Taming holiday craziness
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Protecting sensitive products
Beyond inventory and workforce requirements, some shippers have a special need for security. Video game maker Electronic Arts, known as EA, releases a number of new games each year, and the company goes to great lengths to make sure none are previewed, stolen or pirated before retail stores get them on assigned dates.
“UPS works very closely with us to ensure security,” says Todd Nichols, senior director of distribution for EA. “Our warehouse in Louisville, Ky., is gated and has a high level of security, and we have worked out a very specific protocol with UPS for shipping. It also helps that the UPS air hub is very close to our warehouse.”
Not surprisingly, the EA warehouse is working overtime to meet the demands of the holiday shipping season.
“We run seven days a week, 18 hours a day from August through the end of the holiday season,” says Nichols, who helps coordinate three shifts of workers at the facility. “It is just nonstop.”
The company works with UPS to ensure that each delivery reaches its destination in two days. Most are sent to retailers, but EA also handles orders that are shipped straight to consumers who order the games online.
To plan for the holidays, Nichols and the other shipping managers at EA analyze historical patterns and then estimate demand for their new releases.
“Everything matters in making the process efficient,” Nichols says. “For instance, UPS has helped us with suggestions on how to package our games and to stack packages to make sure each carton gets to the customer in pristine condition. The level of detail even goes to how we tape the packages.”
Christmas in July
Though it may be hard to believe, some UPS customers already have finished the holiday rush.
Oglevee Ltd., a cultivator of poinsettias based in Connellsville, Pa., ships delicate cuttings from Mexico City to Houston in July, August and September so that thousands of red, pink and white poinsettias will be ready to decorate homes and churches in December. It’s critical for the freshness of cuttings that they reach their destination within 48 hours.
UPS is there to help. Using
temperature-controlled cargo planes,
UPS continues the time- and temperature-
sensitive 
work begun by growers,
who placed the cuttings in coolers. Also,
UPS World Ease® helps save time and
money by consolidating multiple orders
for faster clearance by customs and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It’s always a challenge,” says Bob Pilato, operations manager for Oglevee, “but one that we meet with the help of UPS.”
From logistics solutions to security answers to temperature-controlled shipments, UPS is there to help with your holiday shipping.
The statistical information included here was current at the time it was published in 2007. To see more recent statistics, visit our pressroom.
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