Pilot Freight Services gains FTZ status, expands El Paso facility

Yesterday, logistics services company Pilot Freighter Services revealed plans to expand its El Paso, Texas, facility to 40,000 square feet upon attaining status as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The authorization will allow Pilot’s U.S.-based clients to reduce and, in some cases, opt out of customs duties normally associated with cross-border commerce.

Many of Pilot’s clients in the automotive, healthcare, electronics and aerospace industries transport materials of international origin over the U.S.-Mexico border for manufacturing via the nearby El Paso Ysleta port of entry.

With the expansion, Pilot is also upgrading its security with inventory-tracking systems, which will allow more transparent monitoring of the inventory while it is held in the warehouse. Pilot’s president and chief commercial officer John Hill says the upgrades and FTZ status will allow Pilot “to give our customers an additional level of service to provide cost-effective warehousing and transit options to support their supply chain.”