UPS celebrated the 35th anniversary of starting its operations in Turkey, which has a privileged place in its global organization. With the participation of UPS Turkey Country Manager Engin Kolat , a special press tour  of a held  to its Air Hub in Cologne.  A select group of media members, including Ayşe Akalın, Editor in Chief of Aviation Turkey had the opportunity to see Airhub operations and visit UPS Integrad, training center.

Starting its operations in Turkey in 1988 with the aim of connecting export shipments with international markets, UPS Turkey, with over 2,000 employees, now operates in 81 cities across the country. Engin Kolat, the Country Manager of UPS Turkey, announced that they have invested more than US$ 2 Billion in the European Region, which includes Turkey, in the last 5 years. He stated, “By strengthening our operational network in Türkiye and continuing our investments, we are committed to providing our customers with the speed, reliability, and expertise they need.”

In addition to providing high-quality logistics services to its customers, UPS Turkey also contributes to Turkey's international trade. UPS, a logistics company that offers both domestic and international cargo services, uses sea, air, and road transportation, and provides warehouse services. To expand Turkey's export potential and support its growth, UPS has developed various programs and projects such as the Export Academy and the Women Exporter Program. Through the Export Academy program initiated with the Ministry of Trade, UPS has provided training to 8,000 SMEs and entrepreneurs to help them discover their export potential. The UPS Women Exporter Program, aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and expanding their businesses into global markets, has supported the empowerment of more than 8,500 women by offering training and mentoring opportunities.

As part of its customer-centric strategy and global fleet expansion efforts, UPS is preparing to add eight Boeing 767-300F aircraft to its fleet by 2025, which were ordered last year. When the deliveries are completed, the total number of aircraft in the fleet will reach 263. These new orders represent UPS's commitment to meeting its customers' needs at the highest standards while enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and reliability, and maintaining the most modern fleet in the industry.

Engin Kolat, Country Manager of UPS Turkey, stated, "We are committed to Turkey's growth and exports. In this regard, we completed our Izmir Transfer Center project in 2016 and our Istanbul European Transfer Center project in 2021, continuing our investments to promote trade, e-commerce, and e-export." UPS's investment in Istanbul Airport, as part of a 25-year agreement signed with IGA management in 2018, strengthens its commitment to being a bridge between global markets, contributing to the country's growth goals.

Kolat added, "Türkiye holds a valuable place in our smart global logistics network due to its strategic location and diversified export sectors. With Türkiye's production capacity and robust infrastructure, we are proud to send products from Türkiye around the world. Türkiye has the potential to further strengthen its exports by making use of its unique location, talented workforce and accessible production costs. As UPS, we will continue to strengthen our network, invest in our people and our communities, provide our customers with reliable advice and trusted solutions, and contribute to improving Türkiye's export performance."

UPS Cologne Airhub

UPS’s air hub at Cologne/Bonn has been the main European gateway for our ever-growing global network since 1986 along with the Worldport facility in Louisville, Ky., and Asian hubs in Taiwan and the Philippines.  Cologne/Bonn plays a crucial role in optimizing the package sorting process and provides on-time delivery to destinations worldwide.. It allows  to connect Europe to Asia, Europe to Europe and Europe to the United States.

With its 105,500 m² operations area, Cologne Airhub which is one of the 11 UPS airhubs worldwide, is operating between 23.00 – 02.30 with 3450 employees by loading and unloading of approximately 300 Trucks and Vans and 49 Aircrafts. 190 thousand packages per hour are handled at Cologne Airhub. Once packages are unloaded from an arriving plane, they traverse a world of automated belts, scanners until they are ready to be loaded into containers on an outbound flight.

Digital Transformation at UPS

UPS is helping its customers optimize their business processes through investments in technology. UPS's smart logistics solutions and customer-focused digital services enable customers to track their shipments faster, more efficiently, and in an environmentally friendly manner. Describing itself as a technology company, UPS has developed an integrated logistics management portal, UPS Smart, allowing businesses to manage all their logistics services under one digital roof. Additionally, the "Import Assistant" application introduced this year offers customers a faster, easier, and seamless digital import experience.

Kolat said, "With tools like these, we are moving many manual processes to digital platforms, reducing error rates and making it easier to do business. This allows us to respond to our customers more quickly and effectively, increasing customer satisfaction. We will continue to focus on technology investments to lead in digital transformation and offer unmatched speed and reliability to our customers."

Carbon Neutrality in Global Operations by 2050

UPS is taking significant steps towards sustainability practices and the use of electric vehicles both globally and in Turkey. Globally, UPS, a long-time leader in environmental sustainability, announced a new set of ESG targets in 2021. These include a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions in global operations by 2050.

Among the environmental sustainability goals set for 2035 are reducing carbon emissions per package delivered in global small package operations by half, ensuring that all facilities run on renewable electricity, and having 30% of the fuel used in the global air fleet be sustainable aviation fuel. Additionally, the fleet of more than 13,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles is part of UPS’ commitment to have 40% alternative fuel in ground operations by 2025.

UPS people are also committed to delivering social impact through volunteering and charitable donations through The UPS Foundation. The goal is to positively impact the lives of 1 billion people by 2040. Planting 50 million trees by 2030 to create a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable world is also among the company's goals