For immediate release: April 21, 2003

Akron, Ohio -FedEx Custom Critical, North America’s largest time-specific, critical-shipment carrier, has opened an ExpressCenter in El Paso, Texas, providing a faster pickup service for businesses in the area.

The ExpressCenter, a location where trucks are available for dispatch, offers five sizes of vehicles to meet customers’ expedited shipping needs: minivans, cargo vans, 12-foot and 20-foot straight trucks and tractor-trailers. 

For customers within a 25-mile radius of El Paso, the new ExpressCenter offers pickup in less than 90 minutes, and for those within a 26- to 50-mile radius, it offers pickup within two hours. 

“El Paso is a major Texas city, with more than 20 percent of surface trade between the United States and Mexico crossing its borders,” said Mark Coats, FedEx Custom Critical regional sales manager. “This creates a demand for transportation services unlike any other. The availability of our emergency response vehicles, along with the ease of use, cost competitiveness and 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service will provide strategic businesses more opportunities to satisfy customers.

The addition of the new ExpressCenter to ones in Harlingen and San Antonio enables FedEx Custom Critical to service the busiest border crossings in El Paso and nearby cities.

A number of industries in the area benefit from the new ExpressCenter, including the automotive, textile, electronics, plastics and copper industries, according to Coats.

“I ship with FedEx Custom Critical to receive parts several times a year,” said Adela Fuller, materials coordinator for Toro Company, a provider of outdoor maintenance and beautification products. “Custom Critical gets my parts to me on time, every time, always providing me with great service.” 

FedEx Custom Critical specializes in same-day or next-day delivery of critical shipments. Customers call 800.762.3787 to arrange a shipment, and FedEx Custom Critical immediately dispatches a truck to pick up and transport the freight nonstop, straight through to its destination.

Features of FedEx Custom Critical’s services include:

• Nonstop, door-to-door delivery.
• 24-hour, seven-day-a-week availability, including nights, weekends and holidays at no extra charge.
• Exclusive-use vehicles.
• Two-way satellite communication to track shipments from pickup through delivery.
• Immediate quotes, with transit times to the minute and price to the penny.
• Specialized equipment for care in handling, including air-ride suspension, temperature control and liftgates.
• On-time performance. More than 96 percent of shipments are delivered within 15 minutes of the company’s time-specific promise.

FedEx Custom Critical provides exclusive-use, time-specific shipment services throughout the U.S. and Canada and within Europe. Among its divisions are Surface Expedite, for nonstop, door-to-door transport of critical shipments; White Glove Services®, for shipments that require special care in handling; and Air Expedite, which offers an array of air solutions to meet customers’ critical delivery times.

With annual revenues of $22 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, the largest U.S. provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, North America’s largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs clearance, international freight forwarding and trade facilitation.