The company's own description of what it does — segments, products, customers, and how it makes money — from its annual 10-K filing (Item 1).
The text below is reproduced verbatim from EXPD’s SEC filing. See also EXPD’s supply chain and financial statements.
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1—BUSINESS Overview Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (herein referred to as "Expeditors,” the "Company," "we," "us," "our") provides a full suite of global logistics services, offering customers a seamless international network of people and integrated information systems to support the movement and strategic positioning of goods. As a third-party logistics provider, we purchase cargo space from carriers (such as airlines, ocean shipping lines, and trucking lines) on a volume basis and resell that space to our customers. We do not compete for overnight courier or small parcel business and do not own aircraft or ships. We provide a broad range of transportation services and customer solutions, such as customs brokerage, order management, time-definite transportation, warehousing and distribution, temperature-controlled transit, cargo insurance, specialized cargo monitoring and tracking, and other customized logistics and consulting solutions. In addition, our Project Cargo unit handles special project shipments that move via a single method or combination of air, ocean, and/or ground transportation and generally require a high level of specialized attention because of the unusual size or nature of what is being shipped. Expeditors' primary services include: • Airfreight Services • Ocean Freight and Ocean Services • Customs Brokerage and Other Services Airfreight Services: Within airfreight, Expeditors typically acts either as a freight consolidator or as an agent for the airline that carries the shipment. Whether acting as a consolidator or agent, we offer our customers routing expertise, familiarity with local business practices, knowledge of export and import documentation and procedures, the ability to arrange for ancillary services and to assist with securing capacity during periods of high demand. Solutions within Airfreight Services include: Airfreight Consolidation: as an airfreight consolidator, Expeditors purchases cargo capacity from airlines on a volume basis and resells that space to our customers at lower rates than what those customers could negotiate directly from the airlines on an individual shipment. Expeditors determines the routing, consolidates shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point, and then selects the airline for transportation to the distribution point, where either we or one of our agents then arranges for the consolidated lot to be broken down into its component shipments and for the transportation of each individual shipment to its final destination. Airfreight Forwarding : as a freight forwarder, Expeditors receives and forwards individual, unconsolidated shipments, and arranges the transportation with the airline that carries the shipment. Ocean Freight and Ocean Services: Within ocean services, Expeditors offers three basic services: ocean freight consolidation, direct ocean forwarding, and order management: Ocean freight consolidation : Expeditors, when acting as an ocean freight consolidator, contracts with ocean shipping carriers to obtain transportation for a fixed number of containers between various points during a specified time period at agreed-upon rates. We handle both full container loads as well as Less-than Container Load (LCL) freight, offering a wider range of shipping options and rates than available with the carriers directly. We also generate fees for ancillary services such as the preparation of documentation to comply with local export and import laws. 3. Direct ocean forwarding : Expeditors acts as the agent when its customer contracts directly with the ocean carrier, and we may receive a commission from the carrier in addition to customer handling fees and ancillary services . Order management : Expeditors provides a range of order management services including consolidation of cargo from many suppliers in a particular origin into the fewest possible number of containers, putting more product into larger and fewer containers in order to maximize space, minimize cost and help our customers reduce their carbon footprint. Customs Brokerage and Other Services: Expeditors offers a range of custom solutions, including: Customs Brokerage and Import Services: Expeditors helps importers clear shipments through customs by preparing required documentation, calculating and paying duties and other taxes on behalf of the importer, arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and import services such as arranging for local pickup, storage and delivery at destinations. Such services can include screening commercial documentation for assessed value, country of origin, application of special trade programs, and classification. Our target market is primarily comprised of customers looking to reduce the number of customs brokers used, those looking to improve compliance and reporting, and those seeking opportunities to participate in special trade programs globally. Transcon: Expeditors' Transcon consists of multi-modal, intra-continental ground transportation and delivery services and includes value-added, white glove, and time-definite services. Warehousing and Distribution Services: Expeditors’ services include inventory management, multi-channel order fulfillment, vendor management programs, and other value-added services. Our warehousing services are generally offered globally in multi-client facilities so that customers may benefit from cost savings related to shared space, labor, equipment, and other efficiencies. Supply Chain Disruptions and Ongoing COVID-19 Impact on our Business The disruptions on supply chain and transportation continued to significantly affect our business operations and operating results in 2021. Continued imbalances between demand and available capacity for all transportation modes have resulted in historically high average buy and sell rates in 2021 from already record high rates in 2020 and creates significant challenges for our network to meet our customers’ needs. Continued congestion at ports and gateways and equipment and labor shortages have disrupted sailing schedules and limited the ability to increase capacity while demand grew from a rebounding economy. We expect these disruptive market conditions to continue at least through the first half of 2022. As discussed in more detail under “Results of Operations”, there are significant constraints on current capacity for both air freight and ocean freight. This is due to a number of factors, including reduced flight schedules from pre-pandemic levels and new regulations, which limited available belly space for cargo, congestion at ports resulting from labor and equipment shortages and insufficient warehousing space at destinations. Air freighters and charters, container ships and gateway infrastructure are operating at near maximum capacity. While we believe these constraints are not long-term in nature, they impact our current ability to move increased air and ocean volumes in these capacity-constrained regions. We are unable to predict how these uncertainties will affect our future operations or financial results, but these conditions could result in lower operating income. In addition, in an effort to protect the health and safety of our employees, we continue to operate under our global business continuity plan that we implemented in the first quarter of 2020. See Item 1A: “Risk Factors” below for additional details. Cyber-Attack Impact on our Business On February 20, 2022, we determined that our company was the subject of a targeted cyber-attack. Upon discovering the incident, we shut down most of our operating systems globally to manage the safety of our overall global systems environment. We had limited ability to conduct operations during this time, including but not limited to arranging for shipments of freight or managing customs and distribution activities for our customers’ shipments. The situation is evolving and while the Company has partially resumed operations, at this time the Company is unable to estimate when it will resume full operations. We are incurring expenses relating to the cyber-attack to investigate and remediate this matter and expect to continue to incur expenses of this nature in the future. The Company expects that the impact of the shutdown and the ongoing impacts of the cyber-attack will have a material adverse impact on its business, revenues, expenses, results of operations, cash flows and reputation. At this early stage, the Company is unable to estimate the ultimate direct and indirect financial impacts of this cyber-attack. 