UPS (UPS)

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United Parcel Service has come a long way since its early days. The company began as a private messenger service in 1907 under the name of American Messenger Co., in Seattle. Its founder, 19-year-old Jim Casey, started the company with $100 borrowed from a friend.

The company would change its name one more time before adopting its current name, United Parcel Service, in 1919. The company historically has used technology and solid business management to fuel its growth. The company that began with a $100 loan today brings in more than $33 billion in annual revenue and boasts operating and net profit margins that are considered huge in the transportation industry.

UPS growth over the past 10 to 15 years has been especially impressive. The company didn't buy its first airplane until the 1980s and didn't form an airline operation until 1987.  UPS hired and trained nearly 1,000 pilots in 1988 and has more than doubled its pilot ranks in the past 10 years.

In February 2007, UPS said it had ordered 27 new Boeing 767-300ER freighters to support its growing package business and provide broad options for the management of its jet fleet. The 27 aircraft will be delivered between 2009 and 2012.  A month later, it announced it had canceled an order for 10 A380 freighters from Airbus after the European aerospace company said it would not be able to deliver the first of those planes until 2012, three years after originally promised. 

UPS continues to experience strong growth in its international package business, with average export volume climbing 12% in 2006 alone. The wide-body 767's will be used on routes to and from Europe and Latin America as well as on lanes within Asia and Europe. Furthermore, the 27 new freighters will allow UPS Airlines to improve the efficiency and speed of its air network as it eventually replaces aging aircraft.

For the full year of 2006, revenue rose almost 12% to $47.5 billion; operating profit increased 8%, and earnings per share climbed 11.2% to $3.86. The international business reached new heights, reporting more than $1.7 billion in operating profit. The company set a new record for package volume in 2006, delivering almost 4 billion packages or an average of 15.6 million per day.

 Unlike most legacy airlines, UPS avoided furloughs after September 11, and geared up the hiring of pilots again in November 2004. The company expects to  hire 300 pilots by the end of 2007.

UPS has also been expanding aggressively in China. In 2005, the company took direct control of its operations serving more than 330 cities in China that generate 85 percent of the country's international trade activity. UPS also expanded its air operations in China throughout 2006 and now flies to more points in China than any other U.S. airline, freight or passenger. The company has grown its China workforce to more than 4,500 employees while also constructing a large logistics infrastructure that includes more than 60 distribution centers.

Over the past five years, UPS has invested approximately $600 million in China, including its successful transition to become the first wholly-owned foreign express carrier in China.

Like working for any package-delivery or other freight carrier, UPS pilots must learn to cope with considerable back-side-of-the-clock flying. Some pilots can adapt to it and others cannot. But if working for a profitable, growing and always-changing company appeals to you, send in your electronic resume. You may get an opportunity to take part in this dynamic company's next round of growth.

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