Latest News
MARKET KNOWLEDGE FUELS FRANCE LINEWhile the road freight market between the UK and France is coming under increasing pressure, there continue to be opportunities for smaller forwarders that can demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the market, according to Marie Boyer, manager of France Line.
She admits that although volumes are under pressure, but says grounds for optimism remain: "The automotive industry is not doing well, and neither is construction and industries connected to it.
"But we have a diverse portfolio, and other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering and machinery are doing okay.â€
The small Manchester-based forwarder - run by a team of four - is owned by two French hauliers, Transport Baudouin and Multitransporte, and was launched to help fill back-loads trucks returning to France. Over the ensuing 20 years, business has continued at a healthy level, and Marie Boyer believes much of its success is due to personal service.
"A lot of our business is word-of-mouth. We have been in this market for a long time, we know what is going on and can minimise the impact if there are difficulties. We work at building relationships, which means we can add value for our customers."
A key aspect of surviving the current challenge is operational control, she says.
"We cover a lot of our traffic is the trailers of our shareholders, but we have complete management control. Once the driver is in the UK, we are given his route details and we take complete control over him and what he is reloading.
"It's all about serving different customers' different needs. It is challenging at the moment - where last year you might have had full loads you are now getting part loads - but you can add value. For some customers, instead of doing a part load every week, it makes more sense to do a full load every two weeks."
Even in these times shippers are prepared to pay slightly more for a bespoke service, she says. "We have good relationships with our customers and in general they are happy to pay a little more for a good service."
But she admits that the number of empty trailers returning to France is on the rise, and prices are increasingly becoming an issue. With growing overcapacity in the France-UK road freight sector, customer retention will become the priority for forwarders.
Article published on IFW magazine on the 2nd of March 2009
Posted on: 2009-03-23She admits that although volumes are under pressure, but says grounds for optimism remain: "The automotive industry is not doing well, and neither is construction and industries connected to it.
"But we have a diverse portfolio, and other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering and machinery are doing okay.â€
The small Manchester-based forwarder - run by a team of four - is owned by two French hauliers, Transport Baudouin and Multitransporte, and was launched to help fill back-loads trucks returning to France. Over the ensuing 20 years, business has continued at a healthy level, and Marie Boyer believes much of its success is due to personal service.
"A lot of our business is word-of-mouth. We have been in this market for a long time, we know what is going on and can minimise the impact if there are difficulties. We work at building relationships, which means we can add value for our customers."
A key aspect of surviving the current challenge is operational control, she says.
"We cover a lot of our traffic is the trailers of our shareholders, but we have complete management control. Once the driver is in the UK, we are given his route details and we take complete control over him and what he is reloading.
"It's all about serving different customers' different needs. It is challenging at the moment - where last year you might have had full loads you are now getting part loads - but you can add value. For some customers, instead of doing a part load every week, it makes more sense to do a full load every two weeks."
Even in these times shippers are prepared to pay slightly more for a bespoke service, she says. "We have good relationships with our customers and in general they are happy to pay a little more for a good service."
But she admits that the number of empty trailers returning to France is on the rise, and prices are increasingly becoming an issue. With growing overcapacity in the France-UK road freight sector, customer retention will become the priority for forwarders.
Article published on IFW magazine on the 2nd of March 2009
