Milwaukee-based Logistics Management, Inc. has teamed with ICAT Logistics, Inc., a leading provider of worldwide transportation logistics and expedited freight services, and will represent ICAT’s operations in Wisconsin.
Logistics Management officially joined ICAT Logistics on May 1, 2007 and will provide transportation logistics, asset management and freight services under the ICAT corporate name.
“ICAT Logistics is a well-respected, dynamic and growing logistics company with experienced staff and innovative technologies that will streamline our business,” said Jim Weatherly, president and CEO of Logistics Management. “We are thrilled to be a part of this dynamic team and are looking forward to expanding our customer relationships by offering the quality services that are the hallmark of ICAT.”
The partnership will enable Logistics Management to add to its already full menu of specialized expedited freight delivery services including charters, same day and overnight delivery and heavy weight shipments.
“We come in where the FedEx’s of the world leave off,” said Weatherly. “We are specialists and can handle custom requests including oversized, heavy weight and special deliveries.”
Another key benefit of the union between the two companies is the continued development by Logistics Management and ICAT of an end-to-end Web-based technology solution allowing customers to better manage their outsourced assets.
The technology enables customers to go online and oversee the status of their outsourced inventory, which is managed by ICAT. Utilizing the Web, a customer can reserve, schedule and request shipment of assets directly from their desktop computer. ICAT sees the customer job request online, processes the order and the proprietary software automatically chooses inventory from the nearest warehouse location.
By providing the customer better utilization and optimization of their resources through an online management solution, ICAT can help customers significantly reduce inventory transportation time and shipping costs.
“In a sense, we are managing virtual inventory for our customers,” Weatherly said. “They see their inventory and availability online. We see where those assets are located on a local, regional or national basis and ship them to the requested destination.”
Logistics Management developed the online management tool in response to an existing client’s need to better manage training inventory assets and control the cost to ship them on a time-definite schedule to training classes around the country. Employee coordinators and instructors within the company were doing their own scheduling and asset tracking. The online, customer-driven solution is helping the company save on inventory storage and transportation costs and allows employees to focus on their core business.
“The goal is to take ICAT’s value-add services and make our customer more profitable through better asset management,” Weatherly said. “The bottom line result is that we can offer critical services and tracking data, such as, shipping and inventory location status, provide metrics that measure and review inventory requests and analyze inventory usage to help customers better manage their assets.”
“Our Web-based logistics management tool saves the customer money and gives them a solid return on their investment,” Weatherly added.
Weatherly has been providing specialized expedited freight delivery for over 27 years. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, he began his career in transportation logistics in 1980, holding management positions at ABF Freight Systems, Expedited Freight Systems and Associated Global Systems.
In 1989, Weatherly founded Logistics Management as a franchisee of Associated Global Systems. Weatherly and the Logistics management team of Rick Luther and Marc Collins have combined over 65 years of experience in transportation logistics including ocean, air and truck, both domestically and internationally.
“I have the good fortune of working with exceptional people within our company, who are committed to taking us forward and building on our solid foundation,” Weatherly said. “We’ve always been value-oriented and our customers should expect a continuation of this philosophy as we take a fresh approach with the organization.”
Inc. Magazine has ranked ICAT, founded in 1993 and headquartered in
In addition, Baltimore SmartCEO Magazine recently selected ICAT Logistics, Inc. as one of its “Future 50” companies for the third consecutive year. ICAT was one of only nine companies in the region to receive this “Triple Crown” distinction. And Ernst & Young has named ICAT Founder, President and CEO Rick Campbell “Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Award in the Services category in
“ICAT is one of the rising stars in the non-asset-based logistics business,” Weatherly said. “They are growing rapidly and have really been able to identify how to reach critical logistics markets such as trade shows, asset management, super-hot expedited freight and charter delivery.”
Non-asset based carriers like ICAT and Logistics Management are the current buzz in the transportation industry because they can offer customized solutions for delivering freight with the best mode of transportation service on a custom level.
“We can look at the customer’s individual, custom needs, and pick the best way to move their freight,” Weatherly points out. “Asset-based carriers such as FedEx and UPS are locked into their flight and truck schedules. ICAT uses all resources that can best suit the customer’s needs.”
“Flexibility is the key. We are in a niche where we can really focus on the customer’s immediate needs and offer customized solutions to meet those needs. Rick and ICAT have truly put the emphasis on customized solutions and customer service,” Weatherly said.
Weatherly views asset management as an opportunity to initiate strategic alliances with customers to become an integral part of their business and help make them become more profitable. In addition, Logistics Management will be able to leverage the relationships ICAT’s
About ICAT:
Founded in 1992, ICAT Logistics is a leading specialty provider of worldwide transport logistics and expedited freight services. Based in
