United Parcel Service (UPS) started out in 1907 in a closet-sized basement office. Jim Casey and Claude Ryan- two teenagers from Seattle with two bicycles and one phone- promised the “best service and lowest rates.” UPS has used this formula successfully for more than 90 years to become the world’s largest ground and air Package-distribution Company. It is a global enterprise with more than 425,000 employees, 93,000 vehicles, and the world’s ninth largest airline.
Today UPS delivers more than 15 million parcels and documents each day in the United States and more than 200 other countries and territories.
The firm has been able to maintain leadership in small-package delivery services despite stiff competition from FedEx and Airborne Express by investing heavily in advanced information technology. UPS spends more than $1 billion each year to maintain a high level of costumer service while keeping costs low and streamlining its overall operations.