Hello, this is Kim Yong-gap, a correspondent for Maeil Business News in New York. The American logistics company FedEx has been a symbol of fast and accurate delivery. However, in recent years, consumer complaints about FedEx have been increasing. When watching videos online that describe the delivery services of companies like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, it is often pointed out that while Amazon provides satisfactory deliveries, FedEx frequently delivers products in damaged condition. These videos have resonated with many people online. Additionally, concerns are growing that FedEx's crisis may be starting, especially with its poor performance outlook. What kind of company is FedEx, really? Have you ever had the experience of tracking a package and finding that it is located further away than expected? The system that makes your package go in circles is precisely what was created by...

FedEx exists. FedEx was founded in 1971 by Frederick Smith. Frederick Smith is also noted as a businessman respected by former U.S. President Barack Obama. Born in 1944, Frederick Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi. The story of FedEx's founding begins during Frederick Smith's college years. In the mid-1960s, while attending Yale University, he wrote a report on the potential of same-day delivery services in a world becoming increasingly globalized and technologically connected. He recognized the need for a fast logistics and delivery system based on the premise that computer companies needed quick repairs when issues arose to enhance their reliability. This paper became the initial blueprint for FedEx, but he received a C grade from his professor at the time.

The reason for the declining feasibility of delivery services through transportation was highlighted. Fred Smith enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent four years serving. Upon returning in 1971, he confirmed that his ideas had actually come to fruition. The importance of computers had grown, but the delivery system had not kept pace with this development. At the age of 29, he decided to start a business. He established the company with $4 million inherited from his father, along with $80 million in venture capital and loans. He tested the network by sending empty boxes to 25 initial cities and began the first deliveries in April 1973. One of the most famous stories about FedEx is how the company was saved during its early days. When facing a small deficit, Fred Smith took the company's last $5,000 to Las Vegas and sat at a blackjack table. There, he won $27,000, which helped save FedEx.

FedEx was able to survive by covering the costs for a few more days of operation through actual gambling. The differentiated service of FedEx is undoubtedly the introduction of the hub-and-spoke system. At that time, the delivery system typically connected the origin and destination of the cargo directly. However, FedEx introduced the idea of first gathering and sorting the cargo centrally before sending it to the final destination. Instead of launching planes from every city in the U.S., they launched planes from a central hub, significantly reducing the number of flights and fuel consumption. These central locations are called hubs. While there are several hubs in the U.S., the largest one is in Memphis, Tennessee, where FedEx's headquarters is located, and this super hub plays a crucial role in rapid sorting.

It is essential. In response, FedEx has introduced barcode scanning and computerized tracking for deliveries. The super hub has technology that can track and sort packages at an incredible speed of about 500,000 packages per hour. FedEx's delivery system can be considered the precursor to today's delivery systems, which transport items from a central hub to their final destinations. If my package is strangely located in Memphis instead of its intended destination, there is a reason for that. FedEx is also the place where a differentiated delivery system and package tracking began, as well as the world's first overnight delivery service. As a result, a fast air cargo system was established across the United States, allowing customers to receive their items within a day. The competitiveness of FedEx lies in its fast and accurate delivery.

A movie has solidified the image of FedEx. Although it is an old film, anyone who has seen Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, will likely think of FedEx. In Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays a FedEx employee who crashes on a deserted island while on a delivery flight. The film portrays his four-year struggle for survival on the island. It concludes with Tom Hanks successfully escaping and completing a package delivery to a customer, reinforcing the image that FedEx delivers no matter what. FedEx grew rapidly based on this image, successfully going public in 1978, and by 1983, its revenue reached $1 billion. It set a record as the first American company to achieve $1 billion in revenue within ten years without any mergers or acquisitions. This success of FedEx...

One of the factors is a culture that respects employees. This culture stems from the belief that treating employees well will lead to providing the best service to customers. In line with globalization, FedEx International was launched in 1984, expanding its global presence. Today, FedEx provides services in over 220 countries and has more than 700 aircraft in its fleet. Additionally, it employs over 500,000 people. Due to the vast scale and diversity of FedEx's logistics operations, its performance is often seen as a barometer for the global economy. When FedEx's performance declines, it is said that clouds begin to gather over the world economy. However, recently, FedEx's performance has not been good. On September 19, it announced its results for the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, covering the period from June to August, reporting revenue of $21.6 billion, which is a 0.5% decrease compared to the previous year.

The adjusted earnings per share decreased to $3.60, significantly below the projected $4.86. FedEx attributes this decline to reduced demand and increased costs. Additionally, they have downgraded their guidance for the second quarter, lowering the previous earnings per share forecast from a range of $20 to $22 to a new range of $20 to $21. FedEx stated that as demand, which surged during the pandemic, returns to previous levels, they are continuing to implement cost-saving measures. However, it is insufficient to interpret FedEx's weakened performance solely as a result of post-pandemic demand decline or a weakening global economy. The key factor here is Amazon. Looking at FedEx's revenue, approximately 85% comes from international express services and the North American small parcel ground delivery service, known as Ground service. The remaining 11% is attributed to freight services.