4. Revenues The following chart shows our 2021 and 2020 revenues by service type: The Expeditors Network Expeditors has approximately 19,000 employees and provides a complete range of global logistics services to a diversified group of customers that vary in size, industry and geographic location. As opportunities for profitable growth arise, we will continue to open new offices where it makes sense to support existing global customers and serve new local markets. As a knowledge-based global provider of logistics services, we have often concluded over the course of our history that it is better to grow organically rather than by acquisition. When we have made acquisitions, it has generally been to obtain technology, increase geographic coverage by acquiring or establishing joint ventures with agents or others within the industry, or gain specialized industry expertise that could be leveraged to benefit our entire network. Expeditors, including its majority-owned subsidiaries, is organized functionally in geographic operating segments and operates district offices in the regions identified below. Our district offices are defined by geographic boundaries and have been established in locations where Expeditors maintains unilateral control over operations, and where the existence of the parent-subsidiary relationship is maintained by means other than record ownership of voting stock. Expeditors operates 176 district offices in the following geographic areas of responsibility: • Americas (70) • North Asia (21) • South Asia (16) • Europe (45) • Middle East, Africa and India (24) 5. We also maintain branch offices, which are aligned with and dependent upon one district office, where practical benefit is gained by having staff located closer to the customers they are serving. Additionally, we contract with independent agents in locations where we do not have our own offices to provide required services for our existing customers. We have established 36 such relationships worldwide. At Expeditors, we create our strategy and develop our global products, processes, technology and compliance programs at the corporate level, in order to drive consistency across all levels of the organization. Global consistency and compliance is fundamental to preserving our culture and network of people, processes, technology and locations. We leverage regional and local expertise by staffing our districts principally with local managers and personnel who are from the regions in which they operate and who often have extensive experience in logistics, coupled with a deep understanding of their local market. District offices are responsible for selling and executing Expeditors' products and services directly to customers and are involved in the selection of logistics service providers. Defining our strategy at a global level while executing it at the regional and local levels with customized supply chain solutions enables us to drive consistency and efficiency for our network and customers. We believe that focus on hiring and developing a diverse and talented workforce with an emphasis on exceptional customer service, along with our incentive-based compensation program, enables us to achieve superior financial results and provide for ongoing career advancement opportunities. Our Culture and Strategy We believe that our unique culture, at the center of which are our employees, is a critical component to our continued success. We strongly believe that it is nearly impossible to predict events that, individually or in the aggregate, could have a positive or a negative impact on our future operations. As a result, management's focus is on building and maintaining a global corporate culture and an environment where well-trained employees and managers are prepared to identify and react to changes as they develop and thereby help us adapt and thrive as major trends emerge. Expeditors’ strategic plan is to achieve long-term, sustainable and profitable growth by focusing on the right markets and, within each market, on the right customers that lead to profitable business growth through the aggressive marketing of our service offerings. Innovative solutions, integrated platforms and data quality are vital to achieving a competitive advantage. Our teams are aligned on the specific markets of these focused priorities; on the targeted accounts within those markets; and on ways that we can continue to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Our four key strategic initiatives are: 1. Ensuring that base-line strategies for air, ocean and customs services for every district office and region lead to growth at the relevant market rates, profits and volumes by services. 2. Growing our business services into and out of Europe, with particular focus on certain defined markets beyond our base-line growth expectations. 3. Continuing to leverage our long and deeply entrenched presence in China - as well as the reputation that we have with the strategic carriers servicing China - to build a stronger customs brokerage and in-country presence. Our main focus remains on developing and integrating our customs systems, expertise and talent, and making investments that enhance and improve our import brokerage infrastructure and our ability to provide local delivery and support services in China. 4. Growing our customs brokerage offering in South Asia and India by leveraging our strength and expertise in customs brokerage services and developing critical talent, processes and tools. Our chief strategy officer continues to oversee all strategy within Expeditors, with a deep focus on exploring new avenues for innovation, differentiation and expansion. Global Logistics and Supply Chain Technology Expeditors has long believed that it is a competitive advantage to focus on organic growth and to utilize a single enterprise technology platform designed and built by logistics technology professionals for logistics professionals. Our technology platform is built on principles of innovation, agility, collaboration, performance and consistency across the Expeditors global network to meet diverse and complex global logistics and supply chain needs. The platform is comprised of proprietary, third party and open-source technologies. We utilize a globally-consistent infrastructure supporting both centralized and distributed technology strategies that incorporate security, disaster recovery and high availability. Expeditors’ technology platform is designed, coded, tested and implemented by the collaborative efforts of our logistics industry and information technology professionals. Internally developing, maintaining and enhancing technology capabilities is in keeping with Expeditors' long-held belief that it not outsource core functions, with information systems being one of those core functions. We are not dependent on third parties for developing or enhancing our core transportation technology platforms to address our needs or those of our customers. We utilize internally developed and third-party technology to perform our customs brokerage services, to address country and regional specifications. We continuously monitor emerging technologies for potential applicability to our business. Expeditors also believes that having a single, uniform, globally-connected platform driving logistics operations and providing comprehensive visibility and advanced analytics creates greater efficiency and value, particularly as the value of timely data and insights into that data are increasingly important. We are continually enhancing our systems, including significant upgrades to core operating and accounting systems. 