Interview of the week – MFC (Modern Freight Company) – UAE
this week we speak with
Laurance Langdon,
General Manager,
MFC (Modern Freight Company), UAE
THE "WHO-WHERE-WHAT" CHALLENGE
Over 35 years’ experience in the logistics business, with an extensive background in Project logistics, Laurance has travelled to and executed projects on 6 continents, and came very close to securing one on Antarctica back in 2011.
Tell us about MFC Group. Who owns the company?
The origins of MFC take us back to 1977, when an Emirati construction company called DUTCO was importing all their product to build Dubai, and they asked ‘why are we paying someone to bring all our product, why don’t we have our own logistics company?
This was the start of MFC, and in 2027 we will be celebrating our 50th year.
Tell us a few words about your personal experience, your expertise and the company's business in general.
When I was looking for a job many decades ago, I was scanning the London Standard newspaper job section, and I saw an advert for an office junior in the Middle East department at Schenkers. I had no idea what this company did, but because I lived in the Dubai in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I thought my junior school Arabic skills and connection to Dubai would give me an advantage.
I was offered the job on the spot, and there began my life in logistics, which kickstarted a life on the road.
Since 1991 I have been away from the UK for the most part, fortunate to live around the world with this profession, setting up homes in Australia, Singapore, China, Malaysia, South Africa and then full circle back to UAE. I have worked on projects in such interesting places such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Brazil, Mozambique and more. This profession has taken me to places and shown me experiences that I am very fortunate to have seen and given me stories that most people wouldn’t believe.
Tell us about the company's business in general.
MFC Group is divided into 3 main divisions.
Freight and Contract Logistics, our flagship operation is in Jebel Ali Freezone, where we have 2 large warehouses covering 60,000 sqm and an open yard for project cargoes of 8,000 sqm. We also have an office at the airport which means we are airside whenever needed.
MFC Container Solutions is the no1 container depot in the UAE mainland, with 30,000 sqm for container storage, repairs and trading. We work with all of the top 10 container leasing companies in the world.
MFC Extreme, this is our Project, Sports and Events division, focused on those exciting industrial projects and oversized cargoes, and we have our very own chartering desk fixing vessels globally for partners as well as our own cargoes. MFC is renown also for sports events handling the full scope for rally and car races and making sure rock concerts start on time and Robbie Williams has his favourite microphone in hand.
Where are your offices located?
MFC is a UAE focused company, with a long tradition of being the customs clearance and port experts as a result of our long relationships with the ports and customs house.
Tell us about projects that you have handled recently.
MFC was appointed by our fellow THLG member TPI France to support them with the handling and deliver of a 140MT pressure vessel from arrival Jebel Ali port to the client’s site. MFC needed to hire mobile cranes for a tandem lift of the vessel as the onboard gears were not suitable and then arrange the permits and SPMT transport.
Which are the main industries served in the UAE and which one seems to be your focus point?
Due to the wide-ranging customer base that MFC Group has, we find we are involved in most industries. From a project perspective we are seeing a lot of data centre work, we recently moved 12 x oversized modules via a part charter to Dammam and then on carriage to site in Riyadh.
We have recently moved offshore support vessels from Asia to UAE for the growing offshore sector as well.
And in late 2025 we concluded a 4 year power plant project which resulted in nearly 450,000 FrT moved.
Is Project Cargo Forwarding a competitive sector in the UAE? How do you ensure that you stand out?
It is s very competitive sector, but our focus is always on communication and being proactive with information.
We know the challenges of moving cargo through, to and from the UAE. We have been doing it for nearly 50 years. We make sure our clients know about everything in advance so we can plan to ensure we don’t run into any challenges.
Which parts of Heavy Lift Project Management seem to be challenging in UAE? Any advice to be shared as a precaution or as an important highlight to a potential customer?Â
Jebel Ali port is very congested these days; container vessels will always have priority. Getting stevedores and equipment in the same place at the same time can be challenging if you don’t plan in advance and you don’t know who to speak to.
We have seen many delays in the port for project and break-bulk vessels berthing and discharging. Always speak to MFC well in advance.
What made you personally join the industry?
As above…there was no plan!
What do you like the most about your business?
I have been fortunate to travel and meet many wonderful people in the strangest of places. I have had dinner with the president in Mongolia, flew in the middle seat between 2 colonels on a domestic flight in Kazakhstan as they insisted I join them on finishing a bottle of vodka; I have spent an evening with the head of NASA in Nova Scotia who explained over cocktails how diving below the Antarctica helped them plan for space missions.
Life is full of interesting people with interesting backgrounds, often it is not the day job that is the most interesting part, it’s what they do when not in the office.
Who should be approached in MFC Group for inquiries?
We are a great team who are connected by one simple email [email protected] which ensures a quick reply.
