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Militzer & Münch had inaugurated a new customs terminal in Tangier, Morocco. With the 10,000 square metre facility, Militzer & Münch is aiming to meet the rising demand for logistics services in the region. Tangier is regarded as a hub between Europe and Africa; the port city has turned into an investment location owing to growing trade between the continents.

According to the Bloomberg Innovation Index 2016, Morocco is one of the most innovative countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Last year, especially the export business in the automotive sector showed good development with an increase of 20 percent. The new Militzer & Münch terminal is situated at the border of Tanger Free Zone, about 60 kilometers from Tanger Med Port. 30 ports in 20 countries are at this time connected to Tanger Med.

“We chose Tangier, as the North of Morocco has great potential for economic development and there’s big demand among customers”, says Dr. Lothar Thoma, CEO M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG. “The region is booming. Many of our customers from the automotive and aircraft sector have their production plants there. The terminal in Tangier is an important step towards meeting the rising demand for logistics services.”

The new terminal offers a covered area of 5,000 square metres that can be used for storage. Customers profit from the increase in capacity and faster customs clearance. “We have at our disposal here our own bonded warehouse with a designated area for import and export customs clearance”, says Olivier Antoniotti, Managing Director M&M Militzer & Münch Maroc. “That Spedimex Tanger, an affiliate of M&M Maroc, settles at this new location is another advantage, as the Spedimex core competence is customs clearance.”

For 30 years, Militzer & Münch has been active in Morocco. In the past years, Militzer & Münch boosted the development of its Moroccan unit with strategic investments. Apart from the new terminal in Tangier, Militzer & Münch operates three branch offices in Morocco, two in the Casablanca region and a liaison office at Tanger Med Port.

In total, Militzer & Münch Maroc now has 42,000 square metres of space, a staff of 90 works for Militzer & Münch Maroc. “Our locations at the country’s busiest trade zones allow us to organize the goods flows in a perfect way and to offer fast logistic handling”, Antoniotti says. “Besides industrial freight and textile transport by road, air and sea, we believe there’s huge potential also in the automotive and aircraft industries as well as the plastics and electronics sectors.” At this time, M&M Maroc handles 20 groupage transports per week in import and export; with the trucks coming mainly from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, England, and Belgium.

International logistics service provider Militzer & Münch has extended its Iran service range with a tracking and tracing service from the point of departure all the way to the consignee in Iran. Militzer & Münch started its activities in Iran over fifty years ago with transports to Iran by truck – today, the Militzer & Münch product portfolio comprises services covering the entire supply chain.

Shipments are tracked using a tool that transmits its location via the GSM cellular network. As the tool is not permanently installed, it can be used by different carriers. At this time, Militzer & Münch can monitor up to 250 trucks. Via an online tracking platform, customers can call up the status of their shipment at any time. “With the new end-to-end tracking and tracing system our logistics services have become even more transparent, and safer”, says Dr. Lothar Thoma, CEO M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG. “It is part of our quality standards. We accompany our customers every step of the entire supply chain – from the transport and customs clearance to warehousing and last mile distribution in Iran. This also includes the transport and storage of temperature-sensitive goods.”

In the past, Militzer & Münch transported almost 75 percent of the goods via truck, 20 percent were shipped via sea, and five percent were air freight. Militzer & Münch reckons sea freight volumes as well as road transports are going to increase. In preparation for the official lifting of the sanctions, Militzer & Münch negotiated partnerships, for instance in order to secure truck capacities for the time after the sanctions. At the moment, possibilities for rail transports from and to Iran are being examined as an additional option for customers.

“Especially the mechanical engineering sector will profit”, explains Dr. Lothar Thoma, “but we also see good chances for the automotive and the medical engineering industries. Moreover, the field of project logistics opens up new opportunities as there is pent-up demand in many sectors in Iran, such as the oil industry. Spare parts logistics in the aviation sector will also benefit from the lifting of the sanctions.”

Militzer & Münch is one of the few logistics companies that have comprehensive infrastructure in Iran. Through the PTB Group, a sister company, a staff of over 600 at 15 locations in Iran is available to Militzer & Münch. The PTB Group offers about 130,000 square meters of warehousing space, 30,000 of which are roofed. Customers store goods such as spare parts to be able to serve the Iranian market in a timely manner.

In Bandar Abbas, a port city in Southern Iran, the PTB Group uses areas in a designated free trade zone and operates a container terminal. Customers can store their goods duty free, until they are sold or on-forwarded within the country. This offer is especially interesting for the manufacturers of farm machinery or entire plants, as such voluminous goods can in future also be delivered to Bandar Abbas by RORO vessel.

The transport service provider STI Freight Management is now using a different type of fuel. The Spanish subsidiary, S.T.I. Glonet S.L. is introducing LNG trucks for temperature-controlled food transport. Under a contract with the lead logistics provider HAVI Logistics, trailers run five times a week between the HAVI Logistics distribution centres in Carregado and Canelas in Portugal. STI uses Iveco trucks for the 700-kilometre-long route.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a more environmentally friendly alternative to diesel. Compared to diesel engