As we head into the end-of-year holidays, it’s an excellent time to take stock in those things that truly matter most, such as our cherished families, good friends, helpful colleagues, and valued customers.
It’s also a time to look back, and in the process give our industry great credit for making it through yet another hugely challenging year. Despite the continued rise of new variants of COVID-19, and the persistent global supply chain issues, we’ve been able to tap into our new-found ways of coping and adapting to keep on pushing forward. And as if that wasn’t enough, 2022 ushered in an entirely new set of disruptions as well, namely, the looming worldwide recession and the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on fuel costs…
Just another day at the office? Hardly not, because on the business side, such conditions and the uncertainties they bring create mind-boggling issues for third-party forwarders, handlers, and shippers – not to mention all the customers downstream. Oddly enough, however, sudden and unpredictable pressures do serve to underscore the importance of readiness, resilience, and shoring up operations that will help us make it through the next biggest storm.
And that’s exactly what we did in 2022. From a business perspective, I’m happy to report that all the Prime Group business units expanded this past year with new services and new products – and new strategies that will help us stay strong and stay the course over the long-term.
At our Prime Logistics division, we set the stage for expansion of our international scope, commercially, by pursuing opportunities and new markets to complement our core service offerings. We are very solid on the air cargo side and ocean freight, and in terms there are so many more opportunities we will pursue in the year ahead.
I’m happy to report that in 2022 Prime Fresh Handling continued to be a real powerhouse provider in international fresh fish and produce shipping and handling – even with ongoing global logistics challenges. And though our historic foothold in fresh-cut flowers remains very strong, throughout the year we continued to focus on diversifying into other commodities that will help the overall organization grow.
On the product side, our Prime Planet division, strengthened its presence beyond the southeast U.S. where we are extremely well established with retailers and wholesalers. Due to the resounding success of our Tostones snack chip line here, we are now in a very good position to aggressively expand northward and nationally in the new year. And there are some more changes underway with this division as well, so stay tuned.
At PrimeAir, we are set to take full advantage of the customized software we introduced in 2022 that reduces the overlapping manual re-entering of information between the different airlines we work with each time we manage an operation. This will free up our agents across the multiple countries we serve to focus more on customer service.
Group-wise, we also selected industry-leading technology this past year to streamline internal systems and processes across all divisions that likewise will allow us to ensure we always put the customer first and expand the organization at the same time going forward.
And because greatness starts from within, we used 2022 to build for the future through a re-organization of several corporate functions that are key to the overall performance and success of the Group. As a result, we welcomed new management staff this year in the fields of commercial strategy, information technology, and human resources, to name a few.
It’s clear to see, 2022 was a banner year, with significant advances on all fronts. For this and more, I want to thank our customers, our entire team, and of course our employees’ families too. Without all your support this past year, we couldn’t do what’s needed to prosper and thrive in this amazing industry.
So, as we trim the Christmas tree, light the Hanukkah menorah, enjoy Kwanzaa, or celebrate other holiday or faith traditions, stay positive. Think good thoughts, and take time to breathe, relax, reflect, and enjoy life.
~ Roger Paredes, CEO