The newly-named company, now based in Los Angeles, has been managed by well-known industry figure Peter Burn since he joined AMI in early 2008, taking over from former UAC President Peter Whitfield.
2008 has already seen a 20% jump in export business for the AMI UAC operation, which has bases in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Apart from the USA's improved competitiveness due to exchange rates, which fuelled a 6% growth in the overall market in the first half of 2008, a major factor in the company's success has been the launch of its new global tariff based closely on the AMI UK tariff model, originally conceived in 1980.
Says AMI's VP Americas Peter Burn: 'The new-style tariff has been an excellent tool to improve awareness of our wholesale products, it contains many more destinations and service types than UAC has traditionally sold, and it's very user-friendly. Our biggest problem so far has been establishing the relatively unfamiliar AMI brand; but the market has now realized that AMI is just a bigger version of UAC, with better global resources and buying power.
'Our main markets are the UK, Europe, South Pacific, Asia and South Africa ' significantly these are all regions where there are AMI-owned operations, so we can provide total end-to-end control of shipments. But we are working hard to build business on other routes, where we can rely on our network of excellent and well-established service partners at destination, such as Africa and the Middle East.'
AMI is expansion-minded, with two more international acquisitions currently in negotiation, and the USA is also likely to see more branches and sales agents in the coming year. The goal is to increase acceptance of the trade-only wholesale concept throughout the USA, and to achieve a larger share of the total airfreight market.
Concludes Burn: 'Some may be sorry to see the passing of the UAC name that has been around for over 20 years, but the adoption of the AMI name says the USA operations are now part of something much bigger. That spells nothing but good news for the USA market: more destinations, more services, enhanced customer service and easier access. AMI changed the face of airfreight in the UK by enabling small and medium agents to compete on level terms with the big boys. It will do the same here.'
AMI is the world's largest trade-only airfreight wholesaler, with 13 owned bases in the USA, UK, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
