OREANDA-NEWS. UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced the expansion of its medical device field stocking locations (FSLs) in Europe, to reduce delivery time and increase inventory visibility. FSLs are strategically located facilities designed to support the time-sensitive distribution and efficient warehousing of products to help companies get products to their customers faster while better managing inventory costs, regulatory compliance and end-to-end visibility.

This announcement follows the 2014 launch of a fully healthcare-compliant network of medical device FSLs in the U.S. With this Europe expansion, UPS has strengthened its global network which helps field service representatives provide best-in-class service to their customers, and gain efficiencies. Customers have the ability to store devices closer to hospital settings when time is of utmost importance. All of UPS’s facilities are enabled by industry-leading quality assurance and compliance programs, and fully integrated into UPS’s global transportation network.

FSL sites around the world including Europe are equipped with a quality management system that includes temperature monitoring and visibility into product expiration, making UPS’s field stocking sites a cost-effective and practical solution.

“A significant portion of medical devices are routinely stored in the trunks of field sales representatives’ vehicles, or what’s called in the industry ‘trunk stock,’ ” said Jan Denecker, director of healthcare marketing and strategy, UPS Europe. “This leads to inflated inventories with little to no visibility and less than optimal storage conditions. UPS’s FSL network helps solve these challenges for medical device manufacturers.”

This marks the latest in a series of recent expansions in Europe, including acquisitions of specialized healthcare logistics provider Poltraf in Poland and Polar Speed in the UK. UPS also opened an air freight forwarding facility at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol that is regulatory compliant and temperature-controlled, and expanded its European healthcare distribution campus in Roermond.

“UPS’s ongoing investments in Europe demonstrate our commitment to providing the right global solutions healthcare and life science companies require to meet demand,” said Geoff Light, UPS vice president of healthcare strategy.

UPS has more than 50 healthcare-dedicated warehousing and distribution facilities worldwide that protect high-value and temperature-sensitive products and speed distribution to end providers. The company’s healthcare solutions also include a full suite of UPS Temperature True® packaging, transportation and risk mitigation solutions.

UPS's FSL network, which includes more than 1,000 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.