6. Tailored Solutions As a non-asset-based logistics services provider, we have considerable flexibility to tailor customer-specific solutions by product. By understanding a customer's logistics and supply chain processes, strategies, and objectives, we identify targeted areas of opportunity for improvement, and deploy the right services and solutions for that customer. These services include our core product offerings of transportation, customs clearance, warehousing and distribution, and order management, along with expertise in supply chain analysis and optimization, trade compliance consulting, cargo insurance, cargo security, and solutions for oversized and heavy-lift freight. Our trained professional employees deliver these services across the globe through our network of district offices using a common technology platform, in conjunction with consistent and efficient operational processes that adhere to the highest standards of compliance while focusing on the individual needs of each customer. Because Expeditors is in the business of optimizing our customers’ freight logistics and supply chains, we focus our sales and engagement strategies on professionals in logistics and supply chain management roles inside of customer organizations. While we drive our sales strategies at a global level, district management of each office is responsible for its own business development, operations, and service execution. We also employ dedicated account management staff who work with existing customers to improve operations and grow new business opportunities. What Expeditors Ships The goods that Expeditors handles are generally a function of the products that dominate international trade between any particular origin and destination. These goods include products from diverse industries, including electronics, high technology, healthcare, aerospace and aviation, manufacturing, oil and energy, automotive, retail consumer goods and fashion. In order to meet customers' complex and industry-specific demands, we utilize industry vertical teams throughout our network that focus on providing tailored solutions to different industries. Industry vertical teams work closely with our regional and district resources to grow our business. No single customer accounts for five percent or more of our revenues. Expeditors' Services in Detail The following describes in more detail the operations of each of Expeditors’ services: Airfreight Services Airfreight services accounted for approximately 41% and 45% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2021 and 2020, respectively. When performing airfreight services, we typically act either as a freight consolidator or as an agent for the airline that carries the shipment. When acting as a freight consolidator, we purchase cargo capacity from airlines on a volume basis and resell that space to our customers at lower rates than they could obtain directly from airlines on an individual shipment. We then issue a House Airway Bill (HAWB) to our customers as the contract of carriage and separately, we receive a Master Airway Bill from the airline when the freight is physically tendered. When moving shipments between points where the nature or volume of business does not facilitate consolidation, we receive and forward individual shipments as the agent of the airline that carries the shipment. Whether acting as a consolidator or agent, we offer our customers expertise for optimum routing, familiarity with local business practices, knowledge of export and import documentation and procedures, the ability to arrange for ancillary services, and assistance with securing capacity during periods of high demand. In our airfreight operations, we receive shipments from our customers, determine the routing, consolidate shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point, and select the airline for transportation to the distribution point. At the distribution point, either we or an Expeditors' agent arranges for the consolidated lot to be broken down into its component shipments and for the transportation of the individual shipments to their final destinations. We estimate that our average airfreight consolidation weighs approximately 3,800 pounds and that a typical consolidation includes merchandise from several shippers. Because shipment by air is relatively expensive compared with ocean transportation, air shipments are generally characterized by a high value-to-weight ratio, the need for rapid delivery, or both. At the origin, Expeditors typically delivers shipments from one of our warehouses to the airline after consolidating the freight into containers or onto pallets. Normally that shipment will then arrive at the destination distribution point within 48 hours from the point of origin. During periods of high demand, available cargo capacity from the scheduled air carriers can be limited and backlogs of freight shipments may occur. When these conditions exist, we may charter aircraft to meet customer demand. In 2021, as a result of reduced availability in passenger aircraft capacity we greatly increased our usage of chartered aircraft. We expect to continue to utilize chartered aircraft as long as international passenger flights remain insufficient to meet the demand for freight capacity. Expeditors consolidates individual shipments based on weight and volume characteristics in cost-effective combinations. Typically, as the weight or volume of a shipment increases, the cost that we charge per pound/kilo or cubic inch/centimeter decreases. The rates charged by airlines also generally decrease as the weight or volume of the shipment increases. As a result, by aggregating shipments and presenting them 7. to an airline as a single shipment, we are able to obtain a lower rate per pound/kilo or cubic inch/centimeter than what is charged for an individual shipment, while generally offering the customer a lower rate than could be obtained directly from the airline for an unconsolidated shipment. Our airfreight revenues less directly related costs of transportation and other expenses for a consolidated shipment include the differential between the rate that the airline charges Expeditors and the rate that we, in turn, charge our customers, in addition to commissions that the airline pays us and fees that we charge our customers for ancillary services. Such ancillary services we provide include preparation of shipping and customs documentation, packing, crating, insurance services, negotiation of letters of credit, and the preparation of documentation to comply with local export laws. Expeditors' management believes that owning aircraft would subject us to undue business risks, including large capital outlays, increased fixed operating expenses, exposure to volatile fuel prices, problems of fully utilizing aircraft and competition with our service providers - the airlines. Because we rely on commercial airlines to transport our shipments, our business may be adversely affected by changes in carrier financial stability, policies and