Is it a Hub or a Center?

UPSNewbie

Well-Known Member
I think what will define a HUB vs CENTER is what type of outbound loads it creates.

If it creates hub to hub, as well as hub to center (i.e. generates/creates a bunch of preload loads for other buildings), then it is a hub. If it doesn't (i.e. it creates its own retain load, and a few hub loads to handle the rest of the country), then it is a center.

This, of course, will be dependent upon pickup volume. If you pickup enough volume, you can't shove it all onto 3-4 hubs... you'll have to do the hub's job and create preload loads, or numerous hub-to-hub loads. If you do that, you are a hub.

Or another way to look at it: if your inbound is only going to preload, that's a center.
 

ups_vette

Well-Known Member
A Center is the designation of an operation that DELIVERS and PICKS UP packages.

A HUB is the designation of an operation that SORTS packages. A Hub may have as many as 4 different sorts (Day Sort, Twilight Sort, Midnight Sort, and Sunrise Sort) or only 1 of those sorts.

One or more Centers may be physically located in the same facility as a Hub, but are seperate operations.
 

tieguy

Banned
click

Entire article here.

Jones information is technically correct.

A hub consolidates volume. So if they process packages from one ups building to another ups building then they are a hub.

A center building process and delivers thier own pickup and delivery packages only. So a harrington delaware building unloads inbound packages to be delivered and loads packages they pickup. they then feed those packages to a hub that consolidates them. The concept is simply to utilize all the space in a trailer before sending them across the country. If a district has 10 center building we would not want 10 california loads leaving those 10 building 10 percent filled. So we feed the california packages into a hub and they fill up one trailer to california.

Not all building ending with a 9 are hubs. Many of your buildings slic codes but not all end in a nine. But the individual delivery center in those buildings do not end in a nine. So harringtons building slic is 1999 but thier delivery centers slic is 1990.

There are a lot of exceptions with the numbering system and even the hub naming concepts. Some of your larger local sorts around the country have been changed from local sorts to hubs over the years. I'm not sure why but I think its more to do with internal reporting needs.

 

blue efficacy

Well-Known Member
Hubs have a night sort and centers do not.........at least thats the trend that I have noticed in my travels
Not all hubs have night sorts. They generally all have twilight sorts. But not all have night sorts.

Minnesota has 3 hubs. MGRMN, MINMN, and STPMN.

MGRMN 5599 only has twilight and preload. It is automated.

MINMN 5549 has a preload, twilight and night sort. Twilight processes locally originated volume, as well as loads from MT ND and sometimes other northwest locales with volume headed east. Night sort processes MN, ND, SD and MT volume ONLY. Many of the loads are only MN.

STPMN 5519 has preload, twlight, and night sort also. Twilight, same story as MINMN as far as I know. Night, they process a lot of stuff. Mainly loads built from CENTERS in MN, western WI and northern IA. They will also take loads from MINMN Night.

So, knowing all of this, twilights are primarily used for sorting loads of local origin, as well as pickups from that building's package cars. Night sorts, on the other hand, serve different purposes. Due to this, a night sort is not needed for every hub like a Twi is.

All a center does is Preload, and local sort which builds trailers that go to nearby hubs to be distributed to other hubs across the US.
 

drewed

Shankman
Id have to say..... the names of the sorts have nothing to do with whether or not its a hub or center, beyond a preload.

As its been said, probably the easiest way to classify a hub is the consolidation of volume to other destinations.
 

blue efficacy

Well-Known Member
A good rule of thumb might be all hubs have slics that end in 9, but not everywhere that ends in 9 is a hub.

Bismarck, ND is 5859. And I doubt ND needs two hubs!
 

ol'browneye

Well-Known Member
One or more Centers may be physically located in the same facility as a Hub, but are seperate operations.

And this is so all misloaded air sent to the wrong satelite can be blamed on the hub and go against the hub's numbers and not the center's numbers. Never mind the fact that these air could easily be delivered and we could actually perform the high dollar service that the customer paid for in the first place. But hey, who cares about the customer as long as our numbers don't look bad!
 

