Press Releases
03/17/2003
Dependable Auto Shippers (DAS) Signs Horizon Services Group to Long-Term Technology Outsourcing Agreement
Long-term agreement, including AUTOcaptain™ implementation, marks largest deal in Horizon Services’ two-year history
DALLAS, March 17, 2003 – Dependable Auto Shippers (DAS), one of the world’s largest providers of private vehicle relocation services, has signed with Horizon Services Group, a leading provider of intermodal logistics technology, to provide a complete outsourced IT services solution. Under the long-term agreement, Horizon Services will develop in-house systems for DAS and guide DAS’s corporate IT strategy and development plans.
The first phase of those plans includes implementation of Horizon’s AUTOcaptain™ solution for managing DAS global delivery of vehicles. AUTOcaptain will provide DAS detailed shipment tracking and management capabilities for all automobile shipments. The system automatically collects data on each individual auto shipped for event management, including received, load, stage (targeting a vessel), in route, projected arrival at port, actual arrival at port, devan, deliver (to next carrier) and final delivery. AUTOcaptain facilitates barcode scanning/tracking and EDI for data collection automation. The application also produces shipping documentation such as port directions/instructions, delivery receipts and staging receipts.
Tom Ferraro, DAS Chief Information Officer, expects to implement AUTOcaptain across 80 percent of DAS’s vehicle processing network. As the leader in privately owned vehicle (POV) relocation, DAS has been offering affordable transport services throughout America and abroad since 1954. The company maintains the largest fleet of POV auto carriers in the United States with five U.S. locations, 25 global locations and fleet-wide satellite-tracking capabilities.
Speaking about the Horizon agreement, Mr. Ferraro said: “We are committed to taking DAS to the next level of technology to produce efficiencies and value-added services to our customer base.”
John Roehll, DAS executive vice president, said: “Since we partnered with HSG and cultivated the relationship with www.ShipMyVehicle.com, the synergies between the two companies has grown rapidly to the point where we are working together on a multi-tiered level.”
ShipMyVehicle.com was launched by Horizon Services and DAS in 2002 to offer global POV relocation services to car-owners across the United States. The web site has grown consistently since the launch and now handles hundreds of consumer-made bookings each week. This new agreement builds on the success of ShipMyVehicle.com.
“We are very excited to be working with DAS in such a close relationship,” said Duncan Wright, strategic sales and development at Horizon Services.
“Our company is entering a promising new era in our history this year and we look forward to sharing with DAS the drive and technology that makes Horizon Services successful.”
The DAS agreement validates Horizon Services’ business approach and marks a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing development. Beginning this year, Horizon Services will operate as the logistics technology subsidiary of Horizon Lines, formerly CSX Lines, providing total IT support for the ocean carrier and IT solutions to the intermodal logistics market at large.
About Horizon Services
Horizon Services Group was formed in 2001 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Horizon Lines, the largest ocean carrier in the U.S. noncontiguous domestic trade. Horizon Services is based in Dallas. Its mission is to assist logistics companies in applying creative information technology solutions for improving customer service while reducing the cost of doing business. Horizon recently entered into a partnership with Microsoft Corp. to design next-generation software for logistics management using Microsoft’s new .NET XML-based development technology.