practices such as pricing, payment terms, scheduling, capacity and frequency of service. Many passenger air carriers remain highly leveraged and incurred operating losses in 2021. Uncertainty over recovery of demand for passenger air travel compared to pre-pandemic levels and uncertainty related to jet fuel cost may impact air carriers’ operations and financial stability long term. Th is environment requires that we be selective in determining which carriers to utilize. Carriers' financial results will continue to drive their asset acquisition and deployment strategies, which will impact airfreight pricing and capacity. Most of Expeditors' customers are focused on improving supply-chain efficiency, reducing overall logistics costs by negotiating lower rates and utilizing ocean freight whenever possible. Certain customers are increasingly utilizing airfreight to improve speed to market. We expect these trends to continue in conjunction with carriers' efforts to manage available capacity and the evolution of consumer purchasing behavior, such as online shopping. Changes in available capacity, periods of high demand, or other market disruptions has impacted and could continue to impact our buy and sell rates and challenge our ability to maintain historical unitary profitability. Ocean Freight and Ocean Services Ocean freight services accounted for approximately 34% and 24% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2021 and 2020, respectively. We operate Expeditors International Ocean, Inc. (EIO), an Ocean Transportation Intermediary, sometimes referred to as a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC), which specializes in ocean freight services in most major trade lanes in the world. EIO also provides service, on a smaller scale, to and from any location where we have an office or an agent. Ocean freight services are comprised of three basic services: ocean freight consolidation, direct ocean forwarding and order management. Ocean freight consolidation : As an NVOCC, EIO contracts with ocean shipping lines to obtain transportation for a fixed number of containers between various points during a specified time period at an agreed rate. EIO provides full container load services to companies that need flexibility and access to vessel capacity that they may not necessarily achieve by dealing directly with the shipping lines. Additionally, EIO supports customers that prefer to supplement their carrier strategy with an NVOCC. EIO also leverages the Expeditors global gateway network for the movement of LCL freight for customers needing to ship smaller consignments via ocean. EIO issues a House Ocean Bill of Lading (HOBL) or a House Seaway Bill to customers as the contract of carriage and receives a separate Master Ocean Bill of Lading (MOBL) when freight is physically tendered. Revenues from fees charged to customers for ancillary services that EIO may provide include the preparation of shipping and customs documentation, packing, crating, insurance services, and the preparation of documentation to comply with local export and import laws. We also charter vessels to support both our customers’ special projects and our container capacity needs. Direct ocean forwarding : When the customer contracts directly with the ocean carrier, EIO acts as an agent of the customer and derives its revenues from commissions paid by the ocean carrier and handling fees paid by the customer. In such arrangements, EIO does not issue a HOBL or House Seaway Bill. Rather, the carrier issues a MOBL directly to the customer who employs EIO to create documentation, manage shipment information and arrange various services to facilitate the shipment of goods. The MOBL shows the customer as the shipper. Order management : Order management provides services that manage origin consolidation, supplier performance, carrier allocation, carrier performance, container management, document management, delivery management and Order/SKU visibility through our web-based portal. Customers have the ability to monitor and report against near real-time status of orders from the date of creation through final delivery. Item quantities, required ship dates, required delivery dates, commodity descriptions, estimated vs. actual ex-factory dates, container utilization, document creation and visibility are many of the managed functions that are visible and reportable via our web-based portal. Order management is available for various modes of transportation, including ocean, air, truck and rail. Order management revenues are derived from services provided to the shipper, as well as management fees associated with managing order execution against customer specific rules. One basic function of order management involves arranging cargo from many suppliers in a particular origin and “consolidating” these shipments into the fewest possible number of containers to maximize space utilization and minimize cost. Through origin consolidation, customers can reduce the number of containers shipped by putting more product in larger and fewer containers. Prior to 2021, many ocean carriers incurred substantial operating losses, and are still highly leveraged with debt. Multiple carrier acquisitions and alliances have occurred, and certain carriers are entering into onshore services as they pursue scale and additional market share in an 8. effort to improve profitability. Ocean carriers have improved their management of capacity relative to demand in recent years. Currently, demand exceeds capacity in certain lanes. Demand for ocean transportation increased sharply in the second half of 2020 and remained strong in 2021 , resulting in severe port congestion and supply chain disruptions , in particular on transpacific and Asia-to-Europe trade lanes . T his has created operational challenges for carriers including their ability to maintain sailing schedules. Carriers also face changes in regulatory requirements such as requiring reductions in the sulfur in marine fuel, which are increasing their operating and capital costs. Consequently, when the market goes through seasonal peaks or any sort of disruption and demand exceeds supply, the carriers react by increasing their pricing as quickly as possible to offset their previous losses. This carrier behavior, along with fluctuations in demand, creates pricing volatility that could impact Expeditors' ability to maintain historical unitary profitability. Expeditors’ pricing is based on contract negotiations each year with our global carrier partners. Our pricing model is flexible. We purchase based on customer needs, and our carrier strategy determines our volume and pricing commitments. Fixed pricing arrangements are entered into for a portion of our forecasted commitments, while spot market pricing arrangements are typically negotiated at the regional and local levels. We offer our customers a wide carrier footprint globally to meet their changing needs. With fewer global carriers than in the past, maintaining close relationships with our carrier partners allows us to meet our customers’ space requirements throughout the year, including during peak periods. Customs Brokerage and Other Services Customs brokerage and other services accounted for approximately 25% and 31% of Expeditors' total revenues in 2021 and 2020, respectively. As a customs broker, we assist our customers in clearing shipments through customs by preparing and transmitting required information and documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties and other taxes on behalf of the importer, arranging required inspections by governmental agencies, and providing import services such as pick up, storage and delivery services at destinations. We provide customs brokerage services in conjunction with transportation services or independently. Expeditors supports regulatory compliance