Wednesday, May 12, 2010

FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION

FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION

FedEx Corporation is a leading logistics services company, based in the United States. FedEx is a syllabic

abbreviation of the company's original name, Federal Express, used until 1994.

The company was founded as Federal Express in 1971 by Frederick W. Smith in Little Rock, Arkansas.

While attending Yale University, Fred Smith wrote a paper on the need for reliable overnight delivery in a

computerized information age. His professor found the premise improbable and, to the best of Smith's

recollection, he only received a grade of C for this effort, but the idea remained with him.

After graduation, Smith enlisted in the Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

While in the military, the young lieutenant observed military procurement and delivery procedures

carefully, with an eye toward someday realizing his dream of a vast network dedicated to overnight

commercial delivery. Smith got his chance when he left the service and started his express transport

business in 1971.

The name Federal Express was chosen to symbolize a national marketplace, and to help obtain government

contracts.

The company began operations with a network of Dassault Falcon 20s

In 1984-86 the company operated a fax service known as Zapmail that turned out to be a commercial failure

In 1989 the company acquired Flying Tigers, an international cargo airline

The "Federal Express" name was eliminated entirely in 2000, when FDX Corporation changed its name to

FedEx Corporation and adopted the tagline "The World On Time"

FedEx Kinko's: Dallas-based chain that provides copying/printing and business services

In its advertising, the company made famous the line "Absolutely, positively" for their overnight service

In 2003, FedEx partnered with the Department of Homeland Security and Northrop Grumman to develop and flight test an anti-missile system, the Northrop Grumman Guardian that could be deployed on

commercial airliners, to protect them from terrorist attacks

FedEx became the first air carrier to deploy the Guardian on a commercial flight in 2006

FedEx in popular culture: In the 1999 film Runaway Bride, Julia Roberts's character flees her own wedding

by jumping aboard a FedEx truck. When someone asks where she's going, another character replies that he

doesn't know, but she'll get there by 10 am the next day.

No comments:

Post a Comment