FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- ArcBest announced a restructuring plan on Thursday (Nov. 3) that will leave 130 people without jobs.
A company representative said the 130 cut jobs will be happening company-wide, although some will be from the Fort Smith operation.
ArcBest Corporation, which owns ABF Freight, said in a press release that the shift came as an initiative help meet customer demands and to improve customer experience.
On Jan. 1, 2017, most of the company's logistics services will be rebranded as ArcBest, according to the release.
Other changes include combining ABF Logistics, ABF Moving and Panther into a new logistics operation, the release states. Additionally, there will be a consolidation of training and quality under ArcBest.
Similarly, ABF Freight field sales and ABF Logistics sales and other sales personnel will be combined into a unified ArcBest sales team.
A company press released stated the corporation expects the restructure will come at a cost to them of "$9 million". It also states a majority will be non-cash, software, lease terminations and severance.
Additionally, ArcBest will be creating a unified sales structure and approach to pricing, customer service, marketing and capacity sourcing under the same brand.
The company estimated $15 million in operating expense savings, the release states.