As a business, you always want to find the right balance between organic growth through new customers and growth through mergers and acquisitions. At HTL Freight, we have seen significant growth in both of these areas. We have seen great organic growth by continuously offering a quality service and communicating the benefits to new and existing customers. We have also seen plenty of growth throughout 2022 from acquisitions. Earlier this year, we announced our acquisition and integration with Matchmaker Logistics. Then, just two weeks ago, we announced our acquisition of ATTS Logistics, a 3PL company based in the suburbs of Chicago. There were countless factors that went into choosing ATTS Logistics and many benefits that they were able to bring the HTL team.
Expanding Services
This acquisition and integration with ATTS Logistics greatly expands our company’s offerings into less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, a $40-billion-plus market annually. As we move forward, we will be assessing the current state of the LTL program to identify any opportunities for improvement. Then we will partner with our shippers and LTL carrier partners to create a win-win-win opportunity for all parties involved. It is our goal to provide the best possible services for our existing and future customers.
With this acquisition, our footprint further expands across North America, allowing us to offer additional freight solutions to shippers. In addition, the strong network of carriers will benefit from increased asset utilization due to the expanded types of loads accepted. This results in more wins for everyone that we are invovled in.
Growing the Team
One of our requirements when looking for a 3PL to acquire was a strong team that could join HTL and fit in nicely with the organization. Finding a group of people that meshed with our current culture took some extra time but was absolutely worth it in the end.
At HTL Freight, we use our core values as a north-star in making decisions here at HTL freight. Those core values are integrity, collaboration, execution, drive, trust, excellence, and achievement. We were excited to see that the owners of ATTS shared similar values which then translated to all the employees being brought on. The team members that joined us are just as obsessed about serving the carriers and customers as we are at HTL Freight so it’s been an easier transition. Post the transition, we aspire to keep with the values and proceed in making further headways in the shipping and logistics industry.
New Markets and New Opportunities
Expanding into the mid-west, and more specifically, the Chicago area was a huge factor in choosing ATTS Logistics. Chicago is one of the major shipping and logistics hubs in the US so having a location and gaining access to partners in the area has provided many benefits. With these new partnerships, we will be able to provide better services to our existing customers as well as bring on new ones.
This entire acquisition process has been about growth and opportunity. For HTL Freight, ATTS Logistics, and all of our partners, we wanted to provide the opportunity to present a better service, to improve the supply chain, and to produce the best results possible. HTL Freight will continue to grow and we will continue to expand our offerings as well as our team. We will continue to make the supply chain better by being responsive, responsible, and reliable and we look forward to the journey.
