b'30American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comSME forwarders not only surviving but flourishing, says WCAworld chiefBy Stuart Todd, AJOTThetwistsandturnsinofsuchquestionsas:Are theTrumpadministrationsthey going to pay? and Are trade policy and the saga ofthey going to pay on time?tariffs on and tariffs off, hasYoucanselectafellow createdaclimateofuncer- memberinAfrica,inAlge-tainty in the global economyria,orNigeria.orinBelize, throughout2025,exacerbat- indeed anywhere in the world. ing what was already a periodAnd although you dont know of low growth, and in somethem, you have the guarantee cases, one of stagnation. that they have been audited by ForfreightforwardersWCAworld. Also, if the situa-this has translated into weak- tion arises that a member doesBREAKBULK ening demand for ocean andnotgetpaidonashipment, airfreightandadeclineinthereisprovisionfor WCA-rates, putting significant pres- world to pay.sures on margins. isCEOofAJOT:ThatanumberQUARTERLYDanMarchof major forwarders are cur-WCAworld, the worlds larg- rentlyincost-cuttingand estandgrowingnetwork(FLOURISHINGofindependentfreightfor- continued on page 34) LOGISTECis diversifying its cargo handling services in the Port of Baltimore.warderswithalmost13,000 memberofficesincloseto 200 countries.HejoinedWCAworld in2010andbecameCEO in2015.London-based,he spendsmorethanhalfthe year travelling the globe vis-iting members.InaQ&AwithAJOT, Marchexplainedthework-ings of WCAworld and how itsSMEoperatorsaremore than holding their own when it comes to competition with their multi-national rivals.AJOT:So,firstly,ina nutshell,howdoesWCA-worldfunctionandhelpits members?MARCH: The key plank inWCAworldsgrowthand success has been our auditing process and the financial pro-tection it offers members. We undertakeaverythorough audit of each applicant com-pany to check their financial health, their history, their ser-vice levels.Dan March, CEO of WCAworldOnce theyre accepted into the group, they can work with any other member on a profit share basis. For example, one forwardermaybeanexport agentwhoneedsanimport agentinthecountrywhere theshipmentisheadedand someone to do the customers clearanceandlast-miledeliv-ery to the customer. Revenue is shared according to whatever that theyve agreed.So,youcanworkwith any member without worry-ing about their creditworthi-ness. This takes the sting out'