| Category: | Global Impact, Logistics, UPS News |
| Tags: | gymnastics, logistics, London 2012, London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Louis Smith, Olympics |
British Olympic Bronze medallist and London 2012 gymnastics hopeful Louis Smith has joined the team of UPS London 2012 Olympic Ambassadors, alongside fellow Olympians Ben Ainslie and Denise Lewis, and television sports presenter Steve Rider, to mark the delivery of the 250,000th item (a 3-meter landing mat) into our London 2012 logistics centres.
To mark the occasion, Louis kindly took some time out of his busy training schedule to visit our Tilbury logistics centre to see first hand the logistical preparation work taking place ahead of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Louis was a fantastic sport and looked in great shape as he gave our team a quick demonstration of his routine on the pommel horse – his specialty. He also watched on as we took delivery of some 2012 items ready to be sorted and temporarily stored at the centre, a shipment that took us over the quarter-of-a-million item milestone.
Louis’ visit also gave me a chance to speak to him about his own preparations ahead of the London 2012 Games, and it was fascinating to hear about the dedication required to reach peak performance and the weeks and months of preparation required to perfect a gymnastics routine that can last less than two minutes.
In fact, it struck me that we at UPS have a lot in common with athletes like Louis. We know the value of preparation, attention to detail and of the behind-the-scenes hard work that ensures that everything goes smoothly on the big stage.
Like Louis, we are working towards reaching our ‘peak performance’ in time for the London 2012 Games. In the same way that Louis has been using his training to learn and improve, we have been busy testing all the logistics processes and systems related to the London 2012 Games at a series of live sports events.
These events are vital and have helped us gain a clearer understanding of the unique challenges associated with delivering to each of the London 2012 host venues, as well as shipping more unusual items – from BMX starting gates to beach volleyball referee chairs.
I am pleased to say the first cluster of events was completed without a hitch, with another cluster set to begin in October, putting us firmly on track as we prepare to deliver a world-class performance at the London 2012 Games.
