Freight Forwarding Industry: With its headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland, FIATA is currently one of the most reputed organizations in the Freight Forwarding Industry, becoming a member of which offers a set of unique advantages for logistics companies. FIATA – or the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations is the largest non-governmental transport association of freight forwarding companies that has been operating since 1926. The topic of today’s article is FIATA and how becoming a member of this association can benefit independent freight forwarders.
A bit about FIATA
FIATA is an association of logistics companies that has consultative status with the United Nations. Moreover, documents generated by FIATA have a bearing on international trade laws. Most governmental authorities as well as private organizations recognize this organization as a representative body of the international freight forwarding industry. Presently they consist of 109 Association Members with over 5,500 Individual Members. Additionally, FIATA members are represented by over 40,000 freight forwarding companies from all over the world.
The organization actively promotes commercial engagement and the best trade practices within the freight forwarding industry. Furthermore, with its engagement with the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and other global organizations and transport associations, FIATA seeks to protect the interest of the players in the transportation and logistics industry.
How FIATA helps the players in the freight forwarding industry
According to the renewed mission statement of the organization, “FIATA is the largest federation and voice of global logistics serving its entire eco-system. It fosters the knowledge of its members to ensure a sustainable and resilient supply chain.” They look forward to bringing together the global freight and logistics sector and promoting, protecting and representing the interests of the players in this industry. Additionally, they take up the role of industry experts during conventions of the global transportation and logistics industry.
FIATA also helps the industry by standardizing and elevating the level of services provided by logistics companies. To this end, they promote and create standardized trading conditions and forwarding documents. Yet another objective of this association is to familiarize the freight forwarding industry and its customers with the services provided by logistics companies. They do this by broadcasting relevant information and publications. Lastly, the FIATA supports vocational training for their members.
Types of FIATA memberships in the freight forwarding industry
FIATA members can be classified under two categories: Association Members and Individual Members.
Association members
FIATA’s Association Membership implies global representation of the members among the chief participants and industry experts in the freight and logistics industry. They advocate member-friendly policies that are aimed to benefit their members in their local environments. Additionally, the Association Members of FIATA get to join an international community of freight forwarders. FIATA provides them with a range of resources and platforms to amplify their voices in the industry. If you want to become an Association member your first step is to write them an email at this address: info@fiata.com.
Individual members
Competent freight forwarding companies can choose to become Individual members of FIATA. These members need to comply with the rules and objectives of FIATA. The Business Integrity Statement gives a fair idea about the rules that the members would need to abide by. Moreover, the reputation associated with being a member of a highly protected brand like FIATA will allow the logistics company to obtain new projects.
Group members
FIATA’s group members consist of international companies that represent the logistics branch of a number of countries. However, if all the group members are national associations, they are referred to as Association members. They can also consist of global forwarding bodies that embody similar interests as that of FIATA. It also includes groups whose members are only active in a particular department of the freight forwarding sector.
Type Blue & Green Membership
This type of membership is ideally meant for independent freight forwarders. Type Blue members are those organizations that are in countries with a FIATA Association member. Members in territories without FIATA association members are the Type Green members. Blue and Green Type members have to pay a net registration cost of 335 CHF. Additionally, they also have to pay an annual membership fee of 250 CHF, a one-time entrance fee of 50 CHF and a courier fee of 35 CHF.
The advantages of Blue Type membership for logistics companies
There are several advantages of Type Blue membership for freight forwarding companies.
- FIATA features the name and contact of the member company in their members’ directory. In other words, partners and customers looking for services in a particular territory on the FIATA directory will easily find the company’s contacts.
- Members will receive the FIATA Review 5 times annually. This review is a publication that will keep you updated with all the industry-defining issues along with the latest news from FIATA.
- Members will get hold of FIATA publications at a discounted price. These publications include- FIATA Documents and Forms, Code of Abbreviations, Legal Handbook on Forwarding, The Law of Freight Forwarding and several other articles.
- FIATA provides the members with legal advice and in several territories, FIATA recommends on request legal professionals in the freight forwarding sector.
- There is a FIATA arbitration court that mitigates disputes between the FIATA members.
- The Individual members of FIATA can use the FIATA Logo on their business cards, company brochure, letterheads, vehicles, website and print materials.