BrownCafe

The Atlanta-based shipping giant is hoping that growth in specialty areas like healthcare can help offset competition in its core package delivery business.

Shipping firms like UPS, squeezed by competition for its core residential and business delivery services, have been turning to specialized areas like healthcare for growth. UPS has more than 100 healthcare-dedicated facilities worldwide including locations with the proper security and temperature controls to handle drugs, human materials and medical devices.

New York city and state authorities urged a federal judge on Wednesday to impose a fine of $872 million against United Parcel Service for delivering untaxed cigarettes from smoke shops on Indian reservations.

The closing arguments came in a lawsuit over whether UPS illegally shipped more than 683,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes, mostly from reservation smoke shops. The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by the state to combat smuggling of cigarettes from lower-tax areas.

The brown elves at United Parcel Service relax after Christmas only a short while before getting back to work.

At the end of last year’s peak holiday season, UPS officials took a hard look at the numbers and decided it was time to increase delivery capacities to meet a growing demand.

“We realized we needed an opportunity to expand our flow per hour to accommodate the influx,” said Dave Roth, business manager for the Clarksville branch.

For the first time ever, UPS will be using a mobile delivery center at its Clarksville location during the holidays, enabling the carrier to handle 60 percent more deliveries.