APL Achieves Another Year of Excellence

In the crowded world of ocean container carriers, what sets APL apart?

If our customers have anything to say about it – and this year, many of them did – a combination of many attributes make APL a valued partner.

APL and parent company NOL in 2006 have won no fewer than 12 major awards from customers, leading industry publications and others. Running through them are the themes of service excellence, innovation, thought leadership and the importance of a comprehensive offering that includes first-class information technology, knowledgeable customer-service and a comprehensive global network.

Consider service excellence. Owens Corning, a world leader in building materials systems and composite solutions, this year named APL a winner of its Transportation System Excellence Awards. John A. Gentle, global head of transportation affairs and processes at Owens Corning, had this to say:

“At Owens Corning, we’re all about service, and our carrier service partners make the on-time deliveries that keep us number one with our customers. APL was recognized for the ability of its team and leaders to effectively anticipate and adjust its processes to meet the needs of our company while overcoming daily challenges to service providers in a dynamic transportation industry.”

The award from Owens Corning followed APL’s receipt of Marine Digest and Cargo Business News magazine’s annual Customer Service Award, which APL won for the second straight year. Service also played prominently in APL’s receipt of JCPenney’s Supply Chain Award, which went jointly to APL and sister company APL Logistics. JCPenney recognized the two companies for their attentive customer service, data accuracy and ability to work closely together to provide seamless transportation and logistics solutions. In addition, APL won the Best Customer Service Award from Limited Brands and the Vice President’s Award for Service Excellence from Target Corp.

A passion for new horizons was reflected in APL’s sixth consecutive listing in InformationWeek magazine’s Top 100 Innovative Users of Technology. APL was the top container shipping line named. Among APL’s many IT enhancements this year has been web-based printing for bills of lading, which allows customers to access BLs on APL’s award-winning HomePort web portal and print them from any computer connected to the Internet. Customers can now also check HomePort to see how many free container days they have remaining, have demurrage calculated automatically, and then pay with a credit card or an electronic check.

APL’s comprehensive offerings were honored by readers of several major publications. APL was named shipping line of the year (Asia Logistics Awards, presented by a consortium of key shipping magazines) and trans-Pacific shipping line of the year (Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards, sponsored by Cargonews Asia). Together, the awards, which were based on the votes of the publications’ readers, reflected a range of criteria including schedule reliability, information technology, network size, customer service and value for money.

The drive for excellence at APL extends not only to innovative and dependable services, but to public affairs, as well. APL’s executives frequently speak out on issues of importance to transportation customers, carriers and the general public. Such thought leadership was reflected in two individual awards received this year by the company’s CEO, Ron Widdows.

Along with US Under Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey N. Shane, Mr. Widdows was honored by the University of Maryland for his work in elevating public awareness about the challenges facing the US transportation infrastructure. Those efforts also earned him the US National Defense Transportation Association’s National Transportation Award, the organization’s highest civilian honor.

“Winning awards is certainly gratifying,” says Mr. Widdows. “But our main focus is on providing value for our customers and helping them serve their own customers more effectively. Our emphasis will continue to be on providing excellent service – both in maintaining our schedules and in giving our customers our personal attention whenever they need it. That’s what our customers have told us they want, and that’s what we’re committed to provide.”

View APL Awards in 2006>>