“We need to act simply and concretely in the short-term. We will see which innovation will prove its worth in the mid-term.” - Marina Tatangelo
Could you please describe your journey since your arrival at Fretlink ?
I joined Fretlink in 2018 as a Marketing Manager. Through my work, I was close to the Transport partnerships regional Manager, who are every day in the field.
Understanding a carrier’s position has been extremely important in my work, because carriers are the ones with the problems we aim to solve. Without this vision, it would have been very difficult for me to understand the sector and to take a critical look at the offers we to offer.
In august 2020, I took the position of Strategic Partnerships Development.
Luckily, I was able to start working on the Platform of Services with my predecessor. It was a logical evolution in my career, and made sense for the continuity of my responsibilities at Fretlink.
When you arrived in this position, did you immediately see an environmental dimension to it?
Sustainability is an extremely important subject for me. Especially in transport and logistics, there are many actions and projects that still need to be implemented.
Due to my affinity for sustainability and the avant-garde vision of Renaud Johann, CCO of Fretlink, we started looking for a partner who shared our values.
We met Valérie Mas and Fabien Carimalo, Co-founder of WeNow, and launched our partnership in just 2 months. The synergies were obvious, because of the complementary nature of our structures.
That’s when the strategy took a turning point and we launched our Green Roads service, which aims to help shippers reach their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) objectives.
Has the Green Roads service had an impact on the different offerings on the Platform of Services ?
It has had a very strong influence, yes !
The Platform of Services will meet the different expectations of carriers. On one side it provides unique offers, according to the needs identified by our team in the field.
On the other side, we will support carriers in their CSR initiatives so that they can meet customer specifications.
Fretlink has developed several partnerships.
Ecolow, a system that reduces fuel consumption and particle emissions by 6 to 8 % — GeoPLC, which subsidizes customers and transporters for their projects through EEC (Energy Efficiency Credit) — and Maxis Conseil, a 100 % digital eco-driving module that rewards drivers for reduced fuel consumption.
Innovations exist, but we don’t yet have the means to implement them quickly and intelligently.
In the meantime, concrete short-term solutions must be found. While large companies have the means to innovate, SMEs and VSEs don’t have the same investment capacity.
The larger context must also be taken into consideration, as we have seen a 25 % drop in orders in the last half of 2020.
Small structures, which represent 80 % of transport companies in France, have suffered the most. These are the companies that Fretlink wants to help.
Can you see a real awareness among shippers today ?
Acting on the environmental impact of their transport organisation has become a priority for shippers. Many players have hired CSR managers and are trying to find alternatives to reduce their GHG emissions.
Moreover, the objective is ambitious for 2030, with a 55% reduction in emissions.
Mentalities are changing, with some surprising signals. For example the FRET21 program of ADEME (Agency for ecological transition) and the Ministry of Energy and Solidarity Transition, which has a growing number of shippers. Or even “Green” or CSR labels that appear or impose themselves as references.
This is why we have recently expanded our teams. The objective will be to set up variou actions respectful of the environment and society within Fretlink.
Is the Green Roads service intended for all road transport market actors ?
Even if actions are put in place in the sector, there is still a lot of progress to be made when it comes to the global environmental transition.
Observing GHG emissions is no longer enough. It’s necessary to act concretely and simply. Involve shippers, carriers and their drivers.
And above all, to communicate as widely as possible on the methodologies used, in order to initiate a real change of mentality and thus, an in-depth change in Supply Chain management.
There are a lot of parameters to take into account. Each participant, each customer is different. They don’t work in the same industries, don’t have the same problems, and they expect different solutions.
The goal of Fretlink’s Green Roads service, is to have a panel of different solutions that can respond to all of the problems our customers and our network of carriers face.
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About Fretlink
Fretlink connects shippers to the largest network of regional carriers in Europe through a new standard for organizing road freight transportation.
