AMI attributes volume jump to rate cuts

AMI attributes volume jump to rate cuts AMI Express said Tuesday it has seen a dramatic increase in heavyweight shipments from the United Kingdom to the Americas, following a total overhaul of its rate structures in March 2008.
   The company, the express division of the trade-only air freight wholesaler AMI, also said import shipments are up significantly on 2007.
   Export traffic for South American destinations grew 65 percent in 2008, by 40 percent to U.S. destinations, and 19 percent to Canada.
   'The heavyweight boom follows strategic rate reductions of up to 42 percent on rates for shipments over 10 kilos to Central and South America, with rate cuts of up to 30 percent for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. AMI Express' customer profile has also shifted, with a greater proportion of business from freight forwarders rather than courier companies.'
   'In addition to the convenience factor, for shipments which are still at the lower end of the hard freight market and well below airline minimums, our flat rate tariff can represent substantial savings in overall cost,' general manager Patrick Walsh said in a statement.
   The company said it is now rolling out similar rate reductions to China, India, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and is predicting further substantial growth in 2009.
   AMI Express said its import business, built around FedEx services, saw a 40 percent increase in 2008.
   'We are not the cheapest, but we offer a very high quality product supported by the sophisticated track-and-trace facilities you would expect from a major integrator,' Walsh said. 'Customers like having the option of collecting from us after clearance, or using us to deliver direct to the consignee.'
   The company said it would continue to focus on heavy shipments.
   'The growth potential is in heavyweights and imports, and that's where we will place most emphasis this year,' Walsh said.