A story about seeing an opportunity and seizing it

This is the story of Begoma and their journey from a local freight forwarder in Malmö to becoming an international logistics company with operations in several countries. The journey began in 1998 when Göran Malmberg acquired G&L Beijer Spedition AB. This company’s history dates back to the 1870s when brothers Gottfried and Lorens Beijer created the sister companies G&L Beijer and Sydsvenska Ångfartygs AB. Initially beginning as a local forwarding business and later as a freight forwarding business within the Beijer Group.

Göran’s path to Begoma began at a young age with a bachelor’s degree in economics supplemented by a sea captain’s degree. Göran went to sea for a few years before marrying his wife, Ingrid. They had three sons, Fredrik, Henrik, and Erik. As a father, Göran decided to continue his career on land instead. He began working at the shipping company Rederi Boströms in Gothenburg to remain close to the sea. With guidance from his father, Göran’s next step was to oversee SJ’s ferry division in Malmö. SJ is a government-owned train operator in Sweden. One thing led to another, and Göran eventually became head of all international rail freight traffic and SJ’s representative in Brussels.

When the opportunity to acquire G&L Beijer Spedition arose, Göran did not hesitate. For Göran, when opportunities arise, it’s about seeing them – and seizing them. This has always been Göran’s hallmark and has led him to many exciting opportunities and places. This attitude has shaped Begoma from day one and is a trademark of Begoma’s way of working to this day.

It was in 1998 when Göran discovered that G&L Beijer Spedition was for sale, and together with his wife Ingrid, they decided to buy the company. At the time, Göran had also accepted a consultancy assignment in Zambia to improve and privatise the country’s railways. True to his nature, the final negotiations took place from a phone booth at an airport in Johannesburg. So, parallel to his work for Zambia Railways, Göran started building Begoma. The head office moved to Malmö. Through new clients, contracts, and acquisitions, Begoma’s business grew both in Sweden and internationally.

Today, Begoma has another office in Sweden, in the port city of Gothenburg. The company also has offices in Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. By being on the ground locally, Begoma can meet its customers’ demands in a fast and cost-effective way. Every week, Begoma handles hundreds of shipments within Sweden and to most countries in Europe, and even to overseas territories such as the Caucasus and the Middle East as well. The freight terminal in Malmö is crucial for the efficient collection and distribution of LTL and FTL. In addition, Begoma also offers scheduled services with daily departures for general cargo between Sweden and Europe.

 

In order to follow clients to new markets and grow with them on the ground, Begoma has worked actively to fine-tune their administrative systems. This work has resulted in a lean organisation system with short and fast decision-making paths, where the customer’s needs and wishes are always the focus. Another success factor for Begoma is being at the forefront of sustainable transport solutions such as rail transport and intermodal transport.

Seeing and seizing opportunities when they arise is still a key factor and one of Begoma’s great strengths. As the world changes, so do logistics flows. Begoma saw in 2022 that demand for copper and other metals from northern Zambia, in the area known as the Copperbelt, was increasing. So Begoma quickly set up an office in the area to meet the huge transport demand from mines to the port city of Durban in South Africa. Since Göran had already worked for several years in Zambia, he already had numerous reliable contacts, so when the opportunity arose, it was just natural to seize it.

Today Begoma is run by sons Fredrik, Henrik, and Erik. Göran is still around to provide support and is happy to help wherever needed. With Begoma’s start-up in Zambia, Göran’s support has of course been particularly appreciated. Begoma’s story is an exciting tale of the transport industry and demonstrates the importance of smart logistics solutions to the well-being of the world and our society. Begoma’s journey is not yet over, the company continues to grow both in Sweden and internationally.

And lastly! Do you know why Begoma is called Begoma? It’s simply a combination of the names BEijer, GOran and MAlmberg – BEGOMA.