With UPS, International Air Freight Goes Digital for Customs Clearance

UPS(NYSE:UPS)today announced it was extending to air freight customers the same capability now enjoyed by small package shippers to electronically clear customs in more than 90 countries rather than using error-prone paper forms.

The extension of the UPS PaperlessSMInvoice service to international air freight shipments saves time, money and trees. The free-of-charge solution enables customers to increase efficiency by integrating order processing, shipment preparation and commercial invoice data. It then transmits that data in advance of the shipment to customs offices across the globe, eliminating the problems that accompany paper documentation.

Because information is stored electronically, customers greatly reduce their chance of making manual errors filling out customs documentation and the tech-enabled service prevents them from submitting incomplete paperwork, the main cause of delay for international deliveries.

In a second international technology enhancement, UPS today added 25 new origin countries to its UPS WorldShip® shipping software. The availability of this technology option means customers can generate labels and prepare packages for shipping without resorting to pen and paper.

Greatly reducing the chance for manual errors, UPS WorldShip software now can be used for small package and air freight shipments in 63 countries. The newest origins for this service include Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Guam, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates. WorldShip can be installed in any of 20 languages.

UPS was the first carrier in the industry to offer electronic customs clearance for small package shippers, rolling out the service in January 2008. Since then, working closely with customs officers around the world, UPS has increased to more than 90 the number of destination countries that will accept electronic customs data and to more than 70 the number of origin countries in which international export packages can be processed electronically.

No other carrier offers a digital customs clearance option in so many countries for small package and heavy freight shipping.

Since UPS Paperless Invoice became available to UPS small package customers in 2008, the service has helped save almost 250 million sheets of paper or the equivalent of 21,650 trees. With the expansion of the service to air freight customers, UPS anticipates those numbers will grow considerably.

“We are committed to making international shipping as simple as possible for our customers around the world,” said Scott Aubuchon, director of international air freight marketing for UPS. “Our expanded services enable more of our customers to streamline and expedite the customs process while cutting costs and saving time.”

UPS Paperless Invoice and UPS WorldShip are ideal for industrial manufacturing and distribution industries as well as retail, consumer goods, professional services, high-tech companies and other companies that deal with overseas movements on a regular basis. The new enhancements also make it possible for UPS Paperless Invoice customers to submit an electronic NAFTA Certificate of Origin for packages moving between the U.S. and Canada, reducing or eliminating duties for NAFTA eligible goods.

Companies can register for UPS Paperless Invoice at www.ups.com/paperlessinvoiceand UPS WorldShip at www.ups.com/worldship.

As a global air freight service provider and the world's largest customs broker, UPS provides a comprehensive portfolio of air freight services and has customs brokerage offices in more than 60 countries around the world. To learn more about UPS’s air freight services, visit www.ups.com/bussol.

UPS (NYSE:UPS)is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.