Transportation and logistics is a high-stakes industry—even more so where intermodal shipping is involved.
That is why those in need of an asset-based industry expert with a backbone of steel have learned to trust Pro-Formance Intermodal, Inc. for cool, calm, and collected leadership that gets the job done to exacting standards.
Coupled with delivering the best customer service at competitive rates from numerous footprints in Alberta and beyond, the company’s winning formula has secured its beginnings and set it up for new and long-term success.
Bringing calm to chaos
For many in the scientific world, the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil may cause a tornado in Texas is just another entertaining suggestion from ‘chaos theory’. However, in intermodal transportation, the Butterfly Effect is a daily reality, albeit related more to political and economic events and natural disasters. That is because when there are labour issues anywhere—a threat of strike action in the Philippines, for example—logistics networks across the globe can be impacted substantively.
Therefore, for global players moving goods across borders, having a logistics team onboard with everything it takes to keep freight moving despite a perceptible intrusion of chaos is crucial to longevity, profitability, and the prospects of customers awaiting their freight further along the distribution chain. “When we say we’re outperforming our competitors, we are actually not joking,” says the Chief Financial Officer of Pro-Formance Intermodal.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Pro-Formance Intermodal has all those capabilities and many more, including the expertise to move firearms, liquor, and everything in between. The team is fully equipped to move most types of freight through any number of countries. To this end, of course, the company holds the necessary certifications, including that of Alberta Games Liquor Cannabis (AGLC). And its facility footprint is as generous as its list of capabilities.
With terminals complete with storage yards in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, other storage yards are located in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, and Vancouver. Its office in the United States is in Chicago. All its facility locations make strategic sense in easing the logistics process for customers as far afield as possible. The Glenmore Trail facility covers nearly 40 acres with easy access to CP and CN railways.
With a warehouse footprint of well over 40,000 square feet, the company’s well-stocked fleet includes heavy-duty equipment like cranes and a sophisticated workflow design. Alongside this Calgary facility, its 35-acre Edmonton location in the Winterburn Industrial area features a warehouse of around 130,000 square feet. As well as quick access to the two chief rail providers, main arteries like Anthony Henday Drive and Highway 16A are nearby.
Finding the answer
At Pro-Formance Intermodal, finding solutions is second nature. For this highly creative team, there’s always a solution—it just needs to be identified. Both its diverse staff and its range of divisions add to the company’s agility and creativity, and customizing offers and giving clients choices whenever possible is a key offering of every one of the Pro-Formance divisions.
“Innovation is huge here; we never say no. Economic times don’t decide where our equipment goes—we do,” says the General Manager. “If there are shortages of equipment or if there are restrictions, those do not apply to us,” he adds. Pragmatic determination leads the way, and that’s why customers flock here.
Signing up for its services is a straightforward but precise and thorough process. Onsite, offsite, and online meetings enable the team to ascertain exactly what a client needs and strategize the logistics arrangements before instituting the procedures of client approval, account setup, and finalizing documentation.
In addition, PortPro, a new TMS—Transportation Management Software system—is revolutionizing how the firm handles the logistics of drayage, or shipping containers by road between storage and ports and final destinations. This software system is further supported by another two systems, Blackberry for equipment tracking and Motive for truck tracking.
A team approach
Pro-Formance’s close-knit team of nearly 400 supports the company in running like a well-oiled machine. “I like my team because they’re family. We treat everyone equally,” the CFO says of the company’s open-door policy and the need to build a personal connection amongst team members. This sense of family has become a part of Pro-Formance’s legacy.
Indeed, the company’s history is one of tenacity and gumption. The owners have led the company to where it is today alongside their sterling team. Today, the company’s commitment to continuous evolution is perhaps most evident in the size of its modern fleet, which numbers around 400 intermodal containers, over 300 trailers, and more than 700 transportation truck chassis plus over 200 tractor trucks, the acquisition of which was no mean feat.
Whatever the cargo and its shipping requirements, this team ensures that goods arrive as they should—in top condition. The impressive list of services even includes the company’s own driving school where students are educated in basic supply chain knowledge, road and equipment safety, and optimal driving skills and best practices, with the use of a 3D simulator.
Beyond offering third-party logistics brokerage, over-the-road transportation across North America is complemented by intermodal transportation. This can be combined with rail transportation, global freight forwarding, and drayage. Pro-Formance also supplies a host of state-of-the-art warehousing services and pre-trip inspections on refrigerated trucks (reefers) carrying perishables.
The company is also well-versed in NAFTA shipping. Working within the parameters of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been in effect since 1992, it navigates the special trade conditions that exist between the United States, Canada, and Mexico on door-to-door shipments, easing the process for customers.
At home in the world
With its extensive experience in moving cargo across the world, dealing with the complexities that arise when goods pass customs at border control is just one more reason customers prefer having a Pro-Formance agent on their side rather than trying to handle such matters themselves.
A Canada Customs bonded facility alongside certified bonded container yards rounds out Pro-Formance’s service offering. These facilities provide container storage, sales, and leasing in 10, 20, and 40-foot containers. These are aimed at providing great value, with the company ensuring that the price and quality of these tightly sealed units are competitive, with clear and straightforward upfront agreements for temporary storage and reasonable ownership options as an alternative.
Finally, customers also benefit from container surveys certified by the Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL) as well as daily activity and inventory reports from Pro-Formance’s 24-hour camera-guarded facilities.
To ensure that it delivers the best service possible, Pro-Formance is well connected internationally, with relationships that reach beyond those it builds with customers. The company maintains professional ties with prestigious associations like the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA); National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA); Port of Vancouver; Partners in Protection (PIP), and others.
The company is also active in meeting a constant stream of potential customers and team members. One way in which it achieves this is by attending events like the recent Big Rig Truck Expo and Recruiting Fair that took place in June at the McMahon Stadium in Calgary. The team is also deeply committed to giving back to its local communities.
A clear vision
After 15 years of outperforming its competitors, the company’s team has honed its craft to a fine art. The outcome is an integrated staff with a clear sixth sense of how their colleagues think and feel, leading to swift, precise problem-solving within this sphere of high-pressure transportation. Add to that management’s commitment to delivering real-time excellence and it quickly becomes clear how this logistics leader has come so far in a single decade.
Now at the threshold of its sixteenth year, Pro-Formance Intermodal anticipates continued evolution and growth. Staying the course and pursuing its vision, this company has made a significant mark on the economic landscape both in Canada and further afield. We look forward to following its upward trajectory over the years to come.
