Expecting strong economic and trade growth in Malaysia, United Parcel Service (UPS) said it has implemented a raft of service and capacity enhancements to support small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and e-commerce growth in the country.
In a statement, UPS said the enhancements are in anticipation of a robust economic and trading environment in 2019, and are in line with government-led growth initiatives in support of SMEs and the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), which aims to boost cross-border e-commerce.
In 2018, Malaysia’s strong export performance helped to drive total trade to MYR1.876 trillion (US$458.554 billion). This was bolstered by a 9.1% increase in manufacturing exports, as well as overall growth in exports to China, ASEAN, the United States and European Union, among others.
“The Malaysian economy is experiencing an evolution as SMEs, manufacturing and e-commerce take more central roles in driving growth,” said Lim Tze Hsien, managing director of UPS Singapore and Malaysia.
“It is with these factors in mind that we have bolstered our offerings in Malaysia, with network and service enhancements designed to reduce time-in-transit and turnaround times, give local recipients greater control over their shipments, and extend our geographical reach so that businesses across the peninsula can have access to the same high-quality logistics services available to businesses in major metropolitan and industrial areas.”
Recent UPS enhancements in Malaysia include faster delivery and extended pick-up times for export shipments from Malacca to Europe and within Asia Pacific, and from Kuantan to the U.S., Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Another is speedier receipt of import shipments from the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific region to businesses located in Klang Valley, Southern Kuala Lumpur and Malacca.
The UPS eFulfillment was also launched to help Malaysian sellers streamline fulfillment and shipping services to consumers in the U.S. and Canada. This will allow SMEs to quickly and easily manage sales across 21 multiple marketplaces and customize delivery times.
There will also be increased retail access points in Malaysia by 70% to almost 180 across 43 towns in Peninsular Malaysia, closing the gap between businesses located outside major cities to international markets.
The UPS My Choice was likewise introduced to give package recipients access to e-mail and text notifications when a delivery is on its way, as well as day-before delivery alerts and delivery notifications. In Malaysia, users can route packages to another address, reschedule deliveries for another day, or give instructions to leave packages with a neighbor.
Likewise introduced was UPS Worldwide Express Freight Midday, offering a committed delivery time of 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 35 destination countries that represent over two-thirds of global GDP.
The company also recently appointed 26-year UPS veteran Michelle Ho to the position of president, South Asia District, UPS Asia Pacific, to drive strategic growth for UPS’s express operations in over 28 emerging and mature markets across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, based out of Singapore.
“We’ve made considerable progress in improving transit times for shipments in and out of Asia; with many intra-Asia shipments being delivered the next day—continuing to build on these improvements will be one of my key goals in heading up our South Asia District,” said Ho.
“In the last quarter of 2018 alone, UPS saw an average of 10 percent export volume growth year-on-year across Southeast Asia. As Malaysia continues to bolster its SMEs, fast, efficient logistics will be fundamental in importing complex components for high-tech products, ensuring international retailers have sufficient stock of Malaysia-made products, and driving increased satisfaction for online shoppers,” she added.
Photo courtesy of UPS
