Behind every successful business is a story of inspiration, vision and determination. In the case of global courier and logistics powerhouse Aramex, there’s an inspiring backstory of three entrepreneurs, two courier companies, and one shared commitment to always putting the customer first.

The Aramex story began 40 years ago, in two very different places. In the Middle East, Jordan-based entrepreneurs Fadi Ghandour and Bill Kingson brought to life their business vision: to be the first courier company in the region. 

At the same time, Bill McGowan was establishing a courier company in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. He showed his entrepreneurial smarts from the very beginning, stacking his van with empty boxes to create the impression he was a busy courier. 

Bill’s tactics worked, quickly building a loyal client base. Before long he had signed up his first courier franchisee to own an exclusive territory so he could set up the next one.

He built Fastway Couriers from the ground up and expanded rapidly across New Zealand and Australia.

Aramex and Fastway Couriers join forces

The two courier companies might have been a world apart but they found they were a perfect match when Fastway Couriers became part of the international Aramex family in 2016.

The founders shared the same values of determination, innovation, and commitment to great customer service, and these continue in today’s global business.

“This is such an interesting story of parallels,” says Andy van der Velde, regional CEO, Aramex Oceania. “Each business was started by entrepreneurs. It is a story of determination and a goal to exceed the customer’s expectation. All good franchisees have that within themselves.”

Today with more than 1,000 courier franchisees across Australia and New Zealand, new franchise partners choose to join the publicly-listed company for its group power, support, structure, systems and the proven success of the franchising model.

“They also choose the option to be in a business where they can use their own entrepreneurial spirit to build their own territory,” Andy says. “That’s part of our DNA, marrying the two together.”

Franchisee partnerships help deliver a strong Aramex future

Andy says the brand’s success is built on the strong partnership with franchisees. 

“I’ve always been so impressed to hear the incredible stories of regional franchisees and courier franchisees in our network who have rolled up their sleeves, given it a go, and made a success of it,” he says. “They are business owners who have embraced the opportunities, the support and structure available to them via our successful franchising system.”

Aramex has a robust heritage, and the business model’s resilience shines through. That is attractive to new franchisees, points out Andy.

“The business has stood the test of time; we know the model works,” he says. “We’ve evolved and updated systems and processes, but the essential model has remained consistent over the decades. Customers still get the same couriers and friendly service, and there are greater opportunities for deliveries within the global market.”

Scaling up at Aramex is all about local to global, says Andy. Aramex now delivers an expanded range of services, embracing the benefits of the backing of a global brand with decades of local knowledge and expertise. 

“I don’t think any of our core business or model has changed over time, it’s just expanded and improved,” he says. 

Franchise partners can help their customers grow by offering a service from Wellington to Wales, Perth to Paris, or Brisbane to Bahrain. That’s the beauty of the brand’s global reach. Aramex effectively becomes a courier partner to customers, helping them grow and maximise global opportunities.

Investment in technology and infrastructure

Today’s Aramex is a tech-savvy advanced operation that embraces the latest innovations to deliver results. E-commerce, for example, has driven the exponential growth of the transport and logistics business. Online shopping now accounts for a significant portion of revenue.

Investment in technology has resulted in an online consigning platform that puts the power in customers’ hands to dispatch parcels, upload funds and track deliveries from the convenience of a smartphone or computer. 

Aramex has bonded facilities that can process international freight and third-party logistics capacity in targeted locations nationally. Investment in major infrastructure developments continues, such as the state-of-the-art automated sorting machine that has been introduced at the Sydney depot, significantly boosting volume capacity and processing speed. In Queensland, an exciting airport development will deliver a new 26,000+ square metre office and warehouse, the largest industrial project in the airport’s history.

Aramex gears for growth

Aramex continues to adapt to changing circumstances, building on strong foundations while retaining the heart of its business model. With a network that is able to reach 95 per cent of the Australian population, with more developments in the pipeline, the future is bright.

“For Aramex, 2024 looks positive and exciting,” Andy says. “We are gearing for growth.”