September 3 - The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) has accepted an invitation from The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) to give a forwarders' perspective on logistics and supply chain issues at TIACA's 25th In

FIATA will lead the opening session of the three-day forum and exhibition on November 3rd 2010, which will be chaired by the Federation's President, Jean-Claude Delen.

The discussion will focus on the front-line role of freight forwarders when it comes to satisfying the ever-demanding needs of shippers for improved service levels, real-time shipment information, regulatory changes, innovative supply chain management and the constant pressure to deliver greater cost efficiencies. 

FIATA president Jean-Claude Delen said: "Freight forwarders are the strong link in the supply chain and always look at the best transportation mode to offer an economical and environmental friendly value to the products, and not only a transport from A to Z." 

Daniel Fernandez, secretary general of TIACA, said: "Forwarders consistently rise to every challenge they are presented with, often in the face of declining yields, but we wanted to get their view on how they see the future of their customer and airline relationships. The session will explore the role of the traditional forwarder in today's marketplace against the backdrop of 3PL and 4PL multi-national logistics service providers and also ask if shippers see sufficient value from forwarders to want to pay a fair market price for their services. 

"We are proud to have attracted FIATA as a supporting organization of our Air Cargo Forum in Amsterdam. There is no greater authority in our industry when it comes to understanding, promoting and working to protect the international freight forwarding community. As TIACA works to increase its focus on the freight forwarding sector, we hope this is the start of an ongoing business partnership that can take advantage of the respective strengths of our associations." 

TIACA has also invited FIATA's input into a separate business session in Amsterdam that will look at the progress of IATA e-freight. This will debate practical measures to accelerate the pace of adoption of e-freight and examine whether a rethinking of some of the underlying premises could catalyze the process for the benefit of all parties. 

Further information of the TIACA Air Cargo Forum and Exposition, including details of all eight business sessions, can be found at www.tiaca.org.

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