Two affiliated services of CFI, CFI Logistics and CFI Mexico, are expanding into a new, dedicated facility in Laredo, building on 36 years of operations in Mexico providing expedited cross-border as well as in-country Mexico logistics and transportation services. The new office will serve as the sales, operations and administrative center for CFI Logistics services in and out of Mexico. The location is a shared facility with CFI Mexico, a service comprised of both CFI Logistica and CFI de Mexico, headquartered in the Guadalajara World Trade Center.
CFI Logistics is affiliated with U.S. truckload carrier CFI, an operating company of TFI International Inc., a North American leader in the transportation and logistics. CFI Mexico is a service of CFI.
CFI has 12 facilities in Mexico providing a wide range of in-country and cross-border logistics and freight transportation services. These include truckload and less-than-truckload services, truckload and intermodal freight brokerage, warehousing, inventory management, fulfillment and supply chain planning and engineering. A North American transportation solutions provider, these CFI affiliated services are also co-located in U.S and Canada with CFI’s truckload service centers and the company’s Joplin headquarters, noted Greg Orr, president of CFI.
“A majority of our customers have investments in business operations in the U.S. and Mexico, and they’re growing,” said Orr. “With our current and projected growth, and that of our customers seeking more services, it made sense to establish one convenient, central office for our principal U.S. and Mexico logistics management and operations teams to optimize communications, operations planning and customer service,” he explained. Today, CFI Mexico and CFI Logistics employ close to 200 associates.
Orr added that CFI Logistics has long-held relationships with truck lines in Mexico and the U.S, which are increasingly important as trucking capacity continues to tighten. “By establishing a more seamless and integrated operation we can do a better job of being flexible, agile and precise in responding to shipper needs, and in providing our carrier partners with consistent quality freight.”
He noted as well that while under the current pandemic, many employees work from home, the new, larger centralized office will accommodate anticipated workforce levels once restrictions are lifted and accommodate longer-term growth needs. “At the end of the day, products still move in and out of warehouses, orders need to be fulfilled, transportation arranged, and trucks loaded,” Orr said. “We still need to manage the process, and have workers on site, protected with proper PPE and following all safety protocols. Doing this as efficiently as possible and meeting customer service needs is the imperative, but employee safety and health comes first.”
CFI Logistics differentiates itself through access to the truckload assets of CFI, as well as complimentary services from other TFI International companies. The goal: end-to-end logistics solutions with CFI expertise to guide the journey and ensure consistent quality service, visibility, and reliability, said Orr.
The investment is also consistent with CFI’s long-term commitment to Mexico as a leading provider of cross-border service, Orr added. “At a time when some logistics providers are scaling back, and other truck lines are exiting Mexico, we are stepping up investment by building on our 36 years of experience to expand the quality and scope of transportation and logistics services we can provide shippers on both sides of the border.”
CFI contracts with more than 80 C-TPAT certified carriers. In 2020, CFI Mexico handled more than 90,000 cross-border shipments with Mexico with an additional 19,500 LTL shipments within Mexico, serving some of North America’s leading commercial, industrial, manufacturing and retail businesses.
