FreightHub: IATA license and more than 1,000 customers
FreightHub, as a full-fledged forwarding company, organises classic forwarding services for sea and air freight as well as rail freight transport including customs and insurance on the Europe-Asia trade, but relies on digital planning and processing. With real-time processes, supply transparency and full control of the supply chain, the company is gaining more and more popularity on the market.
At the end of the year 2018, the number of customers rose to more than 1,000, mainly as a result of growth from mid-sized and large companies. With an unspecified eight-figure annual sales, this development also directly impacted the track record of the Berlin-based company.
“We have invested heavily in building digital solutions for in-house collaboration and engaging suppliers that are of particular interest to mid-sized companies. The high level of approval from this customer group shows that we offer elementary added value,” explains Michael Wax, co-founder and CCO of FreightHub.
Following the successful opening of the first Asian FreightHub facility in Hong Kong in July 2018, the market entry into the Netherlands and Belgium was made in autumn after the completion of the network build-up. Now imports and exports can also be processed digitally in this trading center, which is central to European goods traffic. The prerequisite for this was finding reliable partner companies for the pre- and post-transport.
To further strengthen its Asian business as a core business, FreightHub took over a sea freight carrier specialising in the import of Asian goods at the end of 2018. “With this initial acquisition in our relatively recent company history, we are primarily pursuing growth targets,” explains Ferry Heilemann, co-founder and CEO of FreightHub. The expansion of capacity and service in this region strengthens its position as a faster, more efficient and transparent partner for the global transport of goods.
At the beginning of 2019, FreightHub will continue to focus on expanding the platform and the functionalities. An important contribution is made by the newly acquired IATA license, which confirms FreightHub’s role as a full-fledged air freight forwarder. According to the company FreightHub customers benefit from this license through an expansion of the route offer, cheaper prices and better tracking options.
“We are constantly working to make the offer as transparent, fast and easy to handle as possible for our customers. The IATA license is a further step towards the resource-optimised handling of goods transport by plane and enables us to significantly expand our alternative offer to sea freight,” says CTO and co-founder Erik Muttersbach.
In 2019, FreightHub continues to focus on growth: The locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Hong Kong with a current workforce of 140 will be expanded.