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Lacezar Rubcev, General Manager of GEFCO Serbia – We will support the growth of local transportation companies
Tuesday, 07.06.2016.
16:07
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- Serbia is a fertileground for industrial investments and what makes it special is thatit is attracting a large number of investments from both Russia andthe EU. The Serbian market is third in size in South-Eastern Europe,after Romania and Greece, and is strategically located “in theheart of the Balkans” - says LachezarRubchev, General Manager ofGEFCO Serbia for eKapija.
He points out thatthe company has a network of suppliers in Serbia, made up of smalland medium carriers with a total rolling stock of over 400 trucks.The arrival of the logistics giant is a great opportunity for Serbiancarriers, which will be able to significantly expand their activitiesby cooperating with an experienced global partner.
eKapija:Why has your company decided toconduct expansion to Serbia and how would you evaluate the market`sgrowth potential?
Serbia is ourpick because it is one of the most dynamic economies of the region.By being present here GEFCO is reinforcing its footprint in this highpotential area where GEFCO Group has been historically present.Serbia is the 3rd biggest market in South-Eastern Europe afterRomania and Greece and has a strategic position ideally locatedbetween Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
eKapija:What will a global logistics player suchas GEFCO bring to Serbia and are you planning to include localtransportation companies into your operations?
Our major inputlies in bringing the 65 years of experience, valuable know-how andthe expertise that is proven to deliver long term success and profit.This will ensure the growth and prosperity to all the companies thatbecome the part of our global network of subcontractors. It is ourpolicy to include local companies and in that way invest in theeconomic aspect of every country that we are present in.Our network of reliable suppliers in Serbia includes small-and middle-size carriers with a total rolling stock of more than 400trucks.
We are constantlyworking on enlarging this list and on making the cooperation asfavorable as possible for our clients. To provide an example, we haveinvolved one of our partners into the flows Turkey-Czech Republic andCzech Republic-Turkey, ensuring this way over 400 tours/year.
All the companieswe do business with meet our corporate standards and have thenecessary capacities to support the required supply chain. We alsosecure our business partners from risks caused by the continuouslychanging market. Our suppliers get the opportunity to operatewithout any problems throughout the group and participate in businessin other parts of the world through CMS (Carrier management system),a special Internet platform system, developed by GEFCO. Thisillustrates why GEFCO stands out from other companies in the sector.
eKapija:When compared to other Balkan countries in which you arealready present, how does Serbia stand in terms of industrialinvestment, road infrastructure and manufacturing activities?
Serbia is a verypopular location for industrial investments. Moreover, what isspecific for this country, it attracts large amount of investmentsfrom Russian Federation, as well as from the EU.
It is stronglypositioned in the production of steel, manufactured goods, chemicals.Automotive sector is also very well developed and it is a significant part of business strategies of almost all well known internationalautomotive suppliers.
Its location “inthe heart” of Balkans region and two pan-European corridorscrossing the country introduce many benefits to Serbia, which make ita valuable logistics partner.
eKapija:How much warehousing space do you operate in the Balkans andwhat are the region`s strategic benefits in terms of transport flows?
TheBalkans are the fastest developingregion in Europe. It lies on the crossroadbetween Western and Eastern Europe and Asia, ithas numerous accesses to the sea. Besides all this, nowadaysit is one of the most popular directions for investments, and thatopens a lot of opportunities for the logistics companies.
We are followingthe needs of our customers. As a light asset company, we aredesigning special solutions created by our engineering departmentsrelated to different projects. We are providing warehousing,x-docking, exchange of trailers yard services in different locations.Our main goal is to be flexible and in line with the market.
eKapija:Do you expect more manufacturers to relocate their productionfacilities to Serbia and the Balkans in the coming years? Are youplanning to expand your presence and services within this region?
Weare staying focused on Serbia and continuing to furtherdevelop our business here. Our development plans are very ambitiousand they are based on the previous successes of GEFCO in the regionas well as on the positive development tendency in the area.According to the feedback we receive from various business partners,most of them are satisfied with the investment they have made inSerbia. Based on that I personally believethat the foreign investments will grow in the next few years, but ofcourse, following the world economy trends.
eKapija:How would you evaluate your collaboration with the RomanianDacia and could you mention some of your other collaborations withcarmakers in the Balkans?
As you may know,GEFCO is mostly focused on automotive industry and is definitely no.1company in transportation of finished vehicles in Europe. Themajority of car manufacturers are our partners all around the world.As a part of a global organization, we are providing our know-how andhigh standards in the region as well.
eKapija:What added value and tailor-made solutions does GEFCO offer toits customers and how do you stay competitive onthe global market?
GEFCO alwayskeeps up with the global trends that are changing very intensivelynowadays. Being an international Group, we are constantly developingmore and more products that will correspond to the needs of the worldin movement. These products are implemented afterwardsin the local markets. We never stop on theeasiest solutions. Always analyzing our clients, their supply chains,studying alternatives in order to offer optimization. Our finaltarget is to develop and grow the business of our clients, providingthem with the most convenient and effective logistic solutions. Ithink this is what makes GEFCO so competitive and widely recognizedas one of the most important companies in the logistics andtransportation sector.
eKapija:How has your company managed to overcome recent geopoliticalevents which have an impact on cargo traffic ( EU sanctions againstRussia, Russia`s sanctions against Turkey...)?
First of all,thanks to our international network and the way how our subsidiariesmanage to work together, which is one of the greatest advantages ofbeing a Group with subsidiaries in 44 countries all over the world.In the turbulent environment we are able to develop and offer ourclients alternative solutions where the local suppliers are unable tohelp.
eKapija:What is your company`s global growth strategyand which countries would you pinpoint as the most important marketsin regards to transportation needs?
As previouslysaid, GEFCO will focus on providing services to manufacturers, continuing its international expansion openingmore and more markets and improving its positions in the existingcountries where we are present. We will work on diversification ofour customers portfolio by including companies from variousindustrial sectors, such as Aerospace and Defence, Energy, Oil&Gas, FMCG. We put an accent on developing multimodal solutions, which means involving all types of transports – road, sea, air andrailway.
Strategic areasof development for us are Asia, Russia and all ex-CIS countries(Kazakhstan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine andothers). The Balkan region is among ourpriorities as well, where we are foreseeing avery intensive development in the years to come.
eKapija:Is GEFCO seeking to pursueopportunities in any new logistics sectors and how do you foreseethe development of industrial logistics in the coming years?
Inthe sector of industrial logistics we expect a growing demand for thehigh quality logistics services. Those that involve detailed studiesof clients’ supply chains, deep understanding of their needs, engineering, developing several alternative solutions simultaneouslyin order to reach maximum optimization.
KatarinaMarinkovic
GEFCO doo Beograd