FedEx Flight, the delivery service, is charging ahead. Amazon's delivery capabilities are indeed quite threatening in terms of its portfolio. In fact, Amazon's parcel volume has already surpassed that of FedEx and UPS. It surpassed FedEx in 2020 and UPS in 2022, and the gap continues to widen. Just ten years ago, Amazon was a customer of FedEx, relying on external logistics companies like FedEx and UPS during a time when it lacked its own logistics infrastructure. Then, Amazon began its own logistics operations. At that time, FedEx's founder and CEO, Fred Smith, stated that Amazon could not threaten FedEx. He believed it was a business that required a lot of money to operate. However, as Amazon gradually expanded, by 2019, it was in a position to compete with FedEx.

The contract will be terminated. As online transactions surged due to the pandemic, Amazon began to significantly expand its operations, successfully reducing delivery costs and increasing speed through economies of scale. As mentioned at the beginning of the video, Amazon received positive evaluations for the quality of its delivery services, allowing it to grow further. Ultimately, in 2020, it surpassed FedEx in package volume. Additionally, Amazon is focusing on developing technologies such as drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles to enhance delivery efficiency. Now, discussing FedEx's performance in the context of the global economy might overlook Amazon's influence. However, I want to emphasize that FedEx is currently facing a crisis due to the competition from Amazon. It is essential to establish a strategy to respond to Amazon's threats in the e-commerce market.

It is undoubtedly the right time. FedEx also predicts that the scale of e-commerce in the United States will grow by 3 to 4% over the next five years. Here, it is essential to leverage the strengths of FedEx's delivery service. One of FedEx's advantages compared to Amazon is that 94% of Americans live within five miles of a FedEx facility. This means that FedEx is close to people. When receiving items, they are delivered to homes, but when sending or returning items, customers go to the location. It is necessary to utilize this advantage to promote return services. Additionally, a recent collaboration is quite interesting; a catering company partnered with FedEx to deliver cheese online, particularly focusing on the process of delivering perishable products. This optimized delivery by FedEx for food could represent an area that does not overlap with Amazon. Today, we are discussing the current state of affairs.

I shared the story about the company Dex, which created a logistics system. How will FedEx fare in competition with Amazon? If you enjoyed today's video, please subscribe to Maeil Business Newspaper's Wall Street Weekly, and don't forget to like and leave a comment. Thank you!

[어바웃 뉴욕] 내 택배가 빙빙 돌아오는 이유 ㅣ 김용갑 특파원

월가에서 월급받는 부자되는 비법을 전수합니다!

매경 월가월부

FedEx는 빠른 배송의 상징이었지만 최근 아마존과의 경쟁 심화로 인해 어려움을 겪고 있다.

아마존은 자체 물류 시스템을 확장하여 FedEx의 주요 시장인 소형 택배 서비스에서 경쟁력을 강화하고 있다.

FedEx는 기존의 강점인 접근성을 활용하고 음식 배송과 같은 새로운 분야를 개척하여 아마존의 위협에 대응해야 할 시점이다.

📦 FedEx의 시작: C학점에서 탄생한 물류 제국

FedEx는 1971년 프레데릭 스미스에 의해 설립되었습니다. **흥미롭게도, FedEx의 아이디어는 프레데릭 스미스가 예일 대학교 재학 시절 작성한 보고서에서 시작되었는데, 당시 그는 이 보고서로 C학점을 받았습니다**. 그는 컴퓨터 회사의 빠른 수리 필요성을 인지하고, 당일 배송 서비스의 잠재력을 간파했습니다.

스미스는 해병대 복무 후, 아버지로부터 상속받은 자금과 벤처 캐피탈을 통해 사업을 시작했습니다. 초기에는 어려움을 겪었지만, **라스베이거스에서 5,000달러로 27,000달러를 따면서 회사를 위기에서 구한 일화는 유명합니다**.

 🚀 허브 앤 스포크 시스템: FedEx의 혁신적인 배송 방식

FedEx는 허브 앤 스포크 시스템을 도입하여 배송 시스템에 혁신을 가져왔습니다. **기존의 직송 방식 대신, 화물을 중앙 허브로 모아 분류한 후 최종 목적지로 배송하는 방식을 채택하여 효율성을 극대화했습니다**. 특히 멤피스에 위치한 슈퍼 허브는 시간당 50만 개의 화물을 처리할 수 있는 놀라운 능력을 자랑합니다.

FedEx는 바코드 스캔과 컴퓨터 추적 시스템을 도입하여 배송 과정을 더욱 투명하게 만들었습니다. **이는 오늘날의 배송 시스템의 선구자적인 역할을 수행했으며, 세계 최초의 익일 배송 서비스라는 타이틀을 얻게 했습니다**.

