MILITZER & MÜNCH MAGAZINEISSUE 02 | 2013

Cotton Transports: On the Road for the White Gold

Express in Central Asia

TURKEY:

Great Expectations

02 | EDITORIAL

DEAR READER:

This new issue of our COMPASS hopefully finds you relaxed after a restive summer vacation. Our articles do not only deal with the world of transport logistics – we focus on the variety and richness of cul-tures, developments and progress in totally diverse regions.

Turkey for instance: a young country with half the population not even thirty years old. For Euro-peans who often bemoan their aging societies, this sounds almost sensational. Although the Republic has just turned 90, it is already looking forward to its one hundred-year jubilee, with lots of energy and big efforts going into the preparations. Thus, the government invests billions in infrastructure, especially in the traffic sec-tor. Politics and logistics have to achieve enormous accomplishments to offer a solid basis to the young and booming economy within the shortest time. Young or old, modern or traditional, European or Asian: Turkey is a fasci-nating place, fascinating enough for us to present it in this issue as a region.

For Militzer & Münch, Turkey is an important hub towards Central Asia. There, in countries like Ta-jikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, we find again and again new transport modes and routes for raw materials in high demand. Read more in this issue on our cotton transports as well as on the courier and express services we per-form in Kazakhstan, Uzbek-istan, and Georgia as the official service partner of the US American express and air freight corporation FedEx.

You also find an article on how Morocco has grown to be the most attractive economy in North Africa and how we at Militzer & Münch and our customers profit from the upswing through courageous investments – such as a logistics terminal with a state of the art warehouse managing system in Casa-blanca’s Sapino industrial park.

A laboratory was trans-ported successfully, a new terminal in Tunisia was inaugurated, and there are new faces on the manage-ment team: In this issue, you will find a lot on these and other topics from the manifold Militzer & Münch world of transport-logistics.

Enjoy reading!

With warmest regards,

Ewald Kaiser

Ewald KaiserChief Executive OfficerM&M Militzer & Münch

International Holding AG

CONTENTS | 03

Publisher

M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG Zwinglistr. 25 9001 St. Gallen SUISSE Phone: +41 71 227 15 00 Fax: +41 71 227 15 35 Internet: www.mumnet.com

Responsible for contents Ewald Kaiser, CEO

Editorial Office | Layout STROOMER PR | Concept GmbH Rellinger Straße 64a 20257 Hamburg Deutschland Phone: +49 40 85 31 33 0 Fax: +49 40 85 31 33 22 E-Mail: mail@stroomer-pr.de

Cover photo PhotonStock/istockphoto.com

0404 | NEWS

A Long Trip for a Complete LaboratoryMilitzer & Münch recently trans-ported a complete laboratory from Germany to Kyrgyzstan: eight out-of-gauge units.

0505 | NEWS

New Logistics Terminal in Tunisia In the Maghreb region, Militzer & Münch continues strengthening its position; a new logistics terminal in Radès was taken into operation.

1818 | SPECTRUM

Express in Central AsiaUnder the name EMEX, Militzer & Münch has been offe-ring courier and express services in Central Asia for ten years.

1616 | REGION

Setting the Pace in North AfricaPositive economic data: With its neighbors in a state of upheaval, Morocco is turning into an attractive place for business.

10 | REGION

Turkey: Great ExpectationsJust one more decade and Turkey will be celebrating the 100-year jubilee of the founding of the Republic. In time for the anniversary, the country aims to rise into the top league of leading logistics nations. In order to reach this goal, the government has prescribed a rejuvenating cure to the entire transport infra-structure.

10

06 | FOCUS

On the Road for the White GoldFor centuries, cotton has been cultivated and traded in many areas of the world. The plant shapes the culture, landscape and economy also of some Central Asian countries, like Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. In both countries, Militzer & Münch is a cotton expert.

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NEWS//

New Manager Airfreight

On 1st July 2013, Klaus Jäger (photo) took over the new po-sition of Manager Global Air Freight at the Frankfurt, Ger-many, location.

