Global DTC Pte Ltd. and KTZ Express JSC announced the start of work on creating a digital corridor as part of the Trans-Caspian international transport route. A declaration on this was signed on May 23, 2024 in Singapore during the Kazakh-Singapore Business Forum with the participation of the Head of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Paata Adamia, General Director of MSF, noted that the company began its development in 2010, and over 14 years of active operation it has become the leading multimodal carrier in the country. The main emphasis is on multimodality, which implies the company’s ability to handle a wide range of transport, including container, road and rail. While many companies in the region specialize in specific types of transport, MSF provides high-quality services in all areas.
Dmitrijs Fjodorovs, CIO of SIGIS, spoke on the topic “Software solutions for efficient transport management”. The journey of SIGIS began as a freight forwarding business, given that the founders had previously worked for the former Baltic Railway. For 15 years, they have been actively developing software for companies specializing in freight forwarding by rail, having already served more than 2,000 companies, and continuing to increase their achievements.
Martin Koubek, Director of the Silk Road and CIS department at Metrans, introduced the company and said that Metrans is a key player in intermodal transport and has been an integral part of the HHLA group since 2018, which is mainly owned by the port organization of Hamburg. Founded in 1991, Metrans boasts over 30 years of experience in intermodal logistics. With annual revenues exceeding €590 million, the company has handled over 1.3 million TEU of cargo and handled 1.2 million TEU in its warehouses with the help of its dedicated team of 2,650 employees.
Dmitrij Hasenkampf, General Director of Sales and Business Development at RTSB, began by describing his company, which was founded in 1996 and has rapidly expanded its presence in the former CIS market through transport between Europe and countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Belarus. The company is currently present in 22 locations around the world, mainly on the Eurasian continent, with a staff of approximately 350 employees and successfully operating more than 3,000 trains between Europe, China and the CIS countries last year.
Radu Balcu, Manager of the Business Improvement and New Businesses Department at GRAMPET GROUP, dedicated the presentation to the most important factors necessary to position the Middle Corridor as the main rival to the Northern Corridor. At the forefront of this endeavor is the Grampet Group, a pioneering multinational company headquartered in Romania.
Irakli Danelia, Business Development Manager for the Central Asia and Caucasus region at MAERSK, addressed three key topics, including the transformation of global supply chains through containerization, logistics performance indicators and Maersk’s role as a global logistics integrator on a regional scale. The significant development of containerization worldwide is due to factors such as increasing trade liberalization, technological advances in container technology and significant investment in port infrastructure.
Ralf-Charley Schultze, President of UIRR, spoke about the recently introduced new initiative called “Improving Combined Transport”, aimed at strengthening the industry’s position in Europe. The initiative, proposed by the European Combined Transport Industry Association, represents the interests of both operators and terminal managers in the combined transport sector. Emphasizing the key role of terminals, the association positions itself as a link between rail suppliers and logistics service providers, providing a customer-centric approach to logistics integration.
George Doborjginidze, Chairman of the Georgian Logistics Association, provided an overview of the key opportunities, bottlenecks and weaknesses that need to be addressed to ensure the smooth movement of goods along the Middle Corridor.
Liliana Krutonog, General Director of MALBI-trans s.r.o., first of all, briefly described the country in which our forum was held – Georgia. Georgia’s economic performance is impressive, with steady growth in gross domestic product and declining inflation pointing to the country’s prospects. Forecasts for the coming years are optimistic, with GDP expected to grow by 5% in 2024 and 5.5% in 2025, as well as a significant reduction in public debt.
