According to Santiago Bassols, director of Barcelona Catalunya Centre Logístic (BCL), logistics "must generate the necessary platform of opportunities so that firms can widely develop their activities through efficient logistics networks."
Santiago Bassols and Jaume Ballester, president of DB Schenker Spain-Tir, were the logistics representatives at an event organised to promote Catalonia's entrepreneurial potential and the role it should have as Southern Europe's entry point to the Mediterranean, Latin America and Asia.
Both Bassols and Ballester affirmed that the latest economic data leave room for some hope and that it is "time to stop crying in desperation," because "the markets show signs of movement," as stressed by DB Schenker Spain-Tir's president.
Defining the markets
Jaume Ballester defended that Catalonia needs to define as soon as possible "the markets it wishes to address," because "the Iberian Peninsula alone is not enough." It is necessary to expand, and to do this, the first logical step is "to enter the Moroccan market. We cannot allow others to take our slice of the cake," said DB Schenker Spain-Tir's president.
Santiago Bassols, for his part, argued that Catalonia's entrepreneurs "should consolidate and specialise in sectors where we are more competitive," and reminded that nowadays "the problem with the Catalan logistics system is no longer a lack of infrastructures, but of a system tying them all together, to prevent them from operating in an isolated manner."
"Most strategic elements needed to achieve this would require very small investments, except for rail networks, in which greater efforts would be necessary."
BCL's general director asked the logistics community for concerted effort to increase the levels of service, as there is "clear room for improvement." Bassols addressed the need of all logistics facilities, such as warehouses, port and rail terminals, etc., to provide an uninterrupted 24 hour service, thereby creating a really flexible and efficient logistics system.
Source: Diariodelpuerto.com
Jaume Ballester defended that Catalonia needs to define as soon as possible "the markets it wishes to address," because "the Iberian Peninsula alone is not enough." It is necessary to expand, and to do this, the first logical step is "to enter the Moroccan market. We cannot allow others to take our slice of the cake," said DB Schenker Spain-Tir's president.
Ballester also listed some of the inefficiencies that logistics and transport firms must live with on a daily basis, such as empty runs, "which affect both ships and lorries. And this is unacceptable. We cannot allow it," because it entails an excessive increase in costs.
Santiago Bassols, for his part, argued that Catalonia's entrepreneurs "should consolidate and specialise in sectors where we are more competitive," and reminded that nowadays "the problem with the Catalan logistics system is no longer a lack of infrastructures, but of a system tying them all together, to prevent them from operating in an isolated manner."
"Most strategic elements needed to achieve this would require very small investments, except for rail networks, in which greater efforts would be necessary."
BCL's general director asked the logistics community for concerted effort to increase the levels of service, as there is "clear room for improvement." Bassols addressed the need of all logistics facilities, such as warehouses, port and rail terminals, etc., to provide an uninterrupted 24 hour service, thereby creating a really flexible and efficient logistics system.
Source: Diariodelpuerto.com