple printing locations and geographic coverage.