President's ColumnWe begin 2006 with tremendous momentum. The Roadway network is gaining speed, efficiency and reliability. Our velocity plan, which is aimed at boosting our real speed in the marketplace, will continue to generate faster service and better reliability.
Customer-inspired innovation has been raised to a new high with the granting of a full patent for Roadway Sealed Divider™ Service. Available only from Roadway, this innovative service provides complete protection and verifiable security for customers' goods during transit.
The granting of a patent for Sealed Divider Service is a gratifying acknowledgement of our innovation. More gratifying is the fact Sealed Divider Service meets a specific and growing need of customers in a wide range of industries—from pharmaceuticals to furniture to electronics.
Sealed Divider Service is ideal for products that are difficult or expensive to package for shipping, are of high value, or need verifiable security throughout transit. Our patented solution for shipment protection and security evolved out of our efforts to truly know and understand our customers, their businesses, and their customers.
Customers are also telling us they have a specific and growing need for special project management. Unique distributions, new store openings, product returns, and specialized pickups and deliveries require extreme customization. We have a special team—the Roadway Customs Solutions team—to help customers in complex transportation situations. Our capabilities include:
Roadway Sealed Divider Service and Roadway Custom Solutions are just two of the ways we are personalizing service to meet specific customer needs.
As we realign our network resources in the coming months, you can expect even more options and better solutions from your local Customer Care Team. The changes to our transportation network will be significant and will address customer expectations for faster service. The changes will allow us to provide coast-to-coast transportation in 4 days. Transportation from the middle of the country to the coasts will be 3 days or less, and in many markets distances of 1000 miles or less will be handled in 2 days or less.
More timely transportation to and from Canada will link our customers with the exceptional services provided by Reimer Express Lines Ltd. Our seamless system will give customers reliable access to some of the best ground services in Canada, including Fast as Flite, the expedited and guaranteed service offered by Reimer. The changes will also move our network service performance to a predictable 95% or better on the new standards. Users of our premium time-based services will also enjoy new capabilities.
Our customers tell us they trust us to get their shipments right. We also know we have to earn their trust every day. This is the year our team will redefine the value we bring to the marketplace.
Mike Smid