With Militzer & Münch, Jäger, 55, will continue on the chosen growth path in the air freight sector, further extend the exist-ing international network and realize airfreight-oriented pro-jects.

Klaus Jäger is an experienced lo-gistics expert with over 30 years of global air cargo expertise and with excellent contacts to all major air carriers. In his last posi-tions, Jäger was with two big forwarding corporations in the USA and in Germany, in charge of airfreight development.

“My aim is to further develop Militzer & Münch’s airfreight activities with a special focus on customer orientation, and to consistently drive the expan-sion”, says Klaus Jäger.

A long trip for a complete laboratory

Militzer & Münch transported a complete laboratory from Germany to Kyrgyzstan. The modular-type laboratory to control tuberculosis consisted of eight out-of-gauge units meas-uring up to 4.67 meters in width and weighing up to 40.7 tons. The Projects team in Nurnberg prepared the shipment during six weeks – fixing the best routes, getting permits, organizing cranes – and then the oversized transport started from Krölpa in Thuringia via truck to Luebeck port. From there, the laboratory went across the Baltic Sea to Ventspils in Latvia.

The last leg of the trip was per truck again: Militzer & Münch transported the laboratory through Russia and Kazakhstan to its destination, Bishkek – a distance of 5 000 kilometers. Even heavy snowfalls in Kazakh-stan with snow banks several meters high stopped the convoy only for a short time. In the end, the laboratory reached its desti-nation, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, safe and on time, where two 60-ton cranes mounted the parts directly on the foundations.

20 Years in Kazakhstan

Exactly 20 years ago – on July 22nd, 1993 – Militzer & Münch founded its affiliate in Kazakh-stan. Beginning with three em-ployees and offering road trans-portation only, the company has seen a positive development: Soon, an airfreight department was founded; rail and sea ser-vices were added. Since the mid-1990s, warehousing has been in the service portfolio, with the company opening one of the first bonded warehouses in Kazakhstan.

Today, 50 logistics experts, under the leadership of Natalya Kula-gina (photo), form the team of M&M Logistics TOO. Apart from the head office in Almaty, there are offices in Aqtau, Astana, Atyrau and Shymkent. M&M Logistics TOO offers services in all four business segments with a special focus on projects. Recently, the company also began doing retail logistics for international retailers. Instead of celebrating a big jubilee party, M&M Logistics TOO made a donation to charity.

Our old warehouse was almost bursting at the seams”, says Engelbert Heiser, Re-gional Managing Director for South-West Europe and the Maghreb. “In order to remain among the top providers in the region, we opted for a new construction.” Only 50 meters from the old warehouse, the new ter-minal was erected on an 11 000 m² plot.

A company-owned con-signment warehouseApart from a 4 000 m² warehouse and about 600 m² of office space, the new terminal boasts a consignment warehouse. In this 1 200 m² area, Mil-itzer & Münch temporarily stores duty-unpaid goods for international customers. Customs duty is due only when items are ordered and delivered. The advan-tage: The consignee ties up less capital, while the supplier can serve his cus-tomer within the shortest time. The service is open exclusively to companies that have their goods finished or processed in

Tunisia – for example the automotive and textile industries.

The Militzer & Münch ser-vice portfolio at the new terminal goes far beyond that: Transit shipments to Libya and Egypt are also processed there. Moreover, Militzer & Münch offers its Tunisian customers tailored contract logistics solutions, from goods receipt to or-der picking to distribution. Owing to the vast areal, processes have become markedly faster and more efficient.

An ideal location The new logistics terminal is situated in Radès, the trans-shipment port of Tunis. Here, the interna-tional Ro-Ro and container vessels destined for Tunis are unloaded. The terminal lies in close proximity to the customs office. And with several motorways, the traffic connection to Tunis and also to the rest of the country is opti-mal. With the new facility, Militzer & Münch aims at further consolidating its strong position in the Maghreb.

NEWS | 05

In Tunisia, a new logistics terminalMilitzer & Münch continues expanding its presence in the Maghreb Region and took into operation a new logistics terminal in Radès near the Tunisian capital of Tunis. The transport logistics company invested about 1.5 million euros in the new facility.

06 | FOCUS

Cotton has been cultivated and traded for centuries in many parts of the world. The

plant also coins the culture, landscape and economy in Central Asian countries – for

instance in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. The central importance of this raw material has made of Militzer & Münch in these parts an

expert in cotton transportation: For decades, the local teams have been carrying this mer-

chandise into the world – along the trade lanes of the Old Silk Road.

ON THE ROAD FOR THE WHITE GOLD

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FOCUS | 07

buying the goods directly from the fields – receive a daily status report on the whereabouts of their goods. For the transports, Militzer & Münch cooper-ates with reliable partners.

Sensitive Goods – Handled with CareThe conditions during transport can have an enormous influence on the quality of the cotton. Handling the sensitive raw material demands exper-tise and great care: “The pressed cotton fibers are specially packed and tied tightly, and we take care that the cotton bales are protected against soil-ing, so that the goods reach the consignee in a clean state”, explains Maksat Nuriyev, Managing Director M&M Militzer & Münch Turkmenistan Ltd.

“Moreover, cotton has to be stored and transported in dry conditions so it doesn’t go moldy. This, again, makes it easily in-flammable. It is therefore important that the pres-sure in the bales does not decrease during transport: for the higher the oxygen content, the easier for the

fibers to catch fire.”

By Water into the Wide WorldCotton bales are mainly transported overland: via road or rail. From Turk-menistan, the trucks head towards the deep sea ports that have been cho-sen for further transport. Until a couple of years ago, cotton was mainly trans-shipped via Iran; yet the country’s difficult po-litical situation asked for alternative solutions. To-day, especially the ports of Mersin in Turkey and Riga in Latvia are the major hubs for cotton transport. Here, the cotton is stored, then stowed into contain-ers, cleared with customs and then laden on board the vessels.

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Turkmenistan lies directly on the Silk Road of the 21st cen-tury. The country not only boasts huge oil and natural gas reserves, with its over 550 000 hectares of cultivable land, it also counts among the ten biggest cotton producers worldwide.

Every year, the Turkmen cotton fields yield about one million tons of the White Gold, as cotton is called in the cultivating countries for its immense importance. In the record year 2010, the harvest was even over 1.2 million tons.

The production of the cot-ton yarn that is spun from the fibers has increased more than eight fold in the past 15 years. There are about three dozen cot-ton mills in Turkmenistan; they are active all year round. In the meantime, the majority of the cot-

ton is processed locally; while the export of the raw material still remains an important pillar of the Turkmen economy.

Two Decades of Cotton Expertise in Turkmenistan M&M Militzer & Münch Turkmenistan Ltd. oper-ates from locations in the capital Ashgabat and in Turkmenbashi and Balkanabat and has ex-perience in transporting raw cotton: Since it was founded almost 20 years ago, the Turkmen Militzer & Münch daughter has been working for the White Gold. While project shipments are year-round operations, the Militzer & Münch Turkmenistan ac-tivities in the cotton sector depend on the blooming period of the cotton plant: Work for the team begins in October and lasts through April.

During this phase, the 35 staffers coordinate and control the entire loading and transport processes. Service begins when the customer’s requirements are agreed upon and ends when the goods are deliv-ered at the place of final destination. At the place of origin, employees see to the necessary formali-ties and supervise loading. The customers – inter-national cotton traders

Cotton – Appreciated Every-where

It would be hard to imagine our daily lives without cotton and the products made from cotton. In textile production alone, cotton still is, with a world market share of 40 %, one of the most important fibers, and this in spite of the industrial production of synthetic fibers that has been increasing since the middle of the 20th century. Cotton is hard-wearing, tear-resis-tant and skin-friendly; and thus not only ideal for the production of textiles such as clothing, bedding or towels. The paper sheets for mo-dern bank notes, for example the Euro – are made of pure cotton!

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08 | FOCUS

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Then the cotton begins its voyage across the Seas – to the final consignees, mainly fabric and textile manufacturers in China, Europe and the USA:In this vein, during the 2012 season, the Militzer & Münch Turkmenistan team transported, in over 1 000 truck trips, a volume of about 24 000 tons of cot-ton.

