The year 2022 has been a highly productive one for The Coop

In the last 12 months, the Coop has made many significant achievements that are contributing to the growth of the network and its members

The year 2022, has turned out to be a very constructive one for The Cooperative Logistics Network. The Coop’s team has accomplished several of its objectives, thus helping the members to make their presence felt in the freight forwarding industry.

Cooperative Logistics Network
Cooperative Logistics Network

 

In March 2022, The Cooperative Logistics Network fulfilled its long-time ambition of creating a unique learning opportunity for the network members. The Coop partnered with esteemed organizations like CIFFA (Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association) and Container xChange to offer online logistics certificate courses that will allow the agents to augment their skills and industry knowledge.

The Coop has bolstered its social media endeavours by opening a new Instagram handle. In addition to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, we are now making our presence felt on Instagram. The Coop team firmly believes that an active presence across several social media platforms helps expand our network’s outreach.

Additionally, The Cooperative Logistics Network has welcome many new agents to further increase its coverage. Presently the Coop has members in over 327 cities in 135 countries around the world and this number will keep growing in the coming year.

Lastly, The Coop team is working relentlessly to organize an in-person Annual Meeting in Phuket, Thailand, in March 2023, after a two years gap due to the pandemic. Finally, The Coop agents will get to come together under one roof for networking and socializing activities. To this end, the network has created a special Annual Meeting web portal from where the agents can easily access all information relating to the Annual Meeting from one page. It brings together all the pertinent information about the event at the members’ fingertips and simplifies the registration, room reservation, and meeting slot booking processes.

As stated by Antonio Torres, The President and Founder of The Cooperative Logistics Network, “With the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, it is imperative for the independent freight forwarders to stick together, work on concerted projects, and offer first-rate services to expand their outreach. This is exactly what we are helping our members to achieve and all our endeavours are aimed at accomplishing this objective.”

 

 

The Cooperative Logistics Network creates an Instagram page

The new Instagram handle of The Coop will come with photos, and videos relating to the network and its members

The Cooperative Logistics Network recently created a page on Instagram to bolster its presence on social media.  The Coop’s new Instagram handle will add to their social networking endeavours and enable them to interact with their audience through infographic and audio/visual content.

Ever since its early years, The Coop has been tapping into the potential of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They have been posting relevant information, about the network, news from the members as well as links to their blogs and newsletters on their social media handles.

According to Maria Serrano, the PR and Event Coordinator of The Cooperative Logistics Network, “We understand that a large number of our future agents are going to check our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter page as a part of their online research about our network. This is precisely why we are further augmenting our social media endeavours with this new Instagram handle. Apart from enhancing the visibility of our network, our extended social media presence will even help to increase the online visibility of our agents.”

The Cooperative Logistics Network

 

The Coop’s June Newsletter for 2022 is full of interesting news from the network, its members and the transportation and logistics industry

The second edition of The Coop’s newsletter for 2022 can now be viewed and downloaded from the website

The Cooperative Logistics Network’s June Newsletter for 2022 is now online. To begin with, the newsletter announces the dates of The Coop’s 6th Annual Meeting that will take place in March 2023 in Phuket, Thailand. The newsletter enumerates the top highlights of the meetings and explains why it is imperative for the network members to participate in the in-person meeting to bolster their networking.

The Coop June Newsletter
The Coop June Newsletter

 

Click on the above image to read the newsletter

The Coop’s June Newsletter offers all the relevant news from the network along with a brief glimpse at all the latest happenings in the logistics industry. The members news for this edition covers the latest achievement of agents from Singapore, Lima, Guatemala City, Venice, Santiago, Shenzhen, Seoul, and Hamburg/Bremen/Frankfurt. Additionally, it includes the announcement about the online CIFFA course on Essentials of Freight Forwarding that will commence on 15th September. There is also the news about the network’s upgraded partnership with Container xChange and how it will benefit the agents.

In the industry news section, there is a news about the acquisition of ten new container ships by ONE. Furthermore, there are several news fragments from the supply chain industry to keep the members updated. Finally, there is an informative article about “How to find the right shipping containers” that will help sea freight agents to make an informed decision about which container to use for their cargo.

Click here to continue reading.

The anouncement launched by The Cooperative about the new tool implemented in FreightViewer covered by the logistics media

The new tool added to FreightViewer opens new business opportunities to members in the network since it enables users not only to exchange information with agents, but also with external partners.

The article explains the advantages which come along with the new incorporated feature of FreightViewer- The Coop’s member exclusive freight management software. This new implementation is a game changer in FreightViewer since, up to now it could only be used between members of the Network but – from now on- FreightViewer can also be used with external agents.

