TNT Express said it has launched, what it described as "the industry’s fastest express service in Asia". Termed the Emergency Express service, the service ensures that a customer’s urgent overseas shipments get out on the fi rst available fl ight and is timed around a customer’s schedule with 24X7 immediate response and pick up.

TNT said that its latest innovation taps on the growing demand for even speedier express services as there is a strong need to maintain shorter business cycles and low downtimes to avoid holding inventory costs and obsolete products. This is particularly the case among high tech and aviation industries where managing business continuity for enterprise customers is vital. The perishable nature of some specimens within the life science industry also requirestime critical services.

Onno Boots, regional managing director of TNT South East Asia, said, "In Asia, time critical services has been one of the biggest growth drivers with a 100 percent growth in shipments in the past year. The growth potential for the Emergency Express service is tremendous. In Asia, it forms one of the key strategic initiatives to achieve our global ambition to be number one in emerging markets and accelerate our growth in the region."

TNT has put in place a dedicated Emergency Express team in Asia who are on standby 24 hours seven days a week to meet the critical on-time pick-up and delivery of urgent shipments. Currently available in all major cities across seven countries in Asia, TNT said it plans to expand the service to include Korea, Taiwan and China before the end of this year.