Atlas Van Lines
| File:Atlas Van Lines logo.png | |
| Company type | private agent-owned company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Moving & Storage |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Evansville, Indiana, USA |
Key people | Glen Dunkerson, CEO |
| Revenue | $900M FY2005 |
| Website | www.atlasvanlines.com |
Atlas Van Lines is an American moving company formed in 1948 by a group of local transfer and storage firms. As an agent-owned company it is similar in form to a cooperative. It has about 500 agents worldwide (in over 140 countries), of which 75 own shares in Atlas World Group, which controls Atlas Van Lines and other related companies. Based in Evansville, Indiana, USA, it is the second-largest interstate motor carrier in the U.S.[1]
Household moving and storage
Atlas Van Lines agents have warehouses across the U.S. and Canada for storage-in-transit and long-term storage. Storage overseas is also possible through international partnerships.
Containerized moving
Atlas Smart Move provides containerized moving options. The SmartVault is the container that is designed for interstate transit. It's also military approved. For additional security, the vault is transported inside a truck.
Corporate relocation
For corporate relocations, Atlas provides traditional van line moves, Smart Move container moves, and can work with employees with a lump sum benefit.[clarification needed]
For additional domestic and international relocation services, Atlas World Group subsidiary Cornerstone Relocation Group is available.[4]
International moving
Also a subsidiary of Atlas World Group, Atlas International is an affiliate of Atlas Van Lines. Atlas International provides specialized services for transportation, relocation and distribution. Atlas International services are available for corporations, individuals, and government agencies.[5]
Government and military moving
Utilizing the Atlas agent network, Atlas relocates over 13,000 military families per year. Atlas is an approved participant in the Centralized Household Goods Traffic Management Program of the General Services Administration. Atlas is also able to assist personnel who self-move.[6]
Logistics
Through its Specialized Transportation Group, Atlas transports special products and commodities between states and between the U.S. and Canada. Special products include exhibits, fine art, store fixtures, electronics and other high value goods.
Electronics
Transported electronics by Atlas operators include medical equipment, robotics, computers, clean rooms, precision machine tools, and high-tech instruments for aeronautics and aerospace.[7]
Store fixtures
Atlas transports store fixtures according to the store time frame. Target delivery allows fixture receipt after business hours. Sequential loading and unloading services as well as self-loading are provided services from Atlas.[8]
Fine art
Atlas provides services from single exhibitions to multiple location exhibits. [9]
History
Atlas Van Lines traces its roots back to 1948 when a group of 33 entrepreneurs formed a cooperative for the interstate transportation of household goods from coast to coast. The group took the name "Atlas Van Lines" and opened a new headquarters building in Evansville, Indiana.[10]
The company changed ownership structure in the 1980s, when stock was offered to the public. After a hostile takeover attempt, in 1988 the company returned to ownership by its agents. Atlas expanded rapidly in the 1990s and established Atlas World Group as the holding company for Atlas Van Lines, Inc. and seven subsidiaries.
On April 18, 1996 Atlas announced the purchase of Red Ball Corporation, which at the time was the 13th largest household mover in the United States. This included two subsidiaries: American Red Ball International, an international freight forwarder based in Seattle, Washington and American Red Ball Transit Co. based in Indianapolis, Indiana.[11] Red Ball specialized in the moves of US military personnel. In 2001, Atlas sold American Red Ball Transit, the domestic subsidiary, to its management.
In 1997 the company announced the two largest conversions in the history of the van line industry with the joining of Atlantic Relocation Systems (more than 600 vehicles) and Bekins Northwest (more than 250).
In 2000, Atlas' parent organization "Atlas World Group" purchased a controlling interest in Cornerstone Relocation Group, a full service global relocation management company based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The purchase of Cornerstone allowed Atlas to offer expanded global relocation services to its corporate transportation clients.
Over a two-year period, Atlas US implemented a document management system to better manage their paper-based documents, streamline business processes, and reduce operating costs. In late 2006, Atlas Canada successfully implemented its own imaging project.[12]
In 2009, Atlas agents, among the first in the industry, received the ProMover designation, a quality credential from the American Moving & Storage Association. Atlas also acquired principal interest in Smart Move, the moving and storage industry's most flexible container service.[13]
References
- ^ "About Atlas". Atlas World Group. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Household Moving Services From Atlas". Atlas Van Lines. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Storage With Atlas". Atlas Van Lines. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Atlas Corporate Relocation". Atlas World Group. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "About Us". Atlas International. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ "Government & Military Moving by Atlas". Atlas Van Lines. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Moving Electronics". Atlas Van Lines. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ "Moving Store Fixtures". Atlas Van Lines. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ "Moving Fine Art". Atlas Van Lines. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
- ^ "Atlas History". Atlas World Group. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Atlas World Group Inc. makes announcement". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ "ATLAS IMPROVES AGENT CASH FLOW". Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Atlas History". Atlas World Group. Retrieved 2010-12-17.