Maersk Line is reorganizing customer service, as well as its sales management and support staff functions in North America as part of its global streamLINE restructuring strategy plan announced in January.
The Danish carrier will close several offices while expanding and opening others, shifting several hundred positions in the process.
The company said the changes were aimed at improving customer service and sales management, and saving money by operating in fewer buildings, not reducing staff.
"We will maintain our current customer service processes and systems. Our staff will just be located in fewer places," said Tom Sproat, Maersk Line's head of customer service in North America.
The carrier said it hoped as many employees as possible would follow their jobs to the new locations, but conceded some may not choose to move. Its field sales staff -- many of whom work from home -- will remain the same in all but a few cases.
The transition will not be completed until August, and the company said the gradual change should make it invisible to customers.
"Customers will continue to experience sales and customer service staff who are empowered, responsive and focused on same-day resolution of customer issues," said Bill Woodhour, Maersk Line's head of sales in North America. "Almost all customers can expect to be served by the same sales person they interact with now."
Sales management in the northern, central and southern regions will now be run out of two offices. An office in Madison, N.J., where the company's U.S. headquarters is located, will manage sales in the East, and an office in Chicago manage sales in the Midwest. The Gulf and West Coast will be managed from an office in Costa Mesta, Calif.
Canada and Florida sales will be managed from offices in Toronto and Miami.
Maersk Line sales administrative support functions in Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas and Costa Mesa will be transferred to the Maersk offices in Houston where 37 positions will be added.
The Atlanta sales support functions will be transferred to Chicago, adding nine jobs.
In the customer service area, the company will consolidate operations from five to four locations.
The West Coast and Florida will continue to be managed from existing facilities in Houston and Miami respectively.
About 70 positions located in Portsmouth, Va., and 140 jobs in Charleston, S.C. will be relocated to Houston or a new office in Charlotte, N.C.
Maersk already has a large presence in Charlotte, and the customer service employees will be joining other Maersk Line employees from departments such as operations and finance in a new facility, formerly the headquarters of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance.
In Canada, Maersk will consolidate customer service in Toronto, moving about 20 jobs from Montreal.
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