 🎬 영화 '캐스트 어웨이'와 FedEx의 이미지

톰 행크스가 주연한 영화 '캐스트 어웨이'는 FedEx의 이미지를 굳건히 하는 데 큰 역할을 했습니다. **영화 속에서 톰 행크스는 FedEx 직원으로 등장하여, 어떤 어려움 속에서도 배송을 완료하는 모습을 보여줍니다**. 이러한 이미지를 바탕으로 FedEx는 빠르게 성장하여 1983년에는 매출 10억 달러를 달성했습니다.

 📉 위기의 FedEx: 아마존과의 경쟁 심화

최근 FedEx의 실적은 좋지 않습니다. **수요 감소와 비용 증가로 인해 실적 전망이 하향 조정되었으며, 이는 단순히 팬데믹 이후의 수요 감소나 세계 경제 약화로만 해석하기 어렵습니다**. 핵심 요인은 바로 아마존과의 경쟁 심화입니다.

아마존은 자체 물류 시스템을 구축하여 FedEx와 UPS를 위협하고 있습니다. **실제로 아마존의 택배 물량은 이미 FedEx와 UPS를 넘어섰으며, 그 격차는 더욱 벌어지고 있습니다**. 과거 FedEx의 고객이었던 아마존이 이제는 강력한 경쟁자로 부상한 것입니다.

 🤝 FedEx의 생존 전략: 강점 활용과 새로운 시도

FedEx는 아마존과의 경쟁에서 살아남기 위해 새로운 전략을 모색해야 합니다. **FedEx의 강점 중 하나는 미국인의 94%가 FedEx 시설에서 5마일 이내에 거주한다는 점입니다**. 이를 활용하여 반품 서비스를 강화하고, 음식 배송과 같은 새로운 분야를 개척할 필요가 있습니다.

최근에는 음식 배달 회사와 협력하여 온라인으로 치즈를 배송하는 등 신선 식품 배송 분야에서 가능성을 엿보이고 있습니다. **FedEx가 아마존과 겹치지 않는 분야에서 경쟁력을 확보하는 것이 중요합니다**.

FedEx에 대한 소개 및 문제점 제기

FedEx는 빠른 배송의 상징이었으나 최근 소비자 불만이 증가하고 있으며, 아마존과 비교하여 배송 품질에 대한 우려가 제기되고 있다.

FedEx의 실적 부진과 함께 위기 시작에 대한 우려가 커지고 있다.

FedEx는 1971년 프레드릭 스미스에 의해 설립되었으며, 그는 예일대 재학 시절의 보고서를 통해 당일 배송 서비스의 잠재력을 인식했다.

초기 자금 부족을 극복하기 위해 프레드 스미스는 라스베이거스에서 도박으로 자금을 확보하여 회사를 구제했다.

FedEx의 차별화된 서비스: 허브 앤 스포크 시스템

FedEx는 화물을 중앙에서 집중적으로 분류하여 최종 목적지로 보내는 허브 앤 스포크 시스템을 도입하여 배송 효율성을 높였다.

가장 큰 허브는 테네시주 멤피스에 위치하며, 바코드 스캔 및 컴퓨터 추적 시스템을 통해 시간당 약 50만 개의 패키지를 처리할 수 있다.

FedEx는 차별화된 배송 시스템, 패키지 추적, 그리고 세계 최초의 익일 배송 서비스를 제공하여 빠른 항공 화물 시스템을 구축했다.

영화 '캐스트 어웨이'와 FedEx의 이미지

영화 '캐스트 어웨이'는 FedEx 직원이 무인도에 표류하는 이야기를 통해 FedEx가 어떤 상황에서도 배송을 완료한다는 이미지를 강화했다.

FedEx는 이러한 이미지를 바탕으로 빠르게 성장하여 1983년에는 매출 10억 달러를 달성했다.

FedEx의 기업 문화 및 글로벌 확장

FedEx는 직원을 존중하는 문화를 통해 고객에게 최상의 서비스를 제공하고자 하며, 1984년 FedEx International을 통해 글로벌 시장으로 확장했다.

FedEx의 실적은 종종 세계 경제의 바로미터로 여겨지지만, 최근 실적이 좋지 않다.

FedEx의 실적 부진 원인: 아마존과의 경쟁 심화

FedEx의 실적 부진은 팬데믹 이후 수요 감소뿐만 아니라 아마존과의 경쟁 심화가 주요 원인이다.

아마존은 자체 물류 시스템을 구축하여 FedEx와 UPS를 능가하는 택배 물량을 처리하고 있다.

아마존은 팬데믹 기간 동안 온라인 거래 증가에 힘입어 물류 운영을 확장하고 배송 비용을 절감하여 FedEx를 위협하고 있다.

아마존은 드론, 로봇, 자율 주행 차량 등 기술 개발을 통해 배송 효율성을 더욱 높이고 있다.

FedEx는 아마존과의 경쟁에서 살아남기 위해 e-커머스 시장에서 아마존의 위협에 대응하는 전략을 수립해야 한다.

FedEx는 94%의 미국인이 FedEx 시설 5마일 이내에 거주한다는 장점을 활용하여 반품 서비스 및 음식 배송과 같은 새로운 분야를 개척해야 한다.