Tammy Johnson
Leaked documents from Amazon show that the company is about to make a big play at surpassing Fedex and UPS as America’s largest shipping company.
Analysts have known for a while that Amazon has big plans for its global shipping and logistics business but leaked documents discovered by Bloomberg’s Spencer Soper, show plans on a more grand scale.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg unearthed internal documents from 2013 that laid out Amazon’s plan to build a global delivery network that will compete directly with its biggest shipping partners.
Amazon is calling the project, Dragon Boat, and it is meant to create a “Global Supply Chain by Amazon.” The project could be fully launched before the end of 2016.
According to leaked documents, Dragon Boat is touting a “revolutionary system that will automate the entire international supply chain and eliminate much of the legacy waste associated with document handling and freight booking.”
“Sellers will no longer book with DHL, UPS or Fedex but will book directly with Amazon,” the report writes, according to Bloomberg.
It was recently reported that Amazon has acquired a group of delivery truck trailers, freight ships, and delivery flights.
During its most recent 10-K filing Amazon for the first time referred to itself as a transportation service provider.
Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky has said rumors of a full-fledged logistics business are not true. Instead he says the company wants to “supplement” its existing partners, not “replace” them.
