Shipping company UPS has unveiled plans to further expand its 3D printing service to Asia and Europe in an effort to stay ahead of the “threat” that could cost them part of their business.
As part of UPS’s revenue derives from storing and shipping parts for manufacturers, the company fears to loose business if customers start 3D printing their own parts. To counteract this scenario in time, the company has decided to get ahead and offer 3D printing and delivery services for plastic parts.
Alan Amling, UPS Vice President for corporate strategy told Reuters: “3D printing is a great opportunity for us, but it’s also a threat.”
While UPS has already bought a stake in 3D printing firm Fast Radius, based at the company’s hub in Louisville, Kentucky, back in May this year, Amling announced that UPS is looking at Japan or Singapore as a possible location for a factory in Asia. With UPS’s operational European hub based in Cologne, Germany, this might be a possible location to set up a facility in Europe.
UPS has not unveiled any figures related to its storing and shipping business threatened by the developments in 3D printing technology. However, an unknown part of the company’s $ 6 billion revenue in forwarding and logistics, representing 10% of its total sales in 2015, came from its warehousing operations.
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