N EW A FFI L I AT E A team approach to business Operating in the demanding Israeli market has, for the past two decades, focused mover Teamnet on maintaining the highest-quality operations and staff. FIDI Focus speaks to Suren Shahnazarian, Export/Import Department Manager at Teamnet, about the role joining FIDI will have in realising the firms vision for the future T Suren Shahnazarian 60 he moving market in Israel is unique and special, says Suren Shahnazarian, Export/Import Department Manager at Teamnet, the latest Israeli mover to qualify as a FIDI Affiliate. Much of this, he says, comes from the demands of local clients, who expect the highest staff and crew quality. To meet these expectations, Teamnet has a dedicated department, with the technology and methods needed to satisfy these customers, he says. To give customers confidence, the firm will load and seal all full container load (FCL) shipments in front of its customers and will invite them to be present when receiving imported containers, too. Israeli customers insist on exactly what they want, but also know how to express appreciation, he says. Teamnet is used to dealing with customers linked with tech companies who are investing in the local market. Indeed, technology businesses have driven the development of Israels moving businesses over the past 10 years and today make up a large proportion of the companys work. The pandemic, of course, caused difficulties for the moving business. Private customers stopped moving and we saw a fall in activity, says Shahnazarian. It also meant many smaller tech firms began offering lump sums for employees to buy new furniture rather than ship their own. Nevertheless, Teamnet sees its largest opportunities for growth in the tech sector, alongside government business. Teamnet has prepared a strong base to provide services for a range of different industries, he says. Teamnet was founded in 2004, and employing staff with 25 years industry experience has enjoyed growth to build upon. Five years ago, the company joined with the largest forwarding business in Israel, giving it the impetus for its future success. The company has shown growth and has decided to become one of the largest companies in the market, says Shahnazarian. And were planning to carry on, continuing development and growth, with a special focus on excellent service. Teamnet is one of the leading special packing and crating businesses in the market, he says. Our staff are hand-picked for their skills, knowledge and experience. We continually hold internal training and review what were doing in order to improve our methods for service excellency. Shahnazarian says the company wanted to become part of FIDI because it is the most reputable organisation in the industry. Thanks to FIDI, our company can develop a vision for achieving globalised presence, he says. And with the support of our FIDI partners, we can continue to provide the excellent destination services that our clients expect. Meanwhile, FIDI management and staff are constantly looking to update and provide the correct tools to help us adapt to the modern world and its challenges. The process of becoming an Affiliate was extremely beneficial, too, he says. We had the honour of participating and learning from this process. It is one of the most engaging, interesting, and gratifying processes that we have engaged in. The company took many steps over a long period to prepare itself and bring itself to the highest FAIM standard. It will be a privilege to have an active role in FIDI. It will allow us to help shape the future of the moving industry and use its resources to enhance our expertise and collaborate with our peers to fulfil the changing demands of the industry. Shahnazarian says the immediate challenge is for the business to recover from both the pandemic and the recession that followed. And, following a peace agreement with Israels neighbouring countries, there are new opportunities, too. We hope to see new market opportunity opening and local trade increasing, he says. Israel is notorious for its border disputes, and we have always had a challenge to minimise the impact on our customers. We hope that the circle of peace will only expand.