Interview with Andrej Lichnovský
| Mr. Andrej Lichnovský works in Trans.eu, s.r.o. since 2017 in the position of Marketing Manager for the Bratislava branch. It covers 3 countries within the region – Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. He is responsible for complete marketing communication in these three markets. |
| 1. How is digitization changing Freight Forwarding – what is the impact? Digitization in Freight Forwarding is the fourth revolution in industry. With the arrival of digitization the industry went from classic communication channels to the whole online world. What took us time by calling hundreds of shippers and carriers is no longer reality. Automation, digitization and algorithms are simplifying freight forwarding by eliminating repetitive processes that give freight forwarders more time for decision making, management and tasks that still need human interaction. 2. Tell us the key advantages of the digital freight platform? Main benefit of digital platforms is that you don’t need any additional tools to work effectively. You don’t need any excel, you don’t need to make calls, calculations of best prices, finding new business opportunities, etc. These all-in-one platforms are useful especially for making no mistakes. What once was prone to errors caused by human factors is currently eliminated by algorithms and automation. 3. How does the Trans.eu platform help reduce costs and facilitate day-to-day operations? Increasing transport costs translate to the need to look for ways to optimally distribute expenses. The ability to choose transport companies who own trucks near the loading area is one of the most important steps to achieve this goal. Since there is no need to cover additional commuting fees, it is possible to offer good rates to local partners. The risk of delay in loading is also lower – the driver has a shorter distance to cover. 4. Trend Industry 4.0 is currently a global topic in service delivery. What is the priority when working with data? Data security is our highest priority and the entire development and administration of the Trans.eu Platform is subordinated to it. As far as transport safety is concerned, the contractual relationship is always between the contracting authority and the transport provider, we develop the Platform and we are the administrator. However, we do everything we can to ensure that transportation through the Platform is as safe as possible. We have several tools for this – in freight exchange, it is primarily a verification process for entering the Platform, which we are constantly innovating. The exchange is built as an exclusive club, where no one can get unverified, and we also control clients on an ongoing basis. In private mode the user invites only his own verified business partners and therefore does not work with anyone he doesn’t want. 5. What new trends and innovations do you perceive in the field of Freight Forwarding? Technological development and ubiquitous digitization allow forwarding companies to work efficiently every day. Nowadays also small forwarders can compete with the biggest players in the market by simply reaching for the available digital tools. Digital platforms allow them to easily find customers and suppliers. Also increased speed is one of the trends. In the past , forwarders were forced to make lots of calls, write emails, etc. Now they can create offers and connect shippers with carriers within only a few seconds. This allows them to be much more efficient. And as I mentioned above, digitization, algorithms and automation eliminate the human error factor. Computers and programs are designed more accurately and therefore more reliable. 6. What is your opinion about positioning WOF EXPO in the Central and Eastern Europe region? WOF EXPO in the Central and Eastern Europe region is absolutely great. We miss such conferences / expos here, which connect big players from this region. Nevertheless, we are at an important crossroads. This region connects Asia with the rest of Europe. There are many transport hubs that are extremely important for logistics as such. In my opinion this will create a lot of opportunities which are, especially now, when Covid-19 situation seems to be in control (let’s hope that by each day it will be much better). All of us got slapped by this whole situation. This kind of meeting is something we all need right now. We must help each other to get through it and get back to normal as soon as possible. We are really excited to be a part of it and we can’t wait till WOF starts. |
 | Trans.eu Group S.A. is a technology company established in 2004. They form one of the most important freight exchanges in Europe and a modern logistics platform for road transport. The Trans.eu Platform is a true 4.0-class logistics platform: it brings together shipping companies, logistics operators, forwarders and carriers. Today, the company develops 12 foreign companies as well as 8 companies who specialise in the provision of various services for the road transport business. Trans.eu have more than 700 employees and they are still growing.
www.trans.eu |