This item appeared in the ‘Connecting Malta to mainland Europe’ supplement by ATTO published with The Sunday Times of Malta on April 7, 2024
Attrans is a family-owned transport group founded by Philip Attard Snr in 1976. Over the years, while maintaining its head office in Malta, the company has spread to other countries namely, The Netherlands and Italy.
Attrans North Africa BV, situated strategically on the Dutch /Belgian border, owns and manages its own equipment between Benelux, UK, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
Attrans BV, calls Alblasserdam, situated 15 kms away from the port of Rotterdam its home. Attrans BV serves as the planning hub of all the Attrans fleet in the North Continent including Benelux, UK and Scandinavia while also having its own dedicated weekly services to Greece, Turkey, Italy, and the Islands.
Finally, Attrans Italia, located in Genova, is the main port of call for the Maltese and Tunisian markets, and is the main planning hub and most of all the service centre for the fleet. This own network, created over 15 years ago under the guidance of Philip Attard Jnr and the management teams of each individual office, has given local and international clients a unique opportunity to trust Attrans with their cargoes not only to and from the Maltese Islands but also throughout Europe and North Africa.
The Group’s core is its people, who come from all over Europe or rather the world, including its operational teams and most of all the drivers who come from all corners of the globe and are trusted with Attrans client’s valuable cargo while at the wheel of their truck which most consider their second home from home.
Being close to 50 years in the making, the Group which has historically invested in warehousing facilities in most of its locations, is always active in developing more warehousing space for its clients.
The fleet, which since the early 2000’s has been predominately mega, is made up of hundreds of trailers including mega box trailers, mega euroliners and an increasingly growing number of refrigerated trailers. Most of the units being dry or otherwise have an onboard transport management device installed, giving Attrans complete visibility of their real-life position and many other features such as temperature settings and mileage driven. This investment forms part of a complete overhaul of the Group’s Transport Management System, which will bring all the different setups together working with one common operating system.
Attrans recognises the critical importance of quality management in ensuring customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement. In line with this commitment, ATTRANS has implemented a Quality Management System (QMS) based on the ISO 9001 standard which has been accredited since 2014. It provides a framework and set of principles for organizations to ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders consistently while striving for continual improvement.
Based on its heavy involvement with the pharmaceutical industry, Attrans also embraces the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards. GDP is a quality management system that ensures the integrity and quality of pharmaceutical products during their transportation and distribution. It covers various aspects of the distribution chain, including storage, transportation, documentation, and handling of pharmaceutical products, from the manufacturer to the end-user or patient. Compliance with GDP helps prevent contamination, deterioration, or other quality issues, ensuring that the pharmaceuticals reach their destination in optimal condition, thereby safeguarding patient health and regulatory compliance.