Language
FERCAM Sweden: a Branch animated by a young entrepreneurial spirit
After just a few months of activity, FERCAM’s Helsingborg Branch had already doubled its team, changed its strategy, and added new trailers to its fleet. A year and a half later, there is no doubt that the successes collected by FERCAM’s Scandinavian department were an inspiration to further expand their range of action. Their secret? Engagement, hard work, and a charismatic leader...
Kushtrim Berbati is FERCAM Sweden’s Country Manager. His journey in the company did not start by chance, but rather thanks to his dedication and enthusiasm. «When we talk about how FERCAM Sweden was born», FERCAM’s MD Hannes Baumgartner recalls, «it always comes to remembering that Kushtrim has a great entrepreneurial spirit. It all started with a chat message: he directly contacted our Director Davide Aonso on LinkedIn to propose a collaboration. Our videocalls began right after and since unfortunately due to the pandemic we couldn’t meet in person, we ended up handling the whole process of founding the new Scandinavian Group company on MS Teams!».
The first meeting to discuss a new opening in Sweden was held in February 2020 and the new company was officially up and running in less than one year. It was not an easy start, firstly because the Covid emergency as we all know had severely affected supply chains all across the globe. «We didn’t have an easy start, we had to learn it all by doing», Kushtrim explains. «Process and system integration was especially hard to implement from a distance, in the beginning, we had to handle a number of operations manually since it took more time than expected to properly set up our TMS and administration processes. But we were eager to begin and we surely weren’t going to let ourselves be discouraged by a little more effort».
The initial strategy was to start small and operate only as an agency, but Kushtrim saw a bigger opportunity and was willing to dare: right after a few weeks, he proposed to progressively introduce more and more trailers and new routes. Customers started contacting FERCAM directly, to be able to face restrictions connected to the Covid emergency, and this was an opportunity for business expansion. The growth rate was steady, and by the end of 2021, the new Branch had already handled 1395 shipments. As of today, 17 trailers are active and connecting Scandinavia with the rest of Europe.
The importance of the Scandinavian market has grown more and more in recent years and intermodal transport solutions are particularly relevant for trade with southern Europe: from steel to building materials and from furniture to packaging, there are now many types of products that travel to and from Scandinavia using the Verona-Malmö and Düsseldorf-Malmö railway routes. FERCAM Sweden is excelling in providing customers with intermodal options, for an environmentally sustainable and efficient transport service.
«Our team has a shared commitment to the job that I had never seen before. Since my first visit, I could feel the positive vibe that animates FERCAM. It confirmed my desire to join this family company and bring this positivity to Sweden, where I was convinced we could build a profitable business. I want to thank all that believed in us and supported us during our start-up. We look forward to many more years of success, and we will work hard to build a business based on strong interpersonal relationships», concludes Kushtrim Berbati.
The first meeting to discuss a new opening in Sweden was held in February 2020 and the new company was officially up and running in less than one year. It was not an easy start, firstly because the Covid emergency as we all know had severely affected supply chains all across the globe. «We didn’t have an easy start, we had to learn it all by doing», Kushtrim explains. «Process and system integration was especially hard to implement from a distance, in the beginning, we had to handle a number of operations manually since it took more time than expected to properly set up our TMS and administration processes. But we were eager to begin and we surely weren’t going to let ourselves be discouraged by a little more effort».
The initial strategy was to start small and operate only as an agency, but Kushtrim saw a bigger opportunity and was willing to dare: right after a few weeks, he proposed to progressively introduce more and more trailers and new routes. Customers started contacting FERCAM directly, to be able to face restrictions connected to the Covid emergency, and this was an opportunity for business expansion. The growth rate was steady, and by the end of 2021, the new Branch had already handled 1395 shipments. As of today, 17 trailers are active and connecting Scandinavia with the rest of Europe.
The importance of the Scandinavian market has grown more and more in recent years and intermodal transport solutions are particularly relevant for trade with southern Europe: from steel to building materials and from furniture to packaging, there are now many types of products that travel to and from Scandinavia using the Verona-Malmö and Düsseldorf-Malmö railway routes. FERCAM Sweden is excelling in providing customers with intermodal options, for an environmentally sustainable and efficient transport service.
«Our team has a shared commitment to the job that I had never seen before. Since my first visit, I could feel the positive vibe that animates FERCAM. It confirmed my desire to join this family company and bring this positivity to Sweden, where I was convinced we could build a profitable business. I want to thank all that believed in us and supported us during our start-up. We look forward to many more years of success, and we will work hard to build a business based on strong interpersonal relationships», concludes Kushtrim Berbati.
