UPS shake up will mean 1,800 job losses

UPS is to restructure its US operations with the loss of 1,800 jobs. In the plans, the company will operate three instead of five regions and 20 instead of 46 districts.UPS spokesman, Norman Black, said that the restructure will start in April. Some of the offices shut will include the Kentucky district office in Cincinnati, Ohio, which will now be combined with the Indiana district into the Ohio Valley District.“With the technology available and the management systems, we don’t need districts that are that small,” Black said. “We can manage much larger areas with fewer people.”As well as job losses from office mergers UPS is also looking to encourage 1,100 employees to take early retirement.“The new management structure creates regions and districts that are better aligned geographically,” said UPS chairman and chief executive officer, Scott Davis. “In turn, this will enable more local decision making and resources to be deployed for our customers.“The decision to reduce our work force is difficult, and we appreciate the significant contributions of those who will be affected by this change,” Davis added. “But we believe this will allow us to sharpen our focus on profitable growth while being even more nimble in serving our customers.”