Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., dedicated its new service center facility in Laredo. Attended by local dignitaries, customers, government and company officials, the ceremony showcased the facility's expanded features and capabilities to provide fast, reliable and safe freight transportation services for customers shipping throughout North America.
The new $13 million facility at 14710 FM 1472 Mines Road features a 70,000-square-foot dock with 148 loading doors, more than doubling the capacity of the previous service center. As Con-way's primary gateway for freight traffic to and from Mexico, the facility also includes dedicated space for "in-bond" shipments, a secure area of the facility for trans-shipping of cargoes to and from Mexico while maintaining their integrity under secure Customs bond.
"This new facility, combined with the proven skills and experience of our Laredo team, is essential for providing timely, responsive and reliable service in the cross-border trade market, and supporting our business relationships with customs brokers and both Mexico and U.S. customs officials," said Greg Lehmkuhl, president of Con-way Freight. "This is our principal gateway for shipments to and from Mexico and we look forward to continued growth for Laredo serving this market."
"Encouraging collaboration between Customs and Border Protection and the business community facilitates strong partnership and helps drive expanded trade opportunity for all parties," said Sidney K. Aki, port director, Laredo Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "Cross-border trade is the lifeblood of commerce, and Con-way Freight's investment in Laredo speaks volumes to its support for trade growth in Laredo."
"Today, we celebrate the hard work, dedication and passion by Con-way Freight to improve trade opportunities in Laredo that not only make a difference in the economy, but also to the quality of life for the Laredoans who work for them," said city of Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas. "Con-way Freight has long known the value of having and expanding their operations here in Laredo, given our position as the nation's number-one inland port and our long-standing relationship and experience with doing business in and with Mexico. This continues to reinforce the city of Laredo's commitment to seek businesses from around the globe to utilize our locale for their trade opportunities."
Con-way employs 133 local residents in Laredo in jobs such as driver sales representative, customer service, sales, freight operations and management, serving over 2,000 local businesses, noted Ted Garcia, Laredo's service center manager. The new facility marks the company's third expansion since opening for business in Laredo in 1989.
"From Laredo, we provide next-day service throughout Texas to Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Harlingen and Del Rio; second-day service to Orlando, Fla., Nashville, Minneapolis, Denver and Phoenix; and three-day service as far as Southern Florida, and into Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Dakota and Southern California, " Garcia said. The remainder of the continental U.S. and major cities in Canada are primarily four-day delivery points.
For Mexico, cross-border service and pickup/delivery within the country is provided in partnership with sister company Con-way Truckload, which also has operations in Laredo. Con-way Truckload owns and operates CFI Logistica, its dedicated Mexico subsidiary, which has 30 years of experience in Mexico. CFI Logistica provides intra-Mexico coverage through long-established carrier partners in Mexico providing local service and connecting cross-border gateways with major business and industrial centers in the country.
Garcia added that the breadth and precision of Con-way Freight's operating network in the continental U.S. enables the company to provide the industry's fastest transit times to and from Mexico, on average 25 percent faster. "Our door-to-door delivery and service to all major cities in Mexico gives customers the ultimate peace of mind and confidence when choosing Con-way Freight for cross-border shipments," he said.
Garcia also noted that with the expansion, the company is now planning a number of service enhancements for Mexico shippers, including a dedicated 24-hour cross-border resource center, enhanced web tools to increase flexibility and ease of shipping to and from Mexico, and other improvements.
The new Laredo service center is also a Lean pilot site for Con-way Freight. Under this initiative, Laredo employees are undergoing training and adoption of Lean processes and practices. Lean emphasizes respect for employees, and empowering front-line workers to use continuous improvement tools and methods to eliminate waste, and drive efficiencies and superior service performance into all aspects of the business.
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About Con-way Freight
Con-way Freight is the industry's leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and transcontinental service with exception-free delivery, on-time service performance and faster transit times through a single, unified network of 425 service centers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Con-way Freight offers LTL freight transportation across North America and through Global LTLTM delivery in the United States from around the world. Global solutions include international less-than-container load (LCL) ocean shipments from Asia through its OceanGuaranteed® service; direct service to more than 30 Bahamian and Caribbean ports through TropicalDirectSM; and domestic offshore transportation to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Con-way Freight is a certified FAST highway carrier and is C-TPAT/PIP-, ACE- and CSA-certified.
Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a $5.6 billion diversified freight transportation and logistics services company. For more information, visit www.con-way.com/en/freight.