and visibility to the supply chain through process and system controls, technology, and licensed and trained professional oversight. We offer a customized, solutions-based approach to our customers, based on the complexity of their business. Our pricing reflects this complexity and scope, in addition to the number of declarations filed. We also provide other value-added services within our network, such as warehousing and distribution, Transcon and consulting services. Expeditors' warehousing and distribution services include inventory management, multi-channel order fulfillment, vendor management programs and other industry-specific, value-added services. Our warehousing services are generally offered in facilities utilized by multiple customers so that customers may benefit from cost savings related to shared space, labor, equipment and other efficiencies. Expeditors' Transcon consists of multi-modal, intra-continental ground transportation and delivery services and includes value-added, white glove, and time-definite services. Expeditors responds to customer-driven trade compliance consulting services requests primarily through Tradewin. Fees for these non-transactional services are based upon hourly billing rates and bids for mutually agreed-upon projects. Human Capital Opportunities for employees and positive work environment Expeditors’ most important asset is its employees. The cornerstone of our company culture is the professional growth and development of our employees. From the inception of our company, management has inherently understood that the elements required for a successful global service organization can only be assured through recruiting, training and ultimately retaining knowledgeable and experienced personnel. We believe that our greatest challenge is now, and always has been, perpetuating a consistent global corporate culture that requires: • Total dedication to providing superior customer service; • Compliance with our policies and procedures and government regulations; • A positive, safe work environment that is diverse, inclusive and free from discrimination and harassment; • Ongoing mentoring and development of key employees and management personnel; • Creation of unlimited advancement opportunities for employees dedicated to hard work, personal growth and continuous improvement with a focus on promotion from within; • Individual commitment to the identification and mentoring of successors for every key position so that when change occurs, a qualified and well-trained internal candidate is ready to step forward; • Continuous identification, design and implementation of system solutions and differentiated service offerings, both technological and otherwise, that place employees in a position to be successful in meeting and exceeding the needs of customers; and • Focus on developing processes and technological solutions that maximize the engagement, efficiency and effectiveness of our employees. 9. We believe in creating and maintaining a positive work environment for employees . That commitment is supported by policies designed to promote fairness and equitable treatment and our supervisors and managers are charged with the responsibility of setting positive example s and providing mentoring with a focus on the importance of compliance . We promote equal employment opportunity and have policies that expressly prohibit unacceptable behaviors, inc luding harassment, intimidation or discrimination of any kind based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, color, religion, creed, national ori gin, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable law . To protect our employees, we are committed to maintaining secure business operations globally by following our well-established security standards, maintained and deployed by our Health and Safety team, as well as applicable health and safety laws and regulation. We have mechanisms in place to report accidents, injuries and unsafe working conditions. As a knowledge-based organization we focus on employees’ professional development through regular performance reviews and training, including mandatory trainings related to compliance; ethics, health and security; specific certifications where required to perform certain duties; supervising skills and development of succession plans of key employees. Compensation and retention We reinforce these values with a compensation system that rewards employees for profitably managing the things they can control. This incentive-based compensation system has been in place since we became a publicly traded company. There is no limit to how much a key employee can earn for success. We believe in a “real world” environment where the employees of our operating units are held accountable for the profit implications of their decisions. If these decisions result in operating losses, management generally must make up these losses with future operating profits, in the aggregate, before any cash incentive compensation can be earned. Executive management, in limited circumstances, makes exceptions at the branch operating unit level. At the same time, our policies, processes and relevant training focus on such things as cargo management, risk mitigation, compliance, sound business decisions, accounts receivable collection, cash flow and credit soundness in an attempt to help managers avoid the kinds of errors that might end a career. To retain the services of highly qualified, experienced, and motivated employees, we place considerable emphasis on our incentive-based compensation programs. Since our business is service based, we believe that employee retention remains critical to our long-term success. To that end and true to our company culture, we have traditionally not laid off employees when we have encountered challenging downturns or economic uncertainty. For example, in 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic, as we witnessed a rapid downturn in our industry, we adopted a “no lay off” policy because we knew business would come back at some point in the future and that we would need these employees to execute and grow our business. In retrospect, we know it was the right thing to do for both our employees and our business as it allowed us to have experienced teams in place to operate during challenging supply chain conditions in 2021. We evaluate our ability to engage and retain employees by monitoring turnover rates, percentage of positions filled internally, and by regularly conducting employee satisfaction surveys to identify opportunities where we can improve. Geographically diverse workforce At December 31, 2021, Expeditors employed approximately 19,000 people, of which approximately 12,000 were employed in international locations. We believe that focus on hiring and developing a diverse and talented workforce coupled with our incentive-based compensation program, enables us to provide exceptional service and superior financial results. We need to leverage regional and local expertise by staffing our districts principally with local managers and personnel who are from the regions in which they operate and who have extensive experience in logistics, coupled with a deep understanding of their local market. This results in a highly talented, inclusive and multi-cultural global workforce that reflects the diverse regions that we serve. Because our business involves shipments between districts and typically touches more than one geographic area, our success requires a high degree of communication and cooperation among our employees globally. 