UPS Healthcare Logistics Expands Premier Service, Plans New Warehousing and Delivery Capacity

Intent on capturing as much of the burgeoning field of healthcare shipping, including clinical trial logistics, as it can, UPS Healthcare Logistics has announced expansions of its existing Silver and Gold services, in addition to a new Platinum service. The latter capability, to become operational in the fall in the US, includes use of mesh technology (a way of creating a dedicated wireless network) to communicate temperature, location and environmental conditions of small-package deliveries in real time both within and without the UPS physical network.

UPS Healthcare Logistics announced its Premier Gold service in 2020 in the US; since then it has been expanded to Canada and Europe, and Mexico and Asia-Pacific locations are about to go live. The Silver service, based on lower-cost RFID sensors, has also expanded and will continue to be rolled out globally. Premier Gold will launch next January in India, says the company. What UPS calls “controlled product protection” includes 24/7 monitoring of shipments and the ability to intervene to recharge refrigerants, redirect shipments or otherwise recover a shipment. 

“Our involvement in Operation Warp Speed to transport Covid-19 vaccines globally served to accelerate our service enhancements,” says Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Healthcare Logistics. “As of today, we’re involved one way or another with the commercial deliveries of 5 of the approved ten cellular and genetic technologies—a field that will be transformational for biopharma.” Wheeler adds that in the next 2 to 5 years, UPS Healthcare Logistics more-then 10 million sq. ft. of global warehousing capacity will expand by another 4 million.