Numerous FedEx Express locations in upstate New York will close in June as the company progresses in its multi-year network transformation.

The company said the changes will streamline package pickups and deliveries with one-van, one-neighborhood coverage in many areas.

With this, FedEx said customers will experience improved package speed and service and enhanced package visibility.

What You Need To Know

Upstate FedEx Express locations will be closing in June as the company progresses in its multi-year network transformation

The company said the changes will streamline package pickups and deliveries with one-van, one-neighborhood coverage in many areas

FedEx said customers will experience improved package speed and service and enhanced package visibility

GG Cards and Breaks in Syracuse uses FedEx every week.

“Couple of our different distributors ship with FedEx. They give you the option of FedEx or UPS. We have found through time, that FedEx tends to be a here a little earlier in the day for us,” said GG Cards and Breaks store manager Anthony Campbell.

In the business world, time is money.

“One of the big things that we get FedEx Express orders from is from PSA with graded cards. And so they’re always FedEx Express. And so having those within an hour, hour and a half of the store opening gives me and my team a lot more time to get those cards priced and out for sale,” said Campbell.

He said FedEx Express stops in around 11 to 11:30 a.m., which is a great time for the business.

But will that continue?

FedEx is going through a network transformation touted as a move to “improve pickup, transport and delivery of packages in the U.S. and Canada.”

“I think the issue is trying to get deliveries in within an hour,” said Patrick Penfield, Syracuse University professor of supply chain practice. “So again, you can see the pressure that’s really building within these freight companies to be able to provide that. If you don’t have the right process or the right system in place to be able to do that, then you know your competitors are going to do that. So yeah, it’s huge. And I think that’s kind of the expectation is is same day shipments. And how do we get to that? And what do we have to do in order to make that happen?”

FedEx’s “Network 2.0” includes closing several FedEx Express locations.

“In the end, it probably should help consumers as far as being able to get a consolidated shipment,” Penfield said.

For Campbell, time will tell.

“We’ll have to see. Obviously, we’ll find out pretty quickly if our packages start coming at a later time once hubs start closing. That maybe it’s not the most efficient option anymore. I think it’s funny to say that you’re streamlining something while taking something away. I don’t think that’s really possible. I kind of think that’s two sides of the coin,” Campbell said.

Among the facilities in upstate New York that are closing in June include those in the areas of Syracuse, Elmira, Binghamton/Kirkwood, Ithaca, Utica, Buffalo/Cheektowaga, Conklin, Plattsburgh and Watertown, according to a FedEx spokesperson.

In a document provided to Spectrum News 1, FedEx said they have optimized more than 350 stations in the U.S. and Canada. They said service levels in those markets are meeting or exceeding the network average.