10. D istrict M anagers are key individuals in our Company as sales, operational execution and business and expenditure decisions necessary to service our customers are the responsibility of management at each district. The vast majority of our employees are based in our operational districts, geographically distributed as shown below. W e have summarized the number of employee s based on individual headcount as of December 31, 2021 as follows: Employee Count as of December 31, 2021 North America 7,290 Europe 3,930 North Asia 2,430 South Asia 1,680 Middle East, Africa and India 1,510 Latin America 800 Information Systems 1,050 Corporate 380 Total 19,070 Competition The global logistics services industry is intensely competitive and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. There are a large number of companies competing in one or more segments of the industry, but the number of firms with a global network that offer a full complement of logistics services is more limited. Certain air and ocean carriers are entering into onshore services as they pursue more profitable and less commoditized market segments to provide balance against their incumbent asset-based offerings. Further, there are new technology-based competitors that have entered the industry with substantial capital funding, with the intent to compete on a global level. Some of our competitors have significantly more resources than Expeditors. Depending on the location of the shipper and the importer, Expeditors must compete against both the niche players and larger entities. The industry continues to experience consolidations into larger firms striving for stronger and more complete multinational and multi-service networks. However, regional and local competitors still maintain a strong presence in certain markets. The primary competitive factors in the global logistics services industry continue to be price and quality of service, including reliability, responsiveness, expertise, convenience and scope of operations. Expeditors emphasizes quality customer service, underscored by a strong commitment to compliance, and believes that our prices are competitive with the prices of others in the industry. Larger customers utilize the services of multiple logistics providers and implement sophisticated and efficient procedures for the management of their logistics and supply chains by embracing strategies such as just-in-time delivery, network optimization, transportation flow optimization, and process improvement. Accordingly, timely and accurate data integrated into customer service capabilities is a significant factor in attracting and retaining customers. Expeditors supports our customers in these strategies through digital products that provide quoting, booking, freight tracing and tracking, customized reporting, data analytics, and solution modeling/simulation/optimization. We can further extend support for these customer strategies through our order management and customs brokerage products and related digital solutions. These digital products and solutions can be delivered through Electronic Data Interface (EDI), Application Programming Interfaces (API), and browser-based web applications or mobile applications. COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions have had a profound impact on a large number of customers across different industries, and many companies are now exploring options to build a strategy around supply chain resiliency, agility, sourcing, and inventory optimization. While our customers’ supply chain strategies may shift as a result of current conditions, we believe that the industry will remain highly competitive with a mix of large, niche, and new entrants, competing aggressively for customers’ business. Expeditors' management believes that the ability to develop and deliver innovative solutions to meet our customers’ increasingly sophisticated supply chain requirements is a critical factor in our ongoing success. We devote significant resources towards the maintenance and enhancement of technology and digital solutions in order to meet these customer demands. Management believes that our existing systems are competitive with the systems currently in use by other logistics services companies with which we compete. Unlike many of our competitors, who have tended to grow by merger and acquisition, Expeditors operates fully integrated transportation, customs brokerage, and accounting systems, running on a common hardware platform, in all of our full-service locations. Small and middle-tier competitors, in general, do not have the resources available to develop and integrate these customized systems. Historically, growth through aggressive acquisition has proven to be a challenge for many of our competitors and typically involves the purchase of significant “goodwill.” In contrast, Expeditors has pursued a strategy emphasizing organic growth supplemented by certain strategic acquisitions. Our ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified personnel with experience in global logistics services is an essential, if not the most important, element of Expeditors' ability to compete in the industry. To this end, we have adopted incentive compensation programs that make 11. percentages of an operating unit's revenues and operating income available to managers for distribution among key personnel. We believe that these incentive compensation programs, combined with our experienced personnel and our ability to coordinate global marketing and business development efforts, provide a distinct competitive advantage. Dependence on Service Providers In addition, our ability to provide services to our customers is highly dependent on good working relationships with a variety of entities, including airlines, ocean carrier lines, ground transportation providers and governmental agencies. The significance of maintaining acceptable working relationships with these entities has gained increased importance as a result of the effect of the pandemic, ongoing concern over terrorism, security, changes in governmental regulation and oversight of international trade. We use a consistent approach in selecting and managing service providers across all of our product offerings, beginning with a rigorous qualification and risk-based diligence process. We select and engage with best-in-class, compliance-focused, efficiently run, growth-oriented partners, based upon defined value elements and are intentional in our relationship and performance management activity, reinforcing success by awarding service providers who consistently achieve at the highest levels with additional business. We consider our current working relationships with these entities to be satisfactory. However, changes in the financial stability and operating capabilities and capacity of asset-based carriers, capacity allotments available from carriers, governmental regulation or deregulation efforts, modernization of the regulations governing customs brokerage, and/or changes in governmental restrictions, quota restrictions or trade accords could affect our business in unpredictable ways. Currency and Inflation Our worldwide operations require that we transact in a multitude of currencies other than the U.S. dollar. That exposes us to the inherent risks of volatile international currency markets and governmental interference. Some of the countries where we maintain offices and/or have agency relationships maintain strict currency control regulations that influence our ability to hedge foreign currency exposure. We try to compensate for these exposures by accelerating international currency settlements among our offices or agents. Historically, our business has not been adversely affected by inflation. However, in 2021, many countries including the United States experienced higher inflation than in recent years. In 2021 and continuing into 2022, our business has experienced rising labor costs, significant service provider rate increases, higher rent and occupancy and other expenses. Due to the high degree of competition in the marketplace we may not be able to