Black_6_Leader

Well-Known Member
Had to noodle on this one for a while, as I am not aware of a “text book answer”

A SLIC (Standard Location Identification Code) is a UPS activity, at a specific location.

A UPS building (which also has a SLIC code assigned to it), may have one or more resident SLICS (Operations or administrative activities) assigned in it.


A UPS package center is a UPS operating SLIC with assigned geography (normally assigned by postal /ZIP Code) where center has exclusive responsibility for package pick-up and delivery operations in that territory.

A hub is generally a package sort operation which handles packages which are not picked up or delivered by SLICs resident in that building. A hub SLIC normally has the building SLIC in which it is assigned, with a sort identifier e.g. T= twi, N=night, S=sunrise D= day appended to it).

L = Local sorts may build trailers which bypass normal intermediate hubs; but as all the volume they handle is their own, generally don't qualify as a hub sorts.

Just like P=preloads only handle volume for that building; they too are not a hub sorts.

I believe it is possible to have multi center buildings which are not hubs; just as there are single center buildings which also have hub sorts.

Also there is alot of legacy SLICS & sorts out there, so this is more general guidance (as in rule of thumb), then etched in stone. Things like peak season usage may also impact SLICS & sorts . . .
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
Volume generated is the major consideration for hub designation. The building has to have it's own SLIC with either a T - D - N (generally) at the end of the SLIC code.

Rule of thumb - about 30,000 packages sorted or more per day will get you a hub sort indicator at the end of the SLIC - All hubs end in 9.

The 30K is what gets you the chance to be a hub. The Region Engineering Manager makes the final call.
 

bubsdad

"Hang in there!"
Had to noodle on this one for a while, as I am not aware of a “text book answer”

A SLIC (Standard Location Identification Code) is a UPS activity, at a specific location.

A UPS building (which also has a SLIC code assigned to it), may have one or more resident SLICS (Operations or administrative activities) assigned in it.


A UPS package center is a UPS operating SLIC with assigned geography (normally assigned by postal /ZIP Code) where center has exclusive responsibility for package pick-up and delivery operations in that territory.

A hub is generally a package sort operation which handles packages which are not picked up or delivered by SLICs resident in that building. A hub SLIC normally has the building SLIC in which it is assigned, with a sort identifier e.g. T= twi, N=night, S=sunrise D= day appended to it).

L = Local sorts may build trailers which bypass normal intermediate hubs; but as all the volume they handle is their own, generally don't qualify as a hub sorts.

Just like P=preloads only handle volume for that building; they too are not a hub sorts.

I believe it is possible to have multi center buildings which are not hubs; just as there are single center buildings which also have hub sorts.

Also there is alot of legacy SLICS & sorts out there, so this is more general guidance (as in rule of thumb), then etched in stone. Things like peak season usage may also impact SLICS & sorts . . .
Thanks for your "noodling". Makes it a little more clear.
 

gandydancer

Well-Known Member
...A hub is generally a package sort operation which handles packages which are not picked up or delivered by SLICs resident in that building. ...

Not exactly. Maybe "generally" but here the Hub definately handles packages picked up or delivered by the SLICs (i.e., the Centers) in "the building". In the two (or "three" -- the Air Dock is Building "B" despite being phyically a part of "Building" A) buildings of "San Bruno" (sometimes referred to, even more confusingly, as "San Bruno Center") (and, sic -- it's actually in South San Francisco; San Bruno is miles down the Peninsula) we have three sorts (Twi, Night, Preload) and two (down from 3 or 4, in a reorg) Centers. The "building" and maybe the Hub, is 9449N. And the Twilight and Preload sorts are mostly (but not entirely) packages picked up and delivered for and by "this building" (sic, again; as I said, 2 buildings, 3 "buildings"). The Twilight also does some consolidation, which is the entire business of the Night Hub (or Night Sort). Is that clear? As mud, right?

click

Entire article here.

Interesting article, but the material is not entirely digested by its author, who seems to have conflated the Air Hubs with the much more common "hub".
 
Last edited:

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
Well, at least it has been entertaining. I did learn something though. Donuts are filled at the center. What would be the SLIC number for that?
 
Top