A.F. ROMERO CO

What A.F. ROMERO CO does

A. F. Romero & Co., Inc. is a privately held U.S. customs brokerage and warehousing company founded in 1960 and headquartered in Calexico, California, immediately adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border. The company provides import and export customs clearance, in-bond transit services, bonded and general warehousing (40,000 sq ft facility with 16 docks and high-density racks), and trans-border distribution integrated with UPS, FedEx, and DHL. Customer work is concentrated in maquila programs and NAFTA/USMCA-related trade flows.

The technology stack is traditional automation rather than a modern software platform. Core systems include the Automated Broker Interface (ABI), Automated Export System (AES), E-Manifest, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), and a proprietary Documents Module distributed to client PCs that generates U.S. Customs inward Cargo Manifests and transmits them back to the broker. Customer-facing digital tools include a password-protected e-Warehouse portal for inventory access and an ABI-AES Web Reports system for retrieving CF7501 forms and invoices. The company operates from a single border facility and is C-TPAT certified.

The business model is professional services/managed services revenue from customs brokerage fees, bonded storage (up to five years of duty-deferred warehousing), and warehouse/distribution fees. Pricing is fully quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the go-to-market is sales-led, direct consultation, and personal customer relationships rather than marketing or channel partnerships. Ownership is private with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding history, no M&A activity, and no parent company.

Name

A.F. ROMERO CO

Legal name

A. F. Romero & Co., Inc.

Website

https://afromero.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A. F. Romero & Co., Inc. is a privately held U.S. customs brokerage and warehousing company founded in 1960 in Calexico, California, providing import/export clearance, bonded and general warehousing, and trans-border distribution services to importers and exporters at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customs Brokerage Services

NAICS

Warehousing and Storage (493)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulated & Controlled Goods Clearance (FDA/USDA, Pharma, Chemicals, Dual-Use) (TLACAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customs Bonded Distribution Centers (In-Bond DCs) (TLALAGAC)

Keywords

• Customs brokerage services
• Bonded warehouse storage
• Import export clearance
• Border logistics services
• Customs compliance consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Calexico

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Customs Brokerage Services: U.S. Customs brokerage services for import and export clearance, including NAFTA analysis, duty drawback, and customs clearance tracking.
2. Bonded Warehouse Services: Storage and manipulation of dutiable goods without payment of duty in a secured bonded warehouse facility. Goods may remain up to five years from date of importation.
3. General Warehouse and Distribution: 40,000 sq ft warehouse with high density racks, customized inventory system, material consolidation, and trans-border (USA-Mexico) distribution services including UPS, FedEx, and DHL integration.
4. In-Bond Services: In-bond transmissions, automated broker interface, EEI/AES filing, and reconciliation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

A.F. Romero & Co., Inc. is a U.S. Customs Broker and bonded warehouse operator providing import and export customs clearance, in-bond transportation, bonded and general warehousing, and trans-border distribution services at the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico, California. The company supports maquila programs and NAFTA provisions, with proprietary automation (ABI, AES, EDI, e-Warehouse portal) and C-TPAT-certified facilities.

Product overview

A.F. ROMERO CO is a U.S. Customs Brokerage and Warehouse company established in 1960, operating at the Mexican border. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on customs clearance (Import and Export services), bonded and general warehousing (40,000 sq ft facility), and automated systems (ABI, AES, EDI, e-manifest). These services are delivered through web-based customer portals including e-Warehouse for inventory access and ABI-AES Web Reports for document retrieval, supported by a downloadable Documents Module for cargo manifest generation. The company provides consultation services including NAFTA analysis and C-TPAT compliance support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• NFI Industries: NFI Industries is a contract logistics provider offering dedicated warehousing, distribution, and drayage services with cross-border capabilities — directly comparable to A.F. Romero's bonded warehouse and trans-border distribution business.
• Transplace: Transplace provides cross-border transportation management and logistics services between the U.S. and Mexico, with comparable warehousing and distribution capabilities along the same border corridor as A.F. Romero.
• Purolator International: Purolator International provides cross-border shipping and customs clearance between the U.S. and Canada, with comparable brokerage and freight forwarding services to A.F. Romero's U.S.-Mexico offerings — a directly analogous border-focused broker.

Broad incumbents

• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a global logistics provider with significant customs brokerage and warehousing capabilities, including services across the U.S.-Mexico border, making it a directly comparable broad incumbent competitor.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding offers customs clearance, freight forwarding, and contract logistics across major U.S.-Mexico border crossings, overlapping with A.F. Romero's brokerage and distribution services at far greater scale.
• Maersk Logistics & Services: Maersk's logistics and services division offers customs clearance, warehousing, and inland distribution globally, including intermodal Mexico-U.S. services — a broad incumbent competing for the same cross-border shippers as A.F. Romero.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions: UPS's customs brokerage and contract logistics division offers U.S. import/export clearance, bonded warehousing, and cross-border services — directly overlapping with A.F. Romero's core offering but at significantly larger scale and with global reach.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders, Kuehne+Nagel provides customs brokerage, bonded warehousing, and contract logistics services — a broad incumbent in the same customs and warehousing categories as A.F. Romero.
• C.H. Robinson: C.H. Robinson is a major North American 3PL offering customs brokerage through its NA logistics division, with cross-border capabilities that overlap with A.F. Romero's Calexico-focused import/export services.
• FedEx Trade Networks: FedEx's trade services arm provides customs brokerage, trade consulting, and supply-chain solutions for cross-border shippers, competing with A.F. Romero on import/export clearance and value-added trade services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A.F. ROMERO CO