As the center of the Italian Renaissance, Tuscany has been at the forefront of change for centuries. Italian manufacturers are adapting to the challenges of 2020 and preparing to increase exports once again to customers around the world. To support this latest renaissance, UPS has been investing in the capabilities to help its customers grow. Our new logistics center in the heart of Tuscany, in the city of Prato, allows us to continue offering businesses the services they need when they’re once again ready to export the excellence of “Made in Italy” to the world.
UPS has been working with Italian companies for over 30 years to provide bespoke solutions for Italy’s most renowned industries, including textile producers, the pride of the Tuscan economy and the Prato region. With an ancient tradition of wool processing stretching to the early Middle Ages, Tuscan spinners and weavers combine artisan expertise with entrepreneurial spirit, and have established themselves as the main point of reference for the domestic and international fashion supply market. This experience has made it possible to find the world's leading producers of woolen yarns and fabrics in Tuscany, including Lanificio Cangioli.
“Our company is on a mission to meet the needs of today and anticipate the trends of tomorrow. For twenty years, we’ve relied on UPS to reach international markets, and we’ve developed a trusted relationship based on daily contact. Speed is the distinctive feature that we have in common: with the same speed that we produce fine woolens, UPS ships our Made in Italy products all over the world. By investing in this new center, UPS is showing that it’s a solid partner for Tuscan businesses, allowing export-focused small and medium sized companies like ours to continue to grow,” said Alessandro Jentzsch, sales manager, Lanificio Cangioli.
The latest data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics shows that exports increased 5.7% between June and July. Because the economic situation remains fluid, it is more important than ever for Italian companies to focus their export strategies on profitable foreign markets such as Germany and China, destinations that UPS can reach from Italy with delivery times of 24 and 72 hours respectively.
“When we laid the cornerstone of this new facility two years ago, no one could foresee the vital role that logistics companies like UPS would play in supporting the global economy. Today we are not only marking the opening of a new facility, but also sending a message to our customers in Italy that we’re here to support them as they resume exporting,” said Karl Haberkorn, managing director, UPS Italy. “Our customers trust with us their shipments, which are products of Tuscan craftsmanship and emblematic symbols of the ‘Made in Italy’ mark of excellence known around the world. We’re hard at work helping to keep Italy’s economic engine running and supporting businesses of all sizes to seize every opportunity in this delicate transition stage.”
The new logistics centre in Prato has an area of 8,000 m2 and features scanning, sortation and conveyer technology that rapidly moves packages through the facility, while capturing data to increase delivery accuracy. This newest facility is part of a network of 21 UPS facilities in Italy, offering efficient connections to UPS’s European ground network and global air network from Ancona-Falconara, Ber-Orio al Serio, Bologna, Rome-Ciampino, and Venice.
