UPS Launches New Tech-Enabled Healthcare Solutions, Standardizes Quality Systems, Forms Healthcare Unit
October 21 2019 - 4:13PM
- UPS Premier is a new critical healthcare product portfolio
using next-generation sensor and tracking technology for superior
tracking accuracy, combined with a new operating model featuring
priority handling from origin to destination.
- Company deploys innovative, technology-driven 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.
As part of the company’s ongoing business transformation, UPS
(NYSE:UPS) today announced 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 innovative,
technology-driven 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 Network
The 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.
“Dependable and reliable service levels are important for
critical healthcare and life sciences shipments, no matter the
situation,” Abney said. “And these solutions will enable UPS to
deliver 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 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.
UPS Healthcare and Life Sciences
The 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 Sciences
UPS 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.
David Graves
davidgraves@ups.com
United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS)
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