Brandon Fried, chief operating officer of Adcom Express, blasted United when he heard the news on Wednesday. If United had invested the kind of money they did in Integres in improving their cargo service, they probably wouldn't have the need to go out and start an entity like Integres. When they join forces and mask this as a freight forwarder, it's not a way to treat customers, small, large or otherwise. Hartigan said the Integres plan received favorable responses from small and medium-sized shippers that participated in focus groups prior to the venture's launch. He declined to identify any of the shippers.
More options enable shippers to do a better job of meeting their companies' business objectives.
Therefore, we anticipate that our membership will evaluate this new partnership to determine if it offers service and cost benefits for their operations. Phillips said the long-term effects of the new partnership will depend on its ability to execute the services it offers, adding that the same can be said of new services being offered by companies such as United Parcel Service and FedEx. Marianne Daidone, general manager of cargo at United, said her company sees Integres as a virtual integrator. Their target mark is smaller customers. Dave Brooks, president of American's cargo division, said he sees Integres as a vehicle for attracting traffic placed by small and medium-sized shippers with the integrators.