increase our prices to our customers to offset this inflationary pressure, which could lead to an erosion in our margins and operating income in the future. Conversely, raising our prices to keep pace with inflationary pressure may result in a decrease in customer demand. Seasonality Historically, our operating results have been subject to seasonal demand trends, with the first quarter being the weakest and the third and fourth quarters being the strongest; however, there is no assurance that this seasonal trend will occur in the future or to what degree it will continue to be impacted by the pandemic. This historical pattern has been the result of, or influenced by, numerous factors, including weather patterns, national holidays, consumer demand, new product launches, economic conditions, pandemics, governmental policies, and inter-governmental disputes and a myriad of other similar and subtle forces. We cannot accurately forecast many of these factors, nor can we estimate accurately the relative influence of any particular factor and, as a result, there can be no assurance that historical patterns will continue in future periods . Government Regulations Transportation and Customs Brokerage With respect to activities in the air transportation industry in the United States, Expeditors is subject to regulation by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an indirect air carrier. All United States indirect air carriers must maintain prescribed security procedures and are subject to periodic audits by TSA. Our overseas offices and agents are licensed as airfreight forwarders in their respective countries of operation. Each Expeditors office is licensed, or, in the case of our newer offices, has applied for a license as an airfreight forwarder from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a voluntary association of airlines and air transport related entities that prescribes specific operating procedures for airfreight forwarders acting as agents for its members. The majority of our airfreight forwarding business is conducted with airlines that are IATA members. Expeditors is licensed as an Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) (sometimes referred to as an NVOCC) by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). The FMC has established specific qualifications for shipping agents, including certain surety bonding requirements. The FMC is also responsible for the economic regulation of OTI/NVOCC activity originating or terminating in the United States. To comply with these economic regulations, vessel operators and NVOCCs, such as EIO, must file tariffs electronically, establishing the rates to be charged for the movement of specified commodities into and out of the United States. The FMC has the power to enforce these regulations by assessing penalties. Expeditors is licensed as a customs broker by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency of DHS, nationally and in each U.S. customs district in which we do business. All United States customs brokers must maintain prescribed records and are subject to periodic audits by CBP. In other jurisdictions in which Expeditors performs customs clearance services, we are licensed by the appropriate governmental 12. authority where such license is required to perform these services. Expeditors participates in various governmental supply chain security programs, such as the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS), the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) in the United States, and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs in other countries. Additionally, Expeditors is subject to additional regulatory and licensing requirements in the countries where we operate. Business operations We do not believe the current United States and foreign governmental regulations impose significant economic restraint upon our business operations. In general, Expeditors conducts business activities in each country through a wholly or majority-owned subsidiary corporation that is organized and existing under the laws of that country. However, the regulations of foreign governments can impose barriers to our ability to provide the full range of our business activities in a wholly or majority United States-owned subsidiary. For example, foreign ownership of a customs brokerage business is prohibited in some jurisdictions. Less frequently, the ownership of the licenses required for freight forwarding and/or freight consolidation is restricted to local entities. When we encounter this sort of governmental restriction, we work to establish a legal structure that meets the local regulations’ requirements while also providing the substantive operating and economic advantages available in the absence of such regulation. This can be accomplished by creating a joint venture or exclusive agency relationship with a qualified local entity that holds the required license. The continuing global threats from pandemics, terrorism, cyberattacks, smuggling and wars, and governments’ overriding concern for the safety of passengers and citizens who import and export goods into and out of their respective countries, have resulted in a proliferation of cargo security and other regulations. Many of these regulations are complex and require varying degrees of interpretation. While these regulations have already created a marked difference in the security and other arrangements necessary to move shipments around the globe, regulations are expected to become more stringent in the future. As governments look for ways to tighten border controls and minimize the exposure of their citizens to contagious diseases, criminal elements and potential terror-related incidents, our competitors in the transportation business and we may be required to incorporate security and other procedures within our respective scope of services to a far greater degree than has been required in the past. We believe that increased security and additional requirements may involve further investments in technology and more sophisticated screening procedures being applied to cargo, customers, vendors, and employees. Expeditors' position is that any increased cost of compliance with security regulations will be passed through to beneficiaries of our services. Environmental In the United States, we are subject to Federal, state and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials and emissions into the environment or otherwise for the protection of the environment. Similar laws apply in many other jurisdictions in which we operate. Although our current operations have not been significantly affected by compliance with these environmental laws, governments, service providers and customers are becoming increasingly sensitive to environmental issues. We cannot predict what impact future environmental regulations may have on our business. While government regulation related to climate change is under consideration by various levels of governments internationally and in the United States, Expeditors is committed to continual improvement in reducing the impact of our operations on the environment and assisting our customers in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. We have employee-led Green Teams which cover each of our local district offices and are responsible for projects focused on reducing Expeditors' Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 1 emissions include all direct greenhouse gas emissions; Scope 2 includes indirect greenhouse gas emission from purchased electricity, heat or steam). We have voluntarily disclosed our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data to CDP since 2010. We are also attentive to our Scope 3 emissions (as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 3 emissions include all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain). Therefore, we