“The main challenges faced by freight forwarders are fluctuation in prices, shipping delays and container shortage. We are offering a service to collect containers to try to cope with this crisis.”
Today we are publishing an interview with Mr. El Mootamid Abbad Andaloussi, President and General Manager of FUTUR TRANS ATLANTIC FTA, Globalia member in Tangiers, Morocco. In this interview, he talks about the distinguishing features of their company, their several accreditation, and the range of services they are offering. Additionally, Mr. Andaloussi also talks about the ongoing problems faced by forwarders and about the need for digitization in the freight forwarding sector. |
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Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the history of FUTUR TRANS ATLANTIC ?
A. FTA was created in 1999, by Mr. El Mootamid Abbad Andaloussi, one of the major businessmen in Tangier, Morocco. Since then, FTA has obtained numerous certifications and categorizations that testify to the excellence and performance of the company at national and international levels. Some of the certificates we have obtained over the years are ISO 9001 V2015 Bureau Veritas / UKAS / Cofrac, ISO 28000 Bureau Veritas, ONSSA (Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires), AEO SS, and the Moroccan Green Logistics certificate. Additionally, we are in the process of obtaining the ISO 39001 certification.
Q. What distinguishes FUTUR TRANS ATLANTIC from other freight forwarders in your city?
A. What distinguishes FTA from other freight forwarders in our city is that we are the only Moroccan company preparing for the ISO 39001 Road Safety Management Systems certification. Moreover, the fact that we are categorized as an AEO approved Authorized Economic Operator for “Safety and Security” surely adds to the credibility of our company. This certification is not given to all freight forwarders in Morocco. Thanks to our good working relationship with the customs authorities, this categorization has opened the door to several advantages such as customs simplifications, priority treatment, less document based controls etc.
Furthermore, FTA has a Warehouse of 18950 m², a dry port of 13,000 m², a parking space of 75,000 m², and a modern fleet that meets European standards. Over the years we have established ourselves as a specialist in LTL and FTL shipping specializing in the transportation of industrial items, textile, aeronautical goods, automotives, perishable commodities etc. Moreover our bonded platforms and customs clearance area also adds to the efficacy of our operations.
Q. What services do you offer? Which is the most difficult service offered by you?A. FTA offers international multimodal transport by road sea and air. In addition, we offer services like groupage and complete transport of industrial products, textile, aeronautical goods, automotive, perishable commodities etc. In order to keep up with the digitization effort in this sector we are providing track and trace services for our customers’ shipments. The most difficult service that FTA offers is Express Service. |
Digitization has completely changed the freight forwarding industry. Like all major players in this sector we are also digitizing several of our manual work process. Moreover, our track and trace services has taken us one step further in this regard. |
Q. What are the main challenges facing freight forwarders in your country at the moment?
A. The main challenges faced by freight forwarders are fluctuation in prices and shipping delays. Additionally, we are also contending with the container shortage. We are managing the container shortage on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, we offer a service to collect containers from the Spanish coast by road. This is allowing us to somewhat cope with the container crisis.
Q. How do you think technology has changed the freight forwarding industry with the pandemic?
A. Digitization has completely transformed the freight forwarding industry. Like all major players in this sector we are also digitizing several of our manual work process. Moreover, our track and trace services have taken us one step further in this regard. Today our clients can book the dock before the vessel’s arrival to avoid any kind of delay and be more organized, thanks to the services of PORTNET Single Window for foreign trade procedures in Morocco.
Q. What is the most important shipment your team has handled?
A. The most important shipment that our team handled was an OOG shipment all the way to Sri Lanka. The challenges of this shipment were packaging, which was handled by our competent team. Fumigation of this shipment was also a challenging task that was successfully accomplished.
Q. Where do you see FUTUR TRANS ATLANTIC in the future?
A. A. After more than 23 years of success and leadership in the field of logistics and road transport, we see FTA in the future as a reliable operator worldwide with increasing private investments. We are also planning to integrate the stock Exchange of Casablanca. We really look forward to fruitful collaborations with our network partners that will lead our company to the best position.