History

With the new name of Mainfreight reflecting the title of its global parent, Target Logistics Services looks back on a rich history of accomplishments and growth.

Started in 1970, with a single office in the Los Angeles area and zero revenues, Target has grown to a $200 million company with 38 facilities in the U.S. and affiliates in 80 nations worldwide.

The company began as an offshoot of a famous transportation dynasty. Target was founded by Chris Coppersmith, whose grandmother started a customs brokerage business in New York City in1948, the first woman to do so. The coppersmith brokerage business soon moved to Los Angeles where scion Lew Coppersmith became head of the company. It was renamed Lew Coppersmith, Inc. and quickly became one of the leading customs house brokers on the west coast.

In 1970, the family decided to open an airfreight service to complement its customs house business. Originally called Target Air Fright, the company evolved into Target Logistics Services offering an even greater number of transport options. Chris Coppersmith was appointed President & CEO of the company, a position he still holds today, thirty eight years later!

Target initially was a domestic freight forwarder. Impressed by the quality of Target domestic services, a number of customers asked Coppersmith if the company also could handle their international business. The company began expanding into overseas operations slowly and with great care, to ensure its high quality domestic standards would be international.

At that time, Asia was starting to become a major force in international trade. The process of "off shoring" began to accelerate as U.S manufacturers increasingly realized substantial cost savings could result when moving their production facilities overseas. China was the greatest recipient of these offshore activities but other Asian nations like Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore also became centers of manufacture.

Coppersmith early-on saw the opportunities in Asia, well before many of his mid-sized forwarder competitors. Under his direction, subsidiaries were established in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and most importantly, China. Today, the company has eight offices in China alone, located in all of its important manufacturing and commercial centers.

Together with its geographic expansion, Target began to increase the number of logistic options for its domestic and international customers. Originally acting strictly as a forwarder moving cargo from Point A to Point B (which it continues to do with great efficiency and dispatch), Target now offers a complete menu of ancillary services -- services that respond to the more diverse needs of the customer.

Acting both as a forwarder and as a 3PL, Target provides a wide variety of services including inventory control, reverse logistics, warehousing, management services, and pick 'n pack capabilities.

Rebranded as Mainfreight, the freight forwarder and logistics provider expects to continue its tradition of quality service to thousands of current and new customers whether they require delivery of their shipments to the next city or to the next continent.