Sending the right
Sending the right signals It never turns out quite as you expect. This is exactly what the European trade and industry companies operating in the Russian business sector must have thought when they heard that the sanctions against the country were being extended. There is no doubt most of them will have assumed that the embargo would not be extended or that it would at least be relaxed to some extent. However, at the end of June things turned out differently than planned and the sanctions against Russia were extended for a further six months by the 28 EU Ambassadors. This was implemented despite the significant disadvantages to all Russian and European companies affected since the introduction of the trade restrictions in the summer of 2014. To date, this has resulted in trade relations on the Russian and European side seeing a market decline of tens of billions. Russia has thus significantly reduced imports from the EU – a completely understandable reaction. However, we need to continue to look to the future. There is simply too much at risk for both sides. A relationship of mutual trust built up over decades will not survive any long-term disruption A relationship of mutual trust built up over decades will not survive any long-term disruption, without the economy, especially in Russia, working. The same applies to the logistics sector. Fewer investments as well as reduced industrial and trade activities mean that fewer logistical services ranging from transport to the harbors through to intralogistic services are required. It does not take long to work out the consequences. Companies currently operating in Russia or wishing to establish themselves must therefore maintain their belief in the market and people, as one thing is certain – life will continue after the sanctions. That is when those, who have proven to have entrepreneurial vision will reap the benefits. Reiner Wesselowski Publisher f+h Intralogistics, f+h Distribution COMMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER f+h Distribution 3/2016
Success in the heart of Europe This year, Dachser is celebrating an anniversary in Poland: the logistics provider launched its business activities there ten years ago. Within the space of one decade, Dachser transported 5.6 million shipments weighing a total of almost 2.3 million tons, with imports and exports going to/coming from 118 countries. “Since 2006, our country organization has developed dynamically, continuously expanding its customer base and its international network. Today, the reach of our closely timed daily shipments extends throughout all of Europe,” says Grzegorz Lichocik, Managing Director of Dachser European Logistics Poland. The recently established direct line between Poland and the Iberian Peninsula is one of the longest routes in Europe. At more than 53 percent of all shipments, Dachser Poland’s most important destination is Germany, followed by France, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Sweden. Additionally, Hungary, Romania, and the Balkans play an important role for the country organization. www.dachser.com Heading Dachser activities in Poland: Grzegorz Lichocik and Robert Pastryk (left to right) LIS founds subsidiary in Poland At the beginning of the year, the LIS Logistische Informationssysteme AG founded a new subsidiary in the heart of Pszczyna, Upper Silesia: the LIS Polska Sp. z. o. o. “Through the internationalization we want to enhance our services and offer our customers different language options,” explains Volker Lückemeier, executive board. www.lis.eu Abat strengthens position in North America Abat, the SAP service provider, has further strengthened its position in North America and appointed Manfred Heisen and Daniel Kessen as the two new managing directors for its subsidiary company, Abat US. According to the company, the turnover of Abat US has quadrupled within three years reaching USD 3.5 million. This makes up 10 percent of the total turnover of Abat. “For a lot of our customers from the automotive sector, the US market is becoming increasingly important. This is what we are focusing our capacities on,” explains Ronald Wermann, member of the Abat board of directors. FORWARDING ·PORTTERMINALS ·VPC/VDC-OPERATION ·TRANSPORTATION ·INLAND TERMINALS Sustainable Logistics andSupplyChain Management foryourFinished VehicleLogistics –powered by BLG. Ourwordisour bond. www.blg-logistics.com www.abat.de BLG-Logistics.indd 1 15.07.2016 13:32:14 f+h Distribution 3/2016
