As the domestic market flattens, AIT Worldwide Logistics sees its future growth as an international provider of logistics solutions.
Written and produced by James Buchanan & Michael Magno
With volatility in oil prices, a changing regulatory world designed to address national security concerns, and a flattening domestic market, freight forwarding companies such as AIT Worldwide Logistics are developing new strategies to gain a competitive edge.
Those strategies the Chicago-based company are exploring include enhanced services, customized products that reflect the customer’s needs, and the strategic use of existent technologies.
“For us, once we get through the rocky road of it we should do very well,” says Vaughn Moore, VP of Sales for AIT, “because it’s the companies that are financially stable that are going to be able to weather the storm very well.”
AIT at a Glance…
Founded in 1979 as a one-office startup, AIT Worldwide Logistics has grown to include 35 locations nationally in order to bring the products they ship the last mile to its customers and its customer’s clients. As such, AIT is an international logistics provider for industrial manufacturers, perishables, consumer electronics and more. They coordinate with air, sea, and land transport carriers for all kinds of freight to act as the customer’s agent and logistics provider.
According to cofounder Dan Lisowski, they are a non-assets based transportation logistics company. That means they don’t own the infrastructure used to transport their customer’s freight, and they don’t own much of the equipment that handles that freight, but they will carry freight for what could be described as the first mile and the last mile. Being a non-asset based logistics provider, explains Lisowski, they act to coordinate the shipping of their customer’s freight through recognized carriers such as United Airlines.
“What we do,” says Lisowski, “is focus on the best transportation partner to provide the service from point A to point B rather than getting stuck with one mode of transportation, instead of having our own equipment handling those transport lanes.”
Vibrant
What the above means, says Moore, is that AIT is able to be a very dynamic transport company with the flexibility to choose the best mode and carrier for their customer. They are not charged with trying to fill space on their own trucks, planes and rail cars, but can assess each customer’s needs and develop flexible arrangements to help meet their cost and logistical needs.
For the company’s partners, says Moore, “They are able to do a focus sell on their own behalf, which means they only have to call on us to tap into our network to increase the volume of materials going through their system...”
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