are a SmartWay and Transporte Limpio Partner company in North America. SmartWay is a voluntary public-private program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for tracking, documenting and sharing information about fuel use and freight emissions across supply chains. Transporte Limpio is a similar, voluntary program sponsored by the Mexican government. Cargo Liability When acting as an airfreight consolidator, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (22 S pecial D rawing R ights [SDRs] per kilo unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge), except in the absence of an appropriate airway bill. The airline that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent. Generally, when acting solely as the agent of the shipper, we do not assume any contractual liability for loss or damage to shipments tendered to the carrier. When acting as an ocean freight consolidator, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (generally between $500 and 667 SDRs per package or customary freight unit unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge). The ocean carrier that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent. Generally, we do not assume liability for lost or damaged shipments in our ocean freight forwarding and customs clearance operations. 13. When providing ground transportation services as a carrier, Expeditors assumes a carrier’s liability for lost or damaged shipments. This legal liability is typically limited by contract to the lower of the value of the goods or the released value (generally between $ 0.50 per pound and 8.33 SDRs per kilo , although the released value can vary from country to country) unless the customer declares a higher value and pays a surcharge. The ground carrier that we utilize to make the actual shipment is generally liable to us in the same manner and to the same extent. When providing warehousing and distribution services, our legal liability is limited by contract and tariff to an amount generally equal to the lower of the value of the goods or $0.50 per pound with a maximum of $50 per “lot” — which is defined as the smallest unit that the warehouse is required to track. In certain circumstances, Expeditors will assume additional limited liability. We maintain cargo legal liability insurance covering claims for losses attributable to missing or damaged shipments for which we are legally liable. Expeditors also maintains insurance coverage for the property of others that is stored in our warehouse facilities. This insurance coverage is provided by a Vermont, U.S.-based insurance entity wholly owned by Expeditors. The coverage is fronted and re-insured by a global insurance company. The total risk retained by Expeditors in 2021 was $5 million. In addition, we are licensed as an insurance broker through our subsidiary, Expeditors Cargo Insurance Brokers, Inc., and place cargo insurance coverage for other customers. Information about our Executive Officers The following table sets forth the names, ages, and positions of current executive officers of our company. Name Age Position Jeffrey S. Musser 56 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Eugene K. Alger 61 President, Global Services Daniel R. Wall 53 President, Global Products Richard H. Rostan 65 President, Global Geographies and Operations Bradley S. Powell 61 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Christopher J. McClincy 47 Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Benjamin G. Clark 53 Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer Jeffrey F. Dickerman 46 Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Jeffrey S. Musser joined Expeditors in February 1983 and was promoted to District Manager in October 1989. Mr. Musser was elected to Regional Vice President in September 1999, Senior Vice President - Chief Information Officer in January 2005 and to Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer in May 2009. On December 19, 2013, Mr. Musser was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer and was elected by the Board of Directors as a director, effective March 1, 2014. Eugene K. Alger joined Expeditors in October 1981 and was promoted to District Manager in May 1982. Mr. Alger was elected Regional Vice President in January 1992, Senior Vice President of North America in September 1999 and Executive Vice President - North America in March 2008. In June 2014, Mr. Alger was promoted to Executive Vice President - Global Services. In August 2015, Mr. Alger was promoted to President, Global Services. Daniel R. Wall joined Expeditors in March 1987 and was promoted to District Manager in May 1992 and Global Director-Account Management in March 2002. Mr. Wall was elected Vice President - ECMS in January 2004 and Senior Vice President - Ocean Services in September 2004. In June 2015, Mr. Wall was appointed as President, Global Products. Richard H. Rostan joined Expeditors in August 1985 and was promoted to District Manager in March 1987, Regional Vice President in January 1993, Senior Vice President of Global Distribution in July 2012 and Senior Vice President, Americas in January 2015. Mr. Rostan was promoted to Executive Vice President, Americas in July 2015. Mr. Rostan was promoted to President of Global Geographies and Operations, effective February 28, 2017. Bradley S. Powell joined Expeditors as Chief Financial Officer in October 2008 and was elected Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in February 2012. Prior to joining Expeditors, Mr. Powell served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Eden Bioscience Corporation, a publicly-traded biotechnology company, from December 2006 to September 2008 and as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from July 1998 to December 2006. Christopher J. McClincy joined Expeditors in July 1998 and was promoted to Vice President - Information Services in April 2009. In February 2014, Mr. McClincy was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Benjamin G. Clark joined Expeditors in February 2015 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, was appointed Corporate Secretary in May 2015 and was appointed to Chief Strategy Officer in January 2020. From January 2014 until joining Expeditors, Mr. Clark served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Dematic Group, a global provider of intelligent intralogistics and materials handling 14. solutions. Prior to his experience with Dematic, Mr. Clark spent four years as the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the publicly traded Celanese Corporation, a global technologies and specialty materials company. From 2002 to 2009 Mr. Clark worked for Honeywell International, Inc., where he held progressively responsible roles concluding as the Vice President and General Counsel, Aerospace Global Operations. Jeffrey F. Dickerman joined Expeditors in October 2004 as Associate Corporate Counsel and became Corporate Counsel in 2007. Mr. Dickerman became Director, Global Legal Services in 2011 and Vice President and Associate General Counsel in 2015. In 2019, Mr. Dickerman became Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. In January 2020, Mr. Dickerman was appointed to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and was appointed Corporate Secretary in May 2020. Prior to joining Expeditors, Mr. Dickerman was an Associate Attorney at Stoel Rives LLP. Available Information Our internet address is http://www.expeditors.com . We make available free of charge through our internet website Expeditors' annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are also available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov . The information contained on or accessible through Expeditors' website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.