Press Releases
12/18/2002
CSX Lines Acquisition Includes Sale of Leading Logistics Technology Group
Dallas, Dec. 18, 2002 - Horizon Services Group, the industry-leading developer of logistics management technology for ocean shipping, will remain a wholly-owned subsidiary of Horizon Lines, LLC, as part of the agreement announced this week by The Carlyle Group to acquire CSX Lines, LLC, from CSX Corp. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2003.
"Our place in the new Horizon Lines validates the value we deliver year-in and year-out," said Rick Kessler, chief operating officer of Horizon Services Group. "The ingenuity of the Horizon Services team is proof that IT can improve customer service and bring about real operating efficiency in the ocean shipping industry. We are very excited for the opportunity to be part of an organization that is committed to growing our potential."
Horizon Services Group was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSX Lines in 2001. Horizon Services manages all CSX Lines' systems, from back-office operations to customer relationship management applications. In 2002, the company has expanded sales of its IT applications for managing the complex processes associated with ocean shipping and intermodal logistics.
Horizon Services offers IT solutions in three areas - the CaptainSuite™, including solutions for managing intermodal logistics and trade processes; NetCaptain®, Horizon’s web-based booking and tracking applications for ocean shippers and intermediaries; and the Horizon Global Ocean Management System™, designed for ocean carriers to manage all back-office operations.
CSX Lines has been using Horizon Services applications with remarkable success. Operating statistics gathered form a survey of Horizon’s users shows that more than half of all Fortune 100 non-financial companies are registered users of Horizon applications and 70% of all CSX Lines bookings are now received electronically, leading the ocean shipping industry.
Horizon recently pioneered an industry-first with implementation of “zero-second” bookings for CSX Lines’ shippers. Auto-Book, part of the NetCaptain® suite, allows users to set an online schedule for automatically submitting bookings. Shippers receive automatic confirmations with booking numbers and a summary of containers booked. They can make changes to their bookings anytime prior to containers being received, at the terminal or customer location.
While other online ocean shipping applications and service providers have stumbled, Horizon has driven innovation into CSX Lines operations by introducing intuitive, user-friendly web-based applications to a wide base of users - from the largest to the smallest shipping and logistics companies.
For more information, please visit http://www.horizonservicesgroup.com.
About Horizon Services Group
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, Texas. Its mission is to assist logistics companies in applying creative information technology solutions for improving customer service while reducing the cost of doing business. The company offers the CaptainSuite™ for logistics management, NetCaptain® for web-based ocean shipping management, and the Horizon Global Ocean Management System™ for managing ocean carrier operations. Horizon Services 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.
About CSX Lines
CSX Lines, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of CSX Corporation, is based in Charlotte, N.C., with 20 offices throughout the United States. CSX Lines provides domestic ocean-liner service and operates 17 U.S. flag vessels with 23,000 containers along six service routes between the continental United States and Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. CSX Lines also operates port terminals in Anchorage, Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, Alaska; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Apra, Guam.
