FedEx, UPS Turn Record Holiday Surge Into Someone Else’s Problem
- UPS, FedEx boost prices while limiting big retailers’ parcels
- Small courier capacity increases can’t make up for shortfall
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Richard Metzler ordered automation equipment as part of a plan to double the volume his small parcel delivery company could handle this holiday season. There’s just one snag: The machinery is stuck on a ship offshore amid a global supply-chain crunch.
“The timing just couldn’t be worse,” said Metzler, chief executive officer of regional courier Lone Star Overnight, who is racing to meet demand from clients such as Best Buy Co. and Nordstrom Inc. in the seven states where LSO delivers. “We’re just having to throw more bodies at it.”