C.H. Robinson Ensures Efficient Shipping for Customers Worldwide

By Barbara Lewis, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Photo credit: (C) Sapsiwai/Dreamstime.com

Chances are excellent that when you found that perfect holiday gift at your favorite retail outlet this year, C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) helped get it there. CHRW is one of the world's largest third party logistics companies, working with truck, rail, ocean and air carriers to move merchandise and produce for more than 25,000 customers across the globe.

CHRW works with large Fortune 500 and Blue Chip companies as well as family-owned and start-up businesses, developing logistics plans and providing the people and processes to make those plans work. The company seeks the mode of transportation that offers the most efficiencies for its customers' needs, using CHRW's load matching systems to ensure the best carrier for every load. CHRW then works with the carriers to coordinate the shipments, which relieves customers of the burden and responsibility involved in ensuring that goods are shipped and received on schedule. They are one of the few third party logistics (3PL) providers that use all modes in arranging and managing single-source, door-to-door transportation solutions. CHRW works with approximately 40,000 carriers worldwide and maintains the single largest network of motor carrier capacity in North America.

With offices worldwide, CHRW has had a presence in the Bay Area for over forty years. The CHRW-San Francisco office at 5674 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 102, in Hacienda provides transportation services to companies with freight needs and focuses on truckload, less than truckload, intermodal and international shipments. Diane Lujan, CHRW-San Francisco manager, said, "We have the ability to ship from nearly any location throughout the world, utilizing multiple modes of transportation with a single point of contact, providing the most efficient and economical transportation solutions for our local and national customers. This allows our customers to focus on their core competencies, rather than on their transportation requirements."

In 1905, CHRW started out as a produce and general merchandise broker in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Today, C.H. Robinson is one of the world's largest non-asset based third party logistics companies in the world, with 2006 gross revenues of $6.6 billion. Their primary services are providing global transportation and logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and distribution, and information services to the transportation industry operating through a network of 217 offices in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. The company has approximately 7,000 employees worldwide.

CHRW is on Fortune magazine's list of America's Most Admired Companies and is listed on the 2004-2007 Fortune 500. It is publicly owned and traded on NASDAQ. Extensive information about CHRW is available at www.chrobinson.com.

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