Expeditors International Of Washington Inc 's

The global logistics services industry is intensely competitive and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. There are a large number of companies competing in one or more segments of the industry, but the number of firms with a global network that offer a full complement of logistics services is more limited. Many of these competitors have significantly more resources than the Company. Depending on the location of the shipper and the importer, the Company must compete against both the niche players and larger entities. The industry continues to experience consolidations into larger firms striving for stronger and more complete multinational and multi-service networks. However, regional and local competitors still maintain a strong market presence in certain areas.

The primary competitive factors in the global logistics services industry continue to be price and quality of service, including reliability, responsiveness, expertise, convenience, and scope of operations. The Company emphasizes quality customer service and believes that its prices are competitive with the prices of others in the industry. Larger customers utilize the services of multiple logistics providers and implement more sophisticated and efficient procedures for the management of their logistics supply chains by embracing strategies such as just-in-time inventory management. Accordingly, timely and accurate information integrated into customer service capabilities are a significant factor in attracting and retaining customers. This information integrated into customer service capabilities includes customized Electronic Data Interchange (“EDI”), on-line freight tracing and tracking applications and customized reporting. Customized EDI applications allow the transfer of key information between customers’, service providers and the Company’s systems. Freight tracing and tracking applications provide customers with near real time visibility to the location, transit time and estimated delivery time of inventory in transit.
Management believes that the ability to develop and deliver innovative solutions to meet customers’ increasingly sophisticated information requirements is a critical factor in the ongoing success of the Company. The Company devotes a significant amount of resources towards the maintenance and enhancement of systems that currently meet these customer demands. Management believes that the Company’s existing systems are competitive with the systems currently in use by other logistics services companies with which it competes.

Unlike many of its competitors, who have tended to grow by merger and acquisition, the Company operates the same transportation and accounting computer software, running on a common hardware platform, in all of its full-service locations. Small and middle-tier competitors, in general, do not have the resources available to develop these customized systems. Historically, growth through aggressive acquisition has proven to be a challenge for many of the Company’s competitors and typically involves the purchase of significant “goodwill.” As a result, the Company has pursued a strategy emphasizing organic growth supplemented by certain strategic acquisitions.

The Company’s ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified personnel with experience in global logistics services is an essential, if not the most important, element of its ability to compete in the industry. To this end, the Company has adopted incentive compensation programs which make percentages of an operating units net revenues or profits available to managers for distribution among key personnel. The Company believes that these incentive compensation programs, combined with its experienced personnel and its ability to coordinate global marketing efforts, provide it with a distinct competitive advantage.