OREANDA-NEWS. UPS® (NYSE: UPS) today announced it has developed a healthcare-compliant network of Field Stocking Locations (FSLs) to reduce delivery time of medical device shipments and enhance inventory visibility. FSLs are strategically-located facilities designed to support time-sensitive distribution and efficient warehousing of products. UPS's FSL network helps companies get products to their customers faster while better managing inventory costs, regulatory compliance and end-to-end visibility.

In the U.S., 36 healthcare-capable FSL sites will provide medical device manufacturers access to over 80 percent of U.S. hospital beds within four hours. These facilities will operate under the guidance of UPS's industry-leading quality assurance and compliance program, feature temperature-controlled or monitored environments and offer same-day delivery services. These features enable medical device manufacturers and their field sales representatives to provide best-in-class service to their customers and better manage their inventories to gain efficiencies.

"Due to an increasingly complex regulatory environment and significant cost pressures, medical device manufacturers are looking to the supply chain to lower costs through inventory reduction and enhanced visibility," said John Menna, UPS vice president, global healthcare strategy. "Based on our experience in healthcare distribution and utilizing UPS's industry-leading global FSL network, we have created a tailored inventory management and distribution solution to meet the unique needs of medical device manufacturers."

This marks the latest in a series of recent expansions to UPS's healthcare compliant network, which in addition to the 36 FSLs, includes 46 healthcare-dedicated and compliant warehousing and distribution facilities worldwide. UPS healthcare facilities help ensure regulatory compliance, protect high-value and temperature-sensitive products and speed distribution to end providers. UPS healthcare solutions also include a full suite of UPS Temperature True temperature-sensitive transportation and risk mitigation solutions.

UPS's sophisticated and far-reaching FSL network, which includes more than 950 locations globally, has been in operation since 1995 and is utilized by multiple industries including high-tech, telecommunications, aerospace, industrial, automotive and non-regulated medical device manufacturers.