Mickael Gonçalves, Director of Operations at Goëvia, joined our teams in March 2020. A key moment in history since it is the date when the first containment began. Two confinements later, an existing sanitary crisis and a shaken up freight transport sector, he takes the floor to tell us about his career in transport but also his integration in Goëvia.
From car transport to pallet transport in Bordeaux
Mickael Gonçalves’ career path is rather marked by “transport”, but not only TRM (Transport Routier de Marchandises). He tells us that he started at the age of 20, as a handler in car logistics. Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become Transport Manager, where he managed a fleet of 300 vehicles on the national territory.
Then, at the age of 37, eager to learn more about the world of transport, he decided to take a Master’s degree in Transport and Logistics. Still within the same company, he became National and then European Coordinator! Its role? Create a dynamic to work on the same processes, the same tools, and with more cohesion. He explains: “I was working precisely on the triptych: process, tools, organizations. I wanted to find an agile environment and I wanted to put my experience in a small business to good use. That’s how, in a few months, everything changed: I left my life in Paris to join Transports Goëvia in Bordeaux.
Measurement and proximity within Transports Goëvia
Michael’s integration was not a smooth one. A week after its arrival, the Covid-19 urged us to stay home: the containment was launched. “Goëvia had set up a proper integration program, but unfortunately we had to ignore it. I come from a vehicle transport background and had little knowledge of pallet transport. I didn’t know Bordeaux and its region either… I had to quickly integrate and understand the transport plan, the company’s functioning and above all get to know the employees in a context that was not very conducive to exchange. I had to learn to read this new market”, explains Mickael.
It is in close collaboration with Benjamin Gonzalez, President of Transports Goëvia, that the work of reflection on the organizations and the tools began! The primary objective? Optimize the TMS (Transport Management System) which is the management tool for transport operations. Mickael explains: “We rethought the tool itself as well as its use. We have reviewed the organization and I have identified operational relays. We have also developed communication tools for the drivers, always with the objective of continuous improvement. I must say that over the last few months I have measured a lot (volumes, activity), and set up indicators because I am convinced that we improve what we measure. On a human level, I discovered that Goëvia has a very close-knit team with benevolent values. This has helped me a lot and reassured me about the capacity of the people to hold the boat in an unprecedented context. During the crisis, we focused on proximity. The objective was for employees to be able to work in a healthy and serene environment, both in terms of health and human resources.
Today, the course is set for 2021. Pallet transport in Bordeaux and its surroundings still has many years ahead of it. We have successfully met the challenge of the health crisis and the objectives set by our customers. More than ever, we aim for continuous improvement to satisfy our customers and help our employees grow…
