United Parcel Service (UPS) has invested more than $80 million to expand its air hub at Clark International Airport, increasing its capacity to process packages and handle temperature-sensitive shipments.
The 30,000-square-meter facility is 15 times larger than its predecessor, which opened in 2002. It can process up to 15,000 packages per hour, with an average daily volume of 46,000 packages.
UPS said the expansion improves services on more than 1,100 international trade lanes, with shorter transit times, later pickup cutoffs and earlier deliveries.
“This is a very special moment for our customers and our company,” said Russell Reed, managing director of UPS Philippines.
Operating 170 flight segments into and out of Clark weekly, the new hub connects businesses across Asia Pacific, India, Europe and the United States, opening up earlier delivery times in cities and countries across the region.
“When we opened our first Clark hub in 2002, we always had growth in mind – for our customers, our people and the local community,” Reed said.
“We’re proud to have called Clark home for nearly a quarter of a century, and we’re delighted that the new UPS Clark hub will continue to provide people and businesses, both in the Philippines and across Asia, with international trade growth opportunities for decades more to come,” Reed added.
The new sustainability-certified hub, a first in the Asia-Pacific region, houses an automated small-package sorting system that can process up to 9,000 small packages per hour.
The expansion uses UPS’ Premier RFID technology to prioritize and improve visibility of critical shipments. It features specialized handling for healthcare, high-tech, and manufacturing sectors, including three refrigeration and freezer units (-20°C to 25°C) with re-icing capability.
Amid the Asian Financial Crisis, UPS first established its formal presence in the Philippines in 1997 by launching direct cargo flights and forming a strategic partnership with Delbros Inc., a prominent local transportation company.
Since then, UPS has steadily expanded, including establishing its first intra-Asian hub in 2002 at the Clark International Airport.
“Asia Pacific has been the heartbeat of global trade for years. There are still plenty of growth opportunities for the region’s businesses and a lot of untapped potential,” UPS Asia Pacific Bernard Jiang said.
“Clark is the latest in a series of recent major investments UPS has made in its Asia Pacific network, and there’s more to come as we continue to speed up connectivity, unlock trade growth opportunities, improve service reliability, and strengthen supply chains for our customers,” Jiang added.