Cooperative_FreightViewer_logistics_media
Cooperative_FreightViewer_logistics_media

 

American Journal of Transportation ( AJOT): is dedicated to providing shippers, carriers, transportation intermediaries, and transportation and logistics professionals with coverage of news and events that shape the world of international trade and transportation.

Hellenic Shipping news Worldwide is an Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping Leaders in global shipping news for over 10 years Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide.

Novologistica.com: launched at the begginig 2012 as a blog specialized in and the suplay chain. Since 2017 it covers news and updates in the industry.

The World’s New Monitor:  launched in February 2019 gives an unbiased, neutral view of important economic information.WNM is a brand of NewsTech, an international media company with a strong focus on journalism and technology.

Logistics Bussines: is a pan-European journal dedicated to the best-in-class application of all aspects of technology and services spanning the entire supply chain.

Don’t hesitate to contact amartin@thecooperativelogisticsnetwork.com for further details.

 

 

The Cooperative welcomes new members with an online tour reception and renovates its members area to create a more fuctional space

The intranet has been transformed into a more user-friendly space- a renovated area which will be presented to the upcoming members through a personalized welcome tour

With the aim of converting the members area in a more useful space for agents, The Coop team has redesigned its format. All changes have been included under the premise of improving the traceability and the use of the intranet. This renovation comes along with the digital strategy that has been developed by The Coop for the past two years.

The new design enables members to easily access the essential tools such as the Network Directory or FreightViewer. Moreover, there are two additions to this space. Firstly, a section dedicated to the newest Coop members, which will inform about their incorporation to the Network and will introduce new agents to the group. Secondly, we have created a section for The Coop member news. In this section the agents will find interviews with partners and interesting information related to the sector.

The COOP_new intranet_new tools

Along with these changes, the team will greet new members with an online welcome tour. This update is a significant change since it will enable the latest members to know all features and procedures within the Network. The Coop considers it essential to introduce new members into the group through a warm and personalized welcome.

This facilitates the interaction with all members and with the Head Office. Both these changes were included in the digital strategy adapted by The Coop  for the last two years. This is because, reshaping the intranet enhances the traceability and the use of the members area. On the other hand, the welcome tour ensures that new members are integrated in the network from the beginning.

The welcome tour is for those agents who have recently joined the Network. Besides, it is also for those who wants to know more about the features offered inside the members area.

Don’t hesitate to contact amartin@thecooperativelogisticsnetwork.com for further details.

 

The Coop turns 5!

The Coop started accepting applications from members in September 2014 and commenced their global operations since December 2014

The Cooperative Logistics Network which started its journey from September 2014 has turned 5 years old. The Coop was formed with members from over 60 cities across more than 50 countries which together had a total of over 5000 employees with a sales turnover exceeding EUR 550 million for 2014. Since then, The Coop brand was endorsed worldwide as a practical and attractive new opportunity for freight forwarders who henceforth benefitted from the tailored service of a strong network of local independent agents, and an international reach.

“It was during our 1st Annual Meeting at Bangkok in May 2014 when members began to realize the enormous potentials of our network and the rewards of collaboration. Since then we have travelled a long way and presently we count on over 288 agents from numerous cities covering 124 countries with a total of more than 13,928 employees.” says Antonio Torres the President and Founder of Cooperative Logistics Network. Last year alone The Coop was joined by 85 new members and the number keeps increasing.

Presently, The Coop is one of the premier non-exclusive networks of independent freight forwarders who are offered an international brand, a digital infrastructure, and an impressive global presence. Apart from 5 highly successful Annual Meetings, the steady rise in the number of our agents, and the introduction of an array of online tools and PR services for our members, one of our most significant achievements in the last 5 years consist in the introduction of our member-exclusive online tool FreightViewer, which has taken the digitization efforts of independent freight forwarder one step further.

Keep an eye on our upcoming newsletter for a special coverage of our 5th Anniversary!

Interview: Saqib Mehmood, The Vision Shipping

Interview Saqib Mehmood
Interview Saqib Mehmood

“Good customer service with prompt reply and the ability to quote rates quickly and accurately are some of the factors which can lead to a Freight Forwarder’s success”

This week we interviewed Saqib Mehmood, Director of The Vision Shipping LLC- a Coop member in Dubai UAE. Among other things, Saqib talks about the benefits of attending our Annual Meeting and sheds some light on how to be successful in the freight forwarding industry.

