Author: Jin Soo Kim

Great Package Race 2004

And they are off…!

We sent packages to:

The start

We phoned each of the carriers at 1100h on 05 April and asked them to come pick up packages:

Fedex pickup: 05 April 1345h

Fedex pickup
Fedex pickup: 05 April 1345h

DHL pickup: 05 April 1540h

DHL pickup
DHL pickup: 05 April 1540h

UPS pickup: 05 April 1600h

UPS pickup
UPS pickup: 05 April 1600h
  • 11:00AM 05 April: We phoned each of UPS, FedEx, and DHL and asked them to pick up packages at the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech. We had the shipping forms for UPS and Fedex ready in advance as they are widely available. We did not have shipping forms for DHL.
  • 11:05AM: DHL arrived almost immediately, as the driver was in the area. Unfortunately, we did not have DHL shipping forms ready and had to wait for them to be faxed from DHL. The driver left and promised to return soon.
  • 1:45PM: Fedex picked up its packages.
  • 3:40PM: DHL returned, picked up its packages.
  • 4PM: UPS picked up its packages during its regularly scheduled stop. When we first phoned in the morning we were told that shipping to India required a special certificate from the Embassy of India because the package contained apparel (a GT sweatshirt), and certain dyes require advance approval. We sent this package via DHL instead.

All shipments required airbills and commercial invoices describing the contents.

The results

Fedex clearly won and DHL came in second. UPS finished far behind – in fact, as of 12 April none of their packages had been delivered. Their representative declined to take one package and both of their other packages were delayed by processing errors, rerouting, and flight delays. The package to Lome was finally delivered on 22 June after crossing the Atlantic Ocean 9 times!

Results
Destination Carrier Cost Delivery Route Comments
Lome, Togo DHL USD169.07 08 April 0806h Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York, Brussels, Lagos, Lome
(details)
Fedex USD162.91 09 April 1056h Atlanta, Indianapolis, Paris, Abidjan, Lome
(details)		 Fewer stops than DHL, but slower
UPS ??? 22 June 1705h Atlanta, Louisville, Philadelphia, Koeln (Cologne), Paris,
Johannesburg,… (details)		 Finally delivered after crossing the Atlantic Ocean 9 times.
Apparently a UPS “keying error” sent the package repeatedly to
South Africa.
Haifa, Israel Fedex USD90.17 07 April 1540h Atlanta, Memphis, Peta Tiqwa, Haifa
(details)		 Fewest stops; direct flight from US to Israel
DHL USD134.44 08 April 1408h Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York, Tel Aviv, Haifa
(details)		 Direct flight from US to Israel
UPS ??? 13 April 1153h Atlanta, Louisville, Philadelphia, Koeln (Cologne), Tel Aviv,
Koeln, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Haifa – note
misshipment!
(details)		 Many stops even if handled correctly
Bangalore, India Fedex USD94.01 09 April 1215h Atlanta, Memphis, Paris, Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore
(details)
DHL ??? 12 April 1230h Atlanta, Cincinnati, London, Delhi, Bangalore
(details)		 Delayed because the local office closed for the Christian
holiday “Good Friday” (09 April)
UPS ??? NA NA Declined to take package

The UPS prices were not immediately available. We expect to post more details of the deliveries, possibly including photos, soon.

The routes

The routes by which DHL sent our packages from Atlanta to Lome, Haifa, and Bangalore
Figure 1: The DHL routes from Atlanta to Lome, Haifa, and Bangalore.
Each package went through a sortation facility in the midwestern US: UPS uses Louisville, KY; Fedex uses Indianapolis, IN or Memphis, TN; DHL uses Cincinnati, OH.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jennifer Harris, Anita Race, and Cheryl Wilkerson for sending off the packages; and thanks to the recipients for documenting their arrival!

Great Package Race 2003

And they are off…!

We sent two packages sent from The Logistics Institute, Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA (USA) to The Logistics Institute Asia-Pacific in Singapore. To make this more interesting we staged a race: One package, weighing 3.25 lbs, would be sent via FedEx; the other, weighing 4.5 lbs, would be shipped via UPS.

The start

We phoned both FedEx and UPS at approximately 11AM on January 15. Each would be making their daily, regularly-scheduled visit to Georgia Tech. FedEx picked up their package at 1PM and UPS picked up theirs at 4:05PM. (Later pick-up can be seen as a service to dawdling customers; but it could endanger delivery times.)

The race

Figure 1: The UPS path from Atlanta to Singapore.

Figure 1: The UPS path from Atlanta to Singapore.

Each package went through a sortation facility in the midwestern US. Both packages stopped in Achorage, Alaska because all air freighters must stop for fuel between Asia and North America. (It is possible to load enough fuel to fly direct but only by traveling without cargo!) The FedEx package was scanned there but the UPS package was apparently not.

Both packages went through sortation facilities in Japan. The UPS package then went through a UPS hub in Taipei, Taiwan; however, this stop was not shown on the UPS package-tracking web site. Mark Sobolewski, VP of International Industrial Engineering at UPS, explained that not every scan is publicly visible because much of it is too detailed to be useful to most customers. Presumably this is true of FedEx as well, but we do not know the interim stops of the FedEx package.) Both packages then went to Singapore.

We also learned from Mark Sobolewski that the UPS package was transported via Boeing 747 from Anchorage to Osaka, then on a Boeing 767 to Taipei, and finally on a Boeing 757 to Singapore.

Singapore customs is very efficient and the packages were logged through within minutes of arrival.

UPS Tracking Report
Date Time Location Activity
Jan 18, 2003 11:30 The Logistics Institute Asia-Pacific, Singapore Delivery
01:12 Singapore, SG Through customs, ready for delivery
01:09 Changi Airport, Singapore Import scan
Jan 17, 2003 21:21 Changi Airport, Singapore Arrival scan
11:52 Osaka, Japan Departure scan
Jan 16, 2003 12:23 UPS Sortation Center, Louisville, KY, USA Arrival scan
Jan 15, 2003 23:07 UPS air terminal, Hapeville, GA, USA Departure scan
21:46 UPS air terminal, Hapeville, GA, USA Arrival scan
21:33 UPS truck terminal, Atlanta, GA, USA Departure scan
20:42 UPS truck terminal, Atlanta, GA, USA Origin scan
16:10 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA Pickup scan
 

FedEx Tracking Report
Date Time Location Activity
Jan 18, 2003 11:39 The Logistics Institute Asia-Pacific, Singapore Delivery
09:43 On FedEx delivery vehicle
08:56 At FedEx terminal, Singapore Arrival scan
06:00 Changi Airport, Singapore Cleared customs
06:00 Changi Airport, Singapore Arrival scan
Jan 17, 2003 13:50 Narita Airport, Tokyo Departure scan
Jan 16, 2003 10:33 Anchorage, AK, USA Departure scan
08:52 Anchorage, AK, USA Arrival scan
05:46 Indianapolis, IN, USA Departure scan
00:25 Sort facility, Indianapolis, IN, USA Arrival scan
Jan 15, 2003 19:19 Atlanta, GA Departure scan, FedEx facility
13:10 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA Pickup scan

The results

Both packages were delivered Saturday, 18 January (Singapore time, which was then 13 hours ahead of Atlanta time). The office to which they were delivered is open but not very busy on Saturday and so the front door was locked. There was a knock on the door at about 11:30AM (Singapore time) and both the FedEx and the UPS delivery men were standing at the door. The UPS fellow held the door open for FedEx, so, strictly speaking, FedEx arrived first; but UPS apparently got the signature first. Also, UPS gets extra credit for courtesy and so we may call it a tie.