UPS/FedEX: Inside the Package Wars

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CNBC takes you inside the mad dash to move more than 25-million packages a day. It’s a revealing look at a complex system of jaw dropping automation that feeds an army of trucks on the ground and a fleet of planes in the sky. Our cameras explore the inner-workings of UPS Worldport and the FedEx Super Hub, showing how extreme automation and hi-tech logistics help two companies succeed. Under the crush of an e-commerce revolution, both companies are forced to invent ways to be faster, smarter, and cheaper. Plus, beyond packages… a new frontier: the delivery giants set their sights on even more growth with unique strategies that have the delivery guys cashing in on pharma, smart phones and even luxury cars.

Special Delivery
The two delivery giants are in a race against time and each other. UPS brings in more than $50-billion a year and is the world’s ninth largest airline. FedEx, with $40-billion in annual revenue, is not just a company… it’s a verb.

UPS Adjacent Business
Have you heard of the UPS Pharmacists, Brown’s Bentleys or the UPS guy who can program your smart phone? In a wildly competitive marketplace UPS is branching out in ways you never imagined.

End of Runway Businesses
Businesses looking for an edge are moving closer to shipper hubs. It’s the secret to how Zappos, located near UPS Worldport in Louisville, Ky., offers next day shoe deliveries to late night Internet shoppers and why ProFlowers, located near the FedEx Superhub in Memphis, Tenn., can delivery flowers the morning after you place the order.

VIDEO GALLERY

FedEx's Super Scanners
FedEx relies on many types of barcode scanners. We show the most advanced ways of capturing data from and about packages as they make their way through the FedEx network.
UPS Airlines Cuts Fuel Costs
UPS saves millions of dollars each year in fuel costs using technologies to make their fleet more efficient.
Joyriding on UPS's Flight Simulator
Brian Schactman tries out UPS's $13 million flight simulator. They have eight, 11-ton simulators to keep their pilots certified.