A Mitsubishi Fuso medium-duty truck imported from Japan through the Port of Tacoma rolled off the Maersk Taiki Jan. 11 and directly into the adjacent 146-acre Marshall Avenue Auto Facility, the Tacoma Daily Index reported. Previously, the company had to move its vehicles to the Pacific Northwest from San Diego or Baltimore.
Robert E. McDowell, president and chief executive officer of Logan Township, N.J.-based Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, told the Daily Index that “The addition of the Port of Tacoma to MFTA’s logistical resources will shorten time to delivery significantly for our dealers and customers in the Pacific Northwest, on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the border.”
According to the Daily Index, port servicing of MFTA vehicles at the Port of Tacoma will be handled by Automotive Warehousing Co., one of the largest full-service vehicle processing companies in North America; AWC handles nearly 4.35 million vehicles annually from 21 vehicle processing facilities in the United States and Mexico. The company will receive all Fuso trucks arriving at the port from Japan, store the vehicles, add any port-installed options, prep them for delivery and coordinate shipment to their final destination, the Daily Index reported.
“We are honored to have Mitsubishi Fuso call Tacoma home,” Andre Elmaleh, director of the port’s auto line of business, told the Daily Index. “Through our alliance with Auto Warehousing Company, our labor and transportation partners, our port’s automotive and trucking customers are well-positioned to succeed here in Tacoma.” In 2006, Elmaleh noted, more than 160,000 vehicles were processed through the Port of Tacoma.
