U.S.-based Crowley Maritime Corporation plans to merge its liner services group into Crowley Logistics on January 1, 2019.
Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO, explained that the restructuring move was essential for the company’s ability to compete more effectively “ while providing clarity to our customers and business partners that we are a fully integrated logistics organization with a focus on our customers’ supply chains.”
“We have been moving in this direction for a while, and with the pending retirement of John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager of Puerto Rico services, at the end of this year, this is an opportunity to restructure,” said Crowley.
The Crowley Logistics business unit, to be led by Steve Collar, senior vice president and general manager, is designed as a one-stop shop where customers can receive end-to-end services. These will include ocean, land and air transportation; commercial transportation management; supply chain and distribution services; freight forwarding and warehousing; and cargo risk and customs compliance.
Collar will have responsibility for all aspects of the Logistics organization – now a USD 1 billion-a-year enterprise – including commercial, operations, offshore and financial.
“The integration of the liner services and logistics organizations into a singular, highly focused resource for our customers will allow us to take a holistic approach to maximizing the efficiency of their supply chains,” said Collar.
Integrating liner services into logistics was planned as part of a corporate restructuring announced earlier this year that yielded four business units: Crowley Fuels, Crowley Solutions, Crowley Shipping and Crowley Logistics.