North America Region: 50th Anniversary of a. hartrodt USA
In future, truck transport will complement customs services in addition to sea and air freight operations.
More than half a century ago, a. hartrodt established one of its first overseas companies in the United States. Mike Schaefer, Regional Director USA/Canada at a. hartrodt, recalls those early days this week at the North American headquarters in New York. He describes the company’s 50-year history as a journey that “at times crossing turbulent seas, with many situations that require a steady hand at the wheel.” He moved to the U.S. 25 years ago to work for the family-owned company, where he now leads a team of approximately 50 employees also in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta. In addition, there are twelve employees in Toronto following the acquisition of the Canadian agent Cargo Alliance in 2009.
Customs expertise is currently in high demand
According to Mike Schaefer, a. hartrodt has a similar customer base in both countries, “with global key accounts.” In addition to sea and air freight services, there is strong demand for customs expertise in North America. Since the acquisition of Charles Happel in 1996, the freight forwarder has operated as a licensed customs broker in the U.S. “Customs clearance and consulting services are also used by U.S. importers who do not necessarily handle their freight through us,” says Mike Schaefer.
Weekly consolidation services for sea and air freight
In addition to its traditionally strong transatlantic trade, a. hartrodt USA has established business relationships with South America, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and China. Sören Thode, President/CEO of a. hartrodt USA, highlights the company’s own consolidation services: “For sea freight imports from Germany, we have weekly LCL departures from Bremerhaven to New York.” Shipments are delivered “to every corner of the U.S.” For air freight exports, shipments fly via Miami to Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador every week. Currently, consolidation services are being expanded, and domestic as well as cross-border trucking to Canada and Mexico will be established.
Sören Thode plans to hire new sales staff this year and next. In the future, he also aims to increase trans-Pacific trade volume. In Canada, Mike Schaefer’s next step will be to open another office on the west coast in Vancouver by the end of 2027.