AIT Worldwide Logistics opens up new L.A.-based West Coast headquarters

Itasca, Ill.-based global freight forwarder AIT Worldwide Logistics recently announced that it has opened up its new Los Angeles-based West Coast headquarters.

Company officials said that this new full-service facility, at which more than 100 AIT staffers will work, is comprised of various offerings for its shipper-customers, including: customs clearance, transloading, warehousing and special services for the food, high-tech and life sciences industries, among others. Staffers working at this facility were previously based in the company’s other Los Angeles-area properties, with this new facility serving shippers in various industries, including special services for food, high-tech and life sciences shipping.

The new two-story 106,000 square-foot facility is comprised of the following:

• 24/7 security—including round-the-clock video and in-person monitoring;
• 18 dock doors;
• a secure yard;
• pharmaceutical pre-conditioning capabilities,
• a cage for high-value freight;
• thousands of square feet of freezer and refrigerator space, the two-story;
• strategically located near the 405 and 110 freeways for quick access to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as Los Angeles International Airport;
• five electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot and electric forklifts, and energy efficient lighting throughout the building;
• bonded and approved by the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration as a certified cargo screening facility;
• compliant with the company’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism membership and certified to export defense cargo in accordance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations; and
• is also Transported Asset Protection Association and ISO 9001:2015 certified

“After months of strategic planning and coordinated teamwork, I’m excited to see our teams move in and make this beautiful new campus come to life,” said AIT’s President and CEO Vaughn Moore in a statement. “To me, this building is a showcase that reflects our continued growth as a company, and one that will go a long way towards enhancing the delivery of world-class service for our customers, both on the West Coast and around the world. Beyond the brick-and-mortar aspects of the facility, the greatest benefit for our customers is that it’s a single point of access to all of AIT’s transportation logistics services and expertise—from the company’s robust life sciences and high-tech verticals to customs clearance.”

As for what drove the need for AIT to open up this new location, a company spokesman told LM that AIT had one Los Angeles office for many years, but the company ended up with three locations after the acquisitions of WorldFresh Express in 2018 and Unitrans International Corporation in 2019. AIT has had an office serving customers in Los Angeles for decades prior to those acquisitions.   

“The primary goal was to unify all our L.A. teammates and services under one roof,” he said. “The new office provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for customers utilizing AIT’s full suite of end-to-end supply chain solutions from customs clearance to transloading to temperature-controlled warehousing,” he said. “The L.A. office is one of our busiest North American locations and they truly handle a broad variety of freight. That said, our food logistics, high-tech and life sciences verticals are among the more significant contributors to the overall success of this location.”

When asked what the most competitive advantages of this location are for AIT, the spokesman explained that the new office is conveniently located in a popular freight forwarding corridor colloquially known as Forwarder’s Row.

“Designed from the ground up, the facility features an open floor plan with ‘dog bone’ standing desks and a more logical layout—all to promote collaboration and efficiency among teammates,” he said. “It’s truly a single point of access that is especially helpful for customers with complex supply chain requirements. The L.A. office has customs clearance, truck brokerage, gateway, executive sales and corporate support staff on-site as well as teams of food logistics, high-tech and life sciences subject matter experts, among others.”