 

Q. Can you tell us a little about The Vision Shipping’s history? 

A. I founded TVSL group- a company providing various shipping and logistics services in 2009. With a proven background in the freight forwarding industry, we have served customers from all parts of the world. Over the years, we have become our client’s most reliable option and we carry the same image even today. TVSL is undoubtedly, one of the most renowned companies in the city and we’re making it big with each day passing.

Q. What distinguishes The Vision Shipping from other freight forwarders in your city?

A. Our services are more focused on the domestic and international transportation of both domestic and commercial goods. The service is mandatory for the companies, which are engaged in transporting a wide range of products to overseas market. We are committed to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction by ensuring quality, cost effective services and timely freight forwarding and logistical solutions. Apart from Air and Sea, we also use LTL, FTL, and Intermodal (rail) to move freight. What sets us apart is our ability to deliver the best service on time.

 Q. Which is the most difficult shipment your team has had to deliver?

A. Although we keep handling a lot of complex shipments on a regular basis, moving the Rig Moment from the Gulf of Mexico to India had indeed been a challenging task.

Q. How did you hear about The Cooperative Logistics Network? What attracted you most to The Coop?

A. We were curious about your network when we heard about it from an acquaintance in the industry. I immediately followed up and all the answers to my scrutinizing questions were answered satisfactorily. It was then that we joined as a founding member and here we are still. Full transparency, clear cut information, friendly members, professionally organized Annual Meeting and follow up, and an uncomplicated Payment Protection Programme are some of the factors which attracted us most to your network.

Q. What are the main technological challenges facing freight forwarders at the moment? How important is technology for the industry? 

A. With every passing year, the role of technology in the freight forwarding world is steadily increasing. Technology is now enabling things like predictive analytics, real-time visibility, and enhanced customer service. Freight forwarders of our times need to be updated with all the latest technologies in the industry otherwise they would run the risk of falling behind their competitors. Q. What are the main challenges facing freight forwarders in your country at the moment? A. The transparency and the ruthless competition of carriers and logistic providers, increasing traffic, and related congestion, strikes and hijacking are some of the most common issues faced by freight forwarders in UAE. Moreover, we need to keep pace with the rapidly changing laws and directives and inform our customers about them before our competitors do. I realize these issues are not exclusive to our country.Q. From your own experience, what are the keys to success in the freight forwarding industry?

A. The first step has to be introspection. One needs to analyze where they currently stand in the market, their strengths and weakness. Once the problems are identified, the freight forwarding companies need to focus more on their strengths and work on their weakness and convert that into their strength. Moreover, one needs to identify their client’s exact needs, to make a tailor-made service. Freight forwarders should always keep in mind that low rates are not always the deciding factor to gain a business. If a freight forwarder can provide top-notch services while offering a decent rate, then there is no looking back for that company. Good customer service with prompt reply & the ability to quote rates quickly and accurately are some of the factors which can lead to a company’s success. Lastly, a freight forwarding company have to have a proper marketing team with a good marketing strategy in place to promote their organization at the global level.

New Coop Member In Casablanca, Morocco

The Coop is proud to welcome its newest member in Casablanca, Morocco:

Key Contact Name: Ms Oulhakem Sanae

E-mail: sanae@moroccan-cargo.com

Website: www.moroccan-cargo.com

Company founded in: 2014

 

Members requiring assistance with shipments in Casablanca, Morocco, are invited to get in touch with the MOROCCAN CARGO PARTNER team.  

The Maritime Standard Awards 2018 will take place at the Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai on 15th October

Maritime Standard Award
Maritime Standard Award

The deadline to participate on the Awards is today, 17th August

The Maritime Standard Award, 2018 is one of the most prestigious shipping and maritime awards of Asia which will be attended by key decision makers of the industry from across the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, The Maritime Standard Awards recognise the achievements of the industry’s most outstanding performers and celebrate and reward their successes.

The event’s night will witness the presentation of 27 awards and some of the winners will be selected by an elite panel of judges, chosen for their knowledge and experience, while others will be chosen by The Maritime Standard team to mark exceptional achievements. A host of leading companies from the region’s shipping and maritime-related industries have already confirmed their attendance. Winning an award gives companies and individuals a chance to promote their achievements on an international stage.

Winning this award can help your company in the following ways:

• Highlight your company’s market leading position and progressive approach

• Attract new business opportunities

• Reinforce relationships with existing clients

• Reward and motivate employees, partners and contractors

Click here to nominate now and join the ranks of The Maritime Standard Award Winners and Finalists representing the Who’s Who in shipping and maritime.

For further details, please contact Ammaar Murtaza at +971 4 380 5556 or email at ammaar@flagshipme.com