Caribbean Business
Thursday, December 7, 2000
By: Marialba Martinez

In 1998, Islandwide Express began a detailed analysis of the way it has been doing business for the past 12 years. Its goal was to improve the distribution of its express shipments, and at the same time optimize the company’s resources. Now, Islandwide Express introduces Pronto AM, a new service that offers the only guaranteed overnight delivery service to any town in Puerto Rico by 10 a.m.

“The concept for Pronto AM was born from the two-year analysis the company carried out. One of our findings was that close to 50% of our daily deliveries are made by our drivers by 10 a.m., and 70% by noontime. This gave us an edge over the competition, which only guarantees delivery by 12 noon in the metro area,” said Pedro J. Rosaly, president of Islandwide Express.

Islandwide Express has invested close to $700,000 in preparing its organization for this type of commitment. Founded in 1970, the company was initially located in Ponce and dedicated its services to the petrochemical companies in Peñuelas. By the time Rosaly bought the company in 1988, there were stations in San Juan (1980) and Arecibo (1985). Rosaly later added Caguas (1998) and Mayaguez (1990). In 1999, one of the first steps in the company’s restructuring was establishing a hub in Rio Piedras. Packages received are taken to the Rio Piedras hub where they are sorted by region. By 2 a.m., delivery trucks have been loaded and are in transit to their assigned areas. All this takes place with the help of automated equipment such as electric conveyors and automatic package-sorting systems. On a daily basis, Islandwide makes more than 6,500 stops for 3,000 to 3,500 customers.

The number of stops exceeds the number of customers because regular clients (such as banks) sometimes contract for multiple pickups on a single day. “Pronto AM is an aggressive service program that will add value to the company. At the same time it serves our clients’ delivery needs. We consider Islandwide’s services an integral part of our client’s operations. In a stable economy, we assist their businesses. During a recession, they outsource some services to us in order to concentrate their resources.”

With a staff of 200 and more than 150 vehicles, Islandwide Express was ranked number one in CARIBBEAN BUSINESS’ 2000 list of delivery services in Puerto Rico. Last October, the company created a new subsidiary called Islandwide Logistics.