kdl

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PREFERRED VENDOR
Formerly Continental Traffic Service, Inc., CTSI-Global is an international corporation
that provides supply chain management solutions for all aspects of the supply chain.
Its core services include transportation management, freight audit and payment,
business intelligence, and global consulting. The company processes over three
million transactions, daily, and over $9 billion in freight, annually.www.ctsi-global.com
KDL AT A GLANCE
• A third party logistics
provider that offers its
clients transportation
services and logistics
solutions
• Headquarters in
Carnegie, Pennsylvania
• For general information,
email
•
“We began as a division under an asset-based carrier,” says
Ian Tsai, KDL’s Executive Vice President. “When I use the
term ‘asset,’ I mean tractors, trailers, and drivers. Our division
would procure rates from the asset-heavy companies, con-
nect it to our rate shopping technology, and present it in the
most cost effective manner for shippers.”
According to Tsai, KDL’s mission from the past to now is still
the same – consulting, managing logistics, and supplying its
customers with the best shipping solutions available although
the landscape of the industry has changed profoundly with
the coming of the computer age.
“Back then, if I was a traffic manager, I probably did not
know all the carriers out there,” Tsai says. “A lot of the infor-
mation was word-of-mouth, trade magazines, long-term
relationships. Or you’d see a truck on the road and you’d
call them to understand exactly what they do. But infor-
mation technology has made it so simple for people today
to Google search everything you need to know about a
company.”
One company characteristic that keeps KDL ahead of
the curve is its state-of-the-art technology platform.
“Our competition is becoming more intense and the
barrier to entry has lowered every year,” Tsai explains.
“Because technology is becoming the norm, every buyer
and every competitor is becoming smarter because of
market research. Therefore, the way we differentiate is
through leading edge
technology that can help support shippers; it’s user
friendly, predictable, and something that can be self-
coached. Think of us like an Expedia or a Priceline. We
are a technology platform that procures on shippers’
behalf and shows those rates in a single platform.”
While KDL’s services are offered nationwide, currently its
customer base is predominantly located in the mid-At-
lantic, the northeast, and the southeast.
“Our typical customer is somebody that is classified as an
SMB – a small to midsized business – somebody that does
greater than $30 million on the top line up to $500 mil-
lion,” Tsai says. “That’s our sweet spot. We do have clients
that are much larger and those that are much smaller.
Our client base is concentrated in diverse manufacturing
and distribution markets ranging from industrial, retail,