UPS has expanded UPS Next Day Air Early, its earliest small-package delivery service, by another 12,680 ZIP codes to create an earlier guaranteed-delivery option for customers in locations that previously had only end-of-day guarantees. The UPS Next Day Air Early service now reaches 94% of ZIP codes and 98% of businesses in the U.S. with the expansion.
 
UPS already has an advantage over the competition in serving more ZIP codes by 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. than any other carrier. The new ZIP codes are primarily in extended areas, which means customers will receive their packages by noon or 2 p.m. UPS expanded the guaranteed service in two phases, the first phase in November 2015 and again this month. Saturday service is also available to certain destinations.
 
“Already we’ve seen manufacturers, healthcare companies and professional services, such as financial firms, respond to the expansion,” said Alan Gershenhorn, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “Getting a package by noon or 2 p.m. has proven to be attractive.  For example, businesses use those additional hours to process documents faster, or to turn inventory or lab specimens around quicker.”
 
In the U.S, the service UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. is renamed UPS Next Day Air Early to note that it is the first available delivery. In Canada, UPS Express Early A.M. is renamed UPS Express Early. UPS was the first to introduce an “early a.m.” service in 1994.
 
“UPS prides itself on being first – first to deliver and first to offer innovative services,” said Gershenhorn. “This expansion is in response to customers’ needs for urgent and reliable deliveries.”   
 
“Healthcare laboratories, for example, want to receive specimens quickly to process patients’ test results faster. Small business and professional service providers, such as accountants, compete on service. Those are just a few examples.  We also see consumers who need early deliveries, such as the home health patient who needs something quickly,” Gershenhorn added.    
 
Businesses that need international express shipments can also take advantage of UPS’s superiority. UPS delivers to more countries from the U.S. by 9 a.m. and before noon than any other carrier.