Tajikistan: Success Factor Cotton HubIn Tajikistan, situated east of Turkmenistan in the Cot-ton Belt, cotton is among the most important export products, too – which makes it one of the main transport goods. Since the Tajik unit M&M Militzer & Münch Tajikistan L.L.C. was founded in 2009, it has specialized in the transpor-tation of the White Gold, and has fast established itself as an expert.

A decisive building block in the success was the opening last year of a 3 000 square meter cotton hub in Sarband, in south-ern Tajikistan, about 100 kilometers from the capital Dushanbe. Before the transshipment facility was put into operation, goods had to be loaded directly at the cotton mills, without any transit stops.

“Due to the new hub, all the processes can now be handled with greater flex-ibility”, says Aziz Sharipov,

Transporting Record VolumesAlready today, the trans-port figures speak a clear language: After the com-pany transported about 550 truckloads of cotton in 2011 – almost doubling the transport volume as com-pared to the year before, Militzer & Münch attained a new record in the 2011/2012 season in the country at the Hindu Kush. Within only sev-en months, the team trans-ported over 800 truckloads of cotton, thus handling over ten per cent of Tajikistan’s entire cotton volume.

The cotton is stored at the cotton hub before Militzer & Münch consolidates the cargo and transports it abroad for processing.

cotton hub is therefore of major importance. And we are absolutely confident it will guarantee us a strong competitive position also in the future.”

Managing Director M&M Militzer & Münch Tajikistan L.L.C. “As a central trans-shipment facility, it simpli-fies and speeds up export and allows us to handle considerably more cotton during the harvest season. For our local activities, the

Maksat Nuriyev, Mana-ging Director Militzer & Münch Turkmenistan (right) and Maksim Vel-madurov, Head of the Cotton Department.

“All our employees are specialists with long years of experience in dealing with cotton; at every step along the transport, they proceed with utmost professionalism.”

Kostas Sandalcidis, Regional Managing Director Middle East and Central Asia.

FOCUS | 09

Ideal conditions for the cultiva-tion of cotton – a member of the Malvaceae family like hibiscus – are to be found along the so-called Cotton Belt that goes around the equator between 35 ° south and 45 ° north. Here, there is tropical to sub-tropical climate. The Cotton Belt comprises 70 countries and a total cultivable area of around 33 million hectares – about the area of Germany. The biggest cotton culti-vations along the Belt are in China, India, and the USA.

Mainly, the cotton is taken to the port of Mersin in Turkey, where it starts its voyage overseas.

Says Kostas Sandalcidis, Regional Managing Di-rector Middle East and Central Asia: “In Central Asia, Militzer & Münch operates on totally familiar terrain. Thus, countries like Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have huge potential for us, especially in cotton transportation. Our aim is to continue growing in this sector. In a few weeks’ time, with the beginning of the cotton harvest, we want to approach this project.”

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Along the White Belt In autumn, when the blooming stage sets in, they seem to be snow-covered, the cotton fields. Soft cotton wool balls, the size of a fist, erupt from the bolls on the brown shrubs that look so dry and barren. Yet cotton is demanding: During the vegetation phase, the plants are extremely thirsty and need to be irrigated in most cases. During the blooming phase on the other hand, cotton needs lots of sunshine, and a dry climate.

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10 | REGION

In Turkey: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

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A sDeputy Economy Minister Mustafa Sever declared in June at a logistics con-ference in Berlin, Turkey wants to have made it among the top ten in the World Bank’s logistics ranking by 2023, the jubi-lee year – at the moment, the country holds rank 27. Such a sprint into the leading group demands perseverance and invest-ments. Sever emphasized that deeds had already come before his words: between 2003 and 2012 alone, his country had in-

vested about 75 billion US dollars in infra-structure. Among the measures: development of sea ports, as well as new airports, railway lines and motor-ways.

Logistics plays a key role in the economic develop-ment of Turkey: “Govern-ment does not only focus on infrastructure”, says Kostas Sandalcidis, Re-gional Managing Director Middle East and Cen-tral Asia with Militzer & Münch: “What is really at stake is the development of entire value chains in this country.” Which is why the Turkish govern-ment is speeding up infra-structure development at this time. Yet, since state funds will not be sufficient

in the long run, govern-ment has begun realizing operator-model projects as well as public-private partnership projects – and with success. Export is the forteBy 2023, the foreign trade volume is meant to rise again markedly, from 400 billion dollars in 2012 to approximately 1.3 trillion dollars. European and Asian export partners are of the same importance today.

While other European countries have long been reserved, companies from Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain have been investing in Turkey for years. Investments that have been rewarded

with growth. Which sec-tors have the biggest potential in the future? Marked impulses for fur-ther economic growth come from the automo-bile industry, especially the supplying industry in the Marmara region, from tex-tile production – after all accounting for ten percent of the GDP – and last but not least from steel and chemistry, these growing sectors.

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Another ten years, and Turkey will celebrate the 100-year jubilee of the Republic’s founding. In time for the jubilee, the country wants to move up into the elite league of the leading logistics nations. To reach that aim, the Turkish government is already now submitting its entire traffic infrastruc-ture to a rejuvenating cure. Already now, Turkey offers lots of potential for international transport and logistics companies as a turntable between Europe and Asia.

Bridging two continents: The Bosporus

Bridge in Istanbul connects Europe and Asia.

Young, conveniently situated, prospering

Economically, the country is headed in the right direction: through the past nine years, Turkish economy proved to be utterly robust, defying even the global financial crisis. The annual GDP growth rate was at a 5.2 % average. For the coming years, recent World Bank prog-noses forecast a growth rate markedly above the indices of other European countries. Rating agencies attest to a positive investment climate. Right now, in the direct comparison to the EU na-tions, Turkey is the sixth-biggest econo-my (2011, GDP as per current prices), in the global ranking, Turkey is 18th (2011, World Economic Outlook statistics).

Three factors account for the growth figures: for one, strong exports that ben-efit from the fluctuations of the Turkish lira. The low unit labor costs in Turkey also make for propitious exports. Sec-ond, the demographic situation is opti-mal: Every second inhabitant is under 30 years (Turkish Statistical Institute). And third, the geo-political and geographical situation of Turkey is excellent.

12 | REGION

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“We see Turkey as one of the most important markets of the future for us”, says Ewald Kaiser, CEO of the M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG. “Owing to its situation on two con-tinents, it is an important bridge between Europe and Asia and into the Middle East. But also inland development has lots of potential.” Yet, to be successful in Turkey, strong regional roots were indispensable: “Tak-ing over the ATC Group in 2012, Militzer & Münch acquired exactly this re-gional strength.”

Road transports on the riseWhile Militzer & Münch used to operate mainly in the air and sea freight sectors on the Turkish lo-gistics market, nowadays Militzer & Münch Turkey offers services in all busi-ness segments, with the Road sector especially showing a positive de-velopment: Along the East-West axis, between France/the Maghreb and Turkey, Militzer & Münch has established regular groupage transports in cooperation with the lo-cal Militzer & Münch sub-sidiaries.

“At the moment, we are turning our locations into hubs for even longer dis-tances, between France or Germany to countries in the CIS”, says Cem Ulusoy, Managing Direc-tor Militzer & Münch Tur-

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REGION | 13

key. The long transport corridor will directly con-nect Turkey’s two major foreign trade partners. At this time, export vol-umes to Germany are the same as exports to Rus-sia – both being almost ten percent of the entire goods flow abroad. With imports, both countries take the lead, too.

Turkey’s development as a central hub in its bridge head function between Europe and Asia is not only important for the country itself, but also for a vast economic area. As Ulusoy explains: “It allows many international com-panies to open the mar-kets of the neighboring countries. It is not with-out reason that Militzer & Münch operates its own subsidiaries in Ka-zakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. We see big interest in transport solu-tions going to the neigh-boring countries. Taking this into account, we are expanding our network.

Thus, we are strength-ening our office in the port city of Izmir, we are developing our office in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and extending our airfreight and sea freight activities.” A Militzer & Münch branch office in Northern Iraq is planned, adds Sandalcidis, “and closer cooperation of

all subsidiaries in the re-gions of my responsibility is possible already now

– for this, we will not be waiting until the jubilee year.”

Kostas Sandalcidis, Ma-naging Director Middle East and Central Asia (front row, middle) and Managing Director Cem Ulusoy (front row, right) with the Militzer & Münch Istanbul team.

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VISION 2023: tracks, ports, airports

M&M MILITZER & MÜNCH IN TURKEY

Services:

• FTL and LTL transports

• Airfreight with door-to-door service

• Rail freight

• Project and heavy lift transports

• Customs procedures

• Transit transports

Head office: Istanbul

Locations: Bursa, Izmir, Mersin, Ankara (by the end of 2013)

Staff: 55

////////////////////Contact :Militzer & Münch Uluslararası Tasımacılık ve Lojistik Hizmetler A.S.Merkez Mah. Fatih Cad. No: 112-114 TR – 34303 Halkali – Istanbul

Phone: +90 212 446 22 22Fax: +90 212 470 67 67E-Mail: mumtris@mumnet.com

Well aware of its geographic impor-tance, Turkey takes great pains to develop transport routes between Europe, Asia and Africa. So far, tru-cking predominates with about 90 % of all goods transports between the three continents. “Only few countries dispose of a truck fleet that compa-res in size”, says Kostas Sandalcidis, who is, apart from his work for Militzer & Münch, also active in UTIKAD, the Turkish As-sociation of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers.

To enhance road trans-ports, the network of rou-tes and highways is being

developed at full speed. Until 2023, 16 big logistics terminals are to be built that connect the road network to other modes of transports. So far, there are only few facilities with multi modal terminals and the appropriate connec-tions.

Also in the airfreight sector, Turkey intends to take a big step forward. Turkish Airlines Cargo wants to become the third biggest air freight company world-wide. To this aim, the sta-te-owned airline extends its fleet to 750 aircraft. By 2020, a new, third airport will be constructed in Is-tanbul with six runways for take-off and landing. A private operators’ consor-tium is investing 22 billion US dollars. A similarly high sum has been approved

Mersin

Bursa

Istanbul

Ankara

Izmir Turkey

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by the Turkish government for the development and modernization of the rail-way tracks; until 2023, this position is in the budget at around 23.5 billion dollars. By 2019 already, a railway tunnel under, and a third bridge over the Bosporus are to be finished.

All in all, more than 10 000 kilometers of high speed train tracks and another 4 000 kilometers of ad-ditional tracks are to be built. Rail connection to the Caucasian Republics, the Middle East and North Africa is being ameliora-ted. For this, Turkey also counts on cooperation with the neighboring countries. Thus, within the scope of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku Project, they are building a direct railway line from Kars in Northern

Turkey - on the border to Georgia – up to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Along the new railway cor-ridor, 1.5 million passen-gers and 3 million tons of goods are to be transpor-ted per year. At the same time, the Turkish forwar-ders association UTIKAD is participating in BALO, an international project to promote the railway con-nection between West and Central Anatolia and the Central European railroad system.

With ports in the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Black Sea, Turkey already has excellent con-nections to all neighboring regions.

By 2019, Turkey wants to reach a handling capacity of 32 million standard containers per year. Then, at least one of the Turkish ports will make it into the world’s top ten list.

REGION | 15

VISION 2023: tracks, ports, airportsThe Turkish logistics market in figures:• About 2 000 transport

and logistics compa-nies with 400 000 per-sonnel.

• The annual turnover of the logistics sector is at 44 billion euros (2012).

• 91 % of all inland goods transports are done by truck, rail is second.

• In foreign trade, sea freight is number one, with 51 % of the ex-ports and 53 % of the imports.

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V

Setting the pace in

North Africa

essel sirens are hooting, dock hands are speeding past on clattering mopeds and freight trains loaded with phosphate, Morocco’s most important export commodity, are rumbling across the port area: Mo-roccan economy has its own, stamping rhythm – a rhythm that makes itself felt also at Tanger Med container port. For Moroc-co, the deep sea port on the Strait of Gibraltar is a prestige object; the turno-ver of merchandise keeps growing continuously. Once the second tranche of the port is finished – in 2015, if everything goes as scheduled – Tanger Med is to count among the world’s twenty biggest container ports.

Yet the port is only one ex-ample to prove Morocco’s booming economy. The gross domestic product is increasing steadily; the country was able to remain politically stable in spite of the demonstrations of the Arab Spring. For inves-tors, a favorable climate

that also M&M Militzer & Münch Maroc S.A. takes advantage of. The Militzer & Münch subsidiary in Mo-rocco has been operating in the country since 1986; a staff of 80 offers services in the business segments Road, Air and Sea.

Sapino, a success story“Morocco is on the move – and we at Militzer & Münch take part in the upswing”, says Olivier An-toniotti, Managing Direc-tor M&M Militzer & Münch Maroc S.A. In April 2012, Militzer & Münch took into operation a logistics terminal at the newly founded Sapino industrial park. The state-of-the-art, 8 200 m² facility is the third Militzer & Münch location in the country. It offers a

of the goods. Customers appreciate the investment: Companies from the elec-tro industrial sector rely on Militzer & Münch services as much as pharmaceuti-cal companies or the retail trade. “We have been and remain the pioneers on the Moroccan logistics market”, says Oliver Anto-niotti: “In Sapino, too, we were among the first ten-ants – and now we profit from our courageous in-vestment policy.”

broad range of logistics services from goods re-ceipt through temporary storage to the distribution of order-picked goods. The industrial park is per-fectly connected to the domestic and international road network: situated not even 30 minutes from Casablanca, in direct prox-imity to “Mohammed V” International Airport, and linked to Tanger Med port via motorways.

Among Moroccan logis-tics terminals, Militzer & Münch‘s new facility boasts a unique specialty: a modern warehouse man-agement system. It allows the staff to keep track of the entire materials flow blow by blow – from re-ceipt to storage to delivery

Good economic figures, good prospects: While its neighbors are in a state of upheaval,

Morocco transforms itself into an attractive market. With multi-facetted industries and a competitive service sector, the North African

country is looking to link to global economy.

A prestige project on the Strait of Gibraltar: Tanger Med

deep sea port.

questions for Olivier Antoniotti3

Setting the pace in

North Africa

MILITZER & MÜNCH IN MOROCCO

Founded in: 1986

Locations: 4

Staff: circa 100

Services: • FCL, LCL, LTL, FTL

• Groupage transports from/to France, Spain, UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey and Italy

• Worldwide import/export container trans-ports

• Warehousing and distribution

• Customs clearance

• Specialized on textile transports

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Contact :M&M Militzer & Münch Maroc S.A.Office Casablanca1, rue Ghiriane20580 Casablanca

Phone: +212 5 22 67 37 38Fax: +212 5 22 35 15 38E-Mail: mmmaroc@mumnet.com

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Mr. Antoniotti, Morocco’s economy is developing at top speed. Is the logistics sector keeping pace?At any rate it is! The demand for logistics services in the coun-try is growing - at the same time, many big transport and lo-gistics companies are trying to keep and expand their market positions.

How is Militzer & Münch holding its ground in Morocco?In the entire region, we follow our clear growth strategy; thus, we have today become one of the most important providers of transport and logistics services in North Africa. Our com-prehensive logistics services portfolio, the strong, world-wide Militzer & Münch network as well as our extensive investments over the past few years have helped us strengthen our good market position.

Where do you see Militzer & Münch Maroc S.A. in five years’ time?First of all, our aim is to secure our market position in a sus-tainable way; yet at the same time we are considering further investments. At the moment, lots of companies from the au-tomotive sector and the aviation industry are settling in the Tangiers area. We must not allow ourselves to lose out on this new market. We also aim to extend our activities in West Africa to meet our customers’ demands. One thing is sure: We will always have our fingers on the pulse!”

Olivier Antoniotti, 44, has been with Militzer & Münch for almost twenty years. Since 1996, he has been Managing Director of Militzer & Münch Maroc S.A. In this interview, he talks about visions and the growth potential in North Africa.

REGION | 17

18 | SPECTRUM

Express in Central AsiaCelebrating an anniversary in Central Asia - for ten years now, Militzer & Münch has been doing express and courier services in Uzbekistan under the name of EMEX; one year later only to found another EMEX unit in Kazakhstan. In both countries, EMEX offers express services nationwide, but also operates at an international level as the official service partner of FedEx, the US American express and airfreight corporation.

the Uzbekistan Olympic Committee are among the customers of EMEX Tashkent. “We work with the FedEx systems and comply with their interna-tional quality and service standards”, says Manag-ing Director Sardor Juraev,

“to the benefit of our cus-tomers even with national shipments.”

Biggest FedEx Partner in Central AsiaThe Kazakh EMEX LLP was founded in 2004 as an official FedEx agent. Only two years later, it was awarded the “Best of 100 FedEx Global Service Partners” award. Not only in this respect did the company give proof of rapid development: While at the beginning, a team of ten was responsible for the courier business,

EMEX Tashkent SC was founded as a daughter company by Militzer & Münch in 2003. From the beginning, the company has been using the global FedEx network to dispatch documents and shipments from Uz-bekistan all over the world. By the same token, from its four locations in the capital Tashkent and from the locations in Termez, Andijon and Samarqand, EMEX distributes FedEx shipments to consignees in Uzbekistan.

General Motors, the Asian Development Bank, and

EMEX Kazakhstan today has over 100 employees working for FedEx. Which makes EMEX LLP the big-gest FedEx Global Service Partner in Central Asia.

The service for FedEx comprises priority service for time-sensitive, urgent shipments, the economy service for not-urgent shipments, and customs services. EMEX LLP deliv-ers every FedEx shipment that arrives at the Almaty headquarters within three days maximum to all major

cities and towns in Kazakh-stan – not such an easy feat in the world’s biggest landlocked country. To this purpose, the company has created its own net-work of branch offices in the nine big cities Almaty, Aktau, Aktobe, Astana, Atyrau, Öskemen, Oral, Karaganda, Shymkent and Taras, and additional offices in thirteen more towns. “Among all the courier companies in the country”, says Alexei Gas-enko, Managing Director EMEX Kazakhstan since

2009, “we offer the fast-est service.” Also as far as quality is concerned, EMEX has an edge over its competitors: Customer service provides maximum customer intimacy – with tracking and tracing from origin to delivery, with its own call center, and com-prehensive services – even for domestic shipments.

Georgia : Militzer & Münch on the Express Track

In Georgia, too, Militzer & Münch has been acting as an agent for FedEx for many years. In the country between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the cooperation began in 2001 already. The number of shipments transported has been constantly rising since. Today, M&M Militzer & Münch Georgia Ltd., head-quartered in Tiflis, the coun-try’s capital, is the second largest provider of courier and express services on the local market.

With a transit time of two to three days, the FedEx shipments go to consignees in over 200 countries world-wide, but mainly to the United States, to China and Europe. Among them: big customers like the Marriott and Sheraton Hotel chains. For some years now, the ex-press operations of Militzer & Münch Georgia’s team of fifteen under Managing Director Paata Kacharava have been generating about one third of the com-pany’s turnover.

Alexei Gasenko, Managing Director EMEX Kazakhstan

The 105-meter Bayterek Tower is the landmark of Astana,

the capital of Kazakhstan.

Tiflis

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Sensitive cotton or bulky heavy-lift, road, air or sea freight: with us, your goods are always in good hands. Fully tailoring our transport logistic solutions to your individual requirements, we customize a perfect concept for your order. Benefit from our safe and reliable network of over 100 locations in over 30 countries.

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In good hands with Militzer & Münch©

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