Welcome to the 52nd edition of Service without Boundaries, the U-Freight Group’s newsletter.

It’s been some time since our last newsletter; and the last year or so has seen a period of relative contraction in the world’s freight and logistics sector after a lengthy period of almost uninhibited growth.

Businesses moving goods internationally have taken advantage of a softening market, with declining rates and increased competition amongst those selling space across all modes of transport.

The dynamic has changed from a previously white-hot market, where shipping lines and airlines could dictate terms, to an environment where providers of service capacity realise that they need to regain the trust of freight forwarders; and the importers and exporters they serve, if they wish to re-establish our loyalty and secure our business.

Trust and loyalty have always been key to the U-Freight Group’s success since our establishment in 1968, and remain so as we look forward to celebrating our 55th birthday in September with our first global sales conference in Hong Kong since the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Good relationship building is key to the development of trust and important in the current difficult environment, and such meetings enable our international network of owned offices and long-standing partners to network and reinvigorate that trust, which will help them retain and gain business from clients old and new.

2023 is shaping up to be a more ‘normal’ year, comparable to the years immediately before the Covid pandemic roiled international markets and put carriers in the driving seat.

For U-Freight, 2023 has continued to see investment in our global operations and services as you can read our latest newsletter, which I hope you enjoy.