SonicAir, Inc. was an integrated

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

service company, providing Logistics Planning; Strategic Stocking, Returns Management, SmartCourier Field Repair, Depot Repair, Parts Distribution, and Transportation Services to its customers. Acquired by UPS in 1995, SonicAir was eventually absorbed into the UPS Logistics Group.

History

Sonic Air Courier Inc. was originally founded by Ray Thurston in 1976 to provide same-day and off-hour shipment of time-critical parcels. The company name would later combine into one word, SonicAir. Thurston's beginnings in the transportation industry go back to the age of thirteen when he worked as a

bicycle messenger Bicycle messengers (also known as bike or cycle couriers) are people who work for courier companies (also known as messenger companies) carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business dist ...

after school and summers for his father's messenger service. One year after finishing college, Ray's father died, and he assumed control of the business at twenty-three. After several failed attempts to purchase the business from his stepmother, Ray went on to form a new company, SonicAir Couriers, a same-day courier servicing the entire United States. Ray evolved SonicAir by adding

warehousing A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

supply chain A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distri ...

software and

consulting A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

to their services. SONBAG3

Sonic Air Courier Inc., acquired Air Couriers International Inc. (ACI) in May 1984. SonicAir at the time was a 7 million dollar company acquiring a 19 million dollar company there were many challenges ahead and some difficult times. On time performance was only at 85%, and the company had experienced significant financial losses. SonicAir committed itself to the principles of quality improvement and management to turn the company around. The turnaround was so successful that SonicAir was named a "Great Comeback" by Success magazine in August 1990 and "Turnaround of the Year" in 1990 by Venture Capital Magazine. SonicAir developed the Field Support Bank in 1984 as the company strategically located warehousing to complement its existing same-day service. The company continued to add services as the needs of its customers dictated. SonicAir's Field Support Bank business continued to grow with great success for the next ten years attracting the attention of both the United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx). In 1995, UPS acquired SonicAir. It was initially operated as an independently run UPS Logistics Group Company providing worldwide service parts logistics planning, transportation, central parts distribution, returns management, reverse logistics, SmartCourier Field Repair, depot repair and warehousing for after-sale, time-critical product support. In 1997 SonicAir would begin to be branded as a wholly owned

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of UPS. Growth as part of a UPS subsidiary was rapid, and in February 1999 SonicAir announced that it would be tripling the size of its

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

operation. On September 5, 2000, SonicAir became the UPS Logistics Group and many of the initial services it offered would become eventually become UPS Express Critical.

References

{{Reflist United Parcel Service Defunct companies based in Louisville, Kentucky 1974 establishments in Kentucky 1995 disestablishments in Kentucky Logistics companies of the United States Transportation companies based in Kentucky American companies established in 1974 Transport companies established in 1974 American companies disestablished in 1995 Transport companies disestablished in 1995