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American Morning
Holiday Shipping
Aired December 18, 2002 - 08:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: 'Tis the season, you know, and for those in the package shipping business, today is probably the busiest day in the entire year. Millions of people making holiday packages on their way to their loves ones, and that means the UPS hub outside of Chicago, which is the world's biggest sorting facility, will be put to a severe test as this day unfolds. Somewhere out there among the mountains of things being sent is our Jeff Flock.
Hi, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Checking on your package, Jack, indeed.
This is about 18 million packages, they think, today, systemwide for UPS.
I have to give you a unique perspective. This a camera we have hooked up with a microwave system on it. It's on the line. This is what it's like to be a package going down the line today.
And I'm a talking with Patrick McDavid (ph), and tell me what you're role is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a packaging engineer with UPS.
FLOCK: And you have a degree?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In package engineering from Michigan State University.
FLOCK: Amazing. So you are the man to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong.
Give me a sense of this, here is a package with paper on it, looks like a beautiful. What's wrong with this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it looks pretty good, but the problem is the paper itself, because what can happen is the paper can tear, and ultimately, could lose the label on the package itself. Now, we have no idea where this package needs to go.
FLOCK: So don't put paper on it. What about string? My mother used to put string on packages. What is the problem? It looks like a great idea. What's wrong?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, yes, 95 years ago, when UPS was founded, everything was handled manually and the string was fine, but now with all of the automatic sortation equipment that we have, the string could get caught.
FLOCK: It could be a problem. Got you.
Now, how about the big one here? What's the problem. This looks like a nice strong box.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an excellent box, but there's nothing inside. The product is loose inside here and...
FLOCK: these are people's actual stuff here, so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And what happened is this box tore open from the product inside.
FLOCK: And that's the thing. What happens? if it tears open, what do you do? If the box is destroyed, what is happening, over at this next table?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat is trying to fix the boxes so we can ship them on to where they are supposed to be going.
FLOCK: If I screw up, you will straighten it out for me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. This box here, you can see the label had been torn off, but this customer had put a secondary label inside, so now we can ship this on. A lot of customers fail to do that.
FLOCK: I want to go ahead and take a look on the conveyer belt again, because that's fascinating me. Mike Johl with UPS, thanks for letting us go down the line there.
MIKE JOHL, UPS SPOKESMAN: What you're seeing right now, Jeff, is a camera inside a box going down some of the 65 miles of conveyers and rollers we have here in the building.
FLOCK: How do you treat it? Maybe you're giving us a TLC over there. But I mean, it's a little bit of a rough ride, yet?
JOHL: No, it's very, very smooth. And actually, you are getting the same treatment that every package gets. We treat every package like it's a guest in our building.
FLOCK: Before we get away, I have to ask you about you guys are a barometer, are an economic barometer of the season. What does the volume look like?
JOHL: Well, I think we've been running about 1.7 to 1.9 million packages per day for the last week or so. I think we are pretty reflective of what's going on in the economy.
FLOCK: So you think you're right on what you expected?
JOHL: Absolutely, we're right on target.
FLOCK: No big dramatic increase, but no falloff either? JOHL: No, we're doing a good job of keeping in touch, especially with our e-commerce customers, and that part of the economy looks very robust.
FLOCK: Mike Johl, I appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen, thank you, and a man with a degree in package engineering. I'm glad somebody is pursuing that.
Jack, that is the latest. Back to you.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Jeff.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 18, 2002 - 08:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: 'Tis the season, you know, and for those in the package shipping business, today is probably the busiest day in the entire year. Millions of people making holiday packages on their way to their loves ones, and that means the UPS hub outside of Chicago, which is the world's biggest sorting facility, will be put to a severe test as this day unfolds. Somewhere out there among the mountains of things being sent is our Jeff Flock.
Hi, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Checking on your package, Jack, indeed.
This is about 18 million packages, they think, today, systemwide for UPS.
I have to give you a unique perspective. This a camera we have hooked up with a microwave system on it. It's on the line. This is what it's like to be a package going down the line today.
And I'm a talking with Patrick McDavid (ph), and tell me what you're role is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a packaging engineer with UPS.
FLOCK: And you have a degree?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In package engineering from Michigan State University.
FLOCK: Amazing. So you are the man to tell me what I'm doing right and wrong.
Give me a sense of this, here is a package with paper on it, looks like a beautiful. What's wrong with this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it looks pretty good, but the problem is the paper itself, because what can happen is the paper can tear, and ultimately, could lose the label on the package itself. Now, we have no idea where this package needs to go.
FLOCK: So don't put paper on it. What about string? My mother used to put string on packages. What is the problem? It looks like a great idea. What's wrong?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, yes, 95 years ago, when UPS was founded, everything was handled manually and the string was fine, but now with all of the automatic sortation equipment that we have, the string could get caught.
FLOCK: It could be a problem. Got you.
Now, how about the big one here? What's the problem. This looks like a nice strong box.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an excellent box, but there's nothing inside. The product is loose inside here and...
FLOCK: these are people's actual stuff here, so...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And what happened is this box tore open from the product inside.
FLOCK: And that's the thing. What happens? if it tears open, what do you do? If the box is destroyed, what is happening, over at this next table?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat is trying to fix the boxes so we can ship them on to where they are supposed to be going.
FLOCK: If I screw up, you will straighten it out for me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. This box here, you can see the label had been torn off, but this customer had put a secondary label inside, so now we can ship this on. A lot of customers fail to do that.
FLOCK: I want to go ahead and take a look on the conveyer belt again, because that's fascinating me. Mike Johl with UPS, thanks for letting us go down the line there.
MIKE JOHL, UPS SPOKESMAN: What you're seeing right now, Jeff, is a camera inside a box going down some of the 65 miles of conveyers and rollers we have here in the building.
FLOCK: How do you treat it? Maybe you're giving us a TLC over there. But I mean, it's a little bit of a rough ride, yet?
JOHL: No, it's very, very smooth. And actually, you are getting the same treatment that every package gets. We treat every package like it's a guest in our building.
FLOCK: Before we get away, I have to ask you about you guys are a barometer, are an economic barometer of the season. What does the volume look like?
JOHL: Well, I think we've been running about 1.7 to 1.9 million packages per day for the last week or so. I think we are pretty reflective of what's going on in the economy.
FLOCK: So you think you're right on what you expected?
JOHL: Absolutely, we're right on target.
FLOCK: No big dramatic increase, but no falloff either? JOHL: No, we're doing a good job of keeping in touch, especially with our e-commerce customers, and that part of the economy looks very robust.
FLOCK: Mike Johl, I appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen, thank you, and a man with a degree in package engineering. I'm glad somebody is pursuing that.
Jack, that is the latest. Back to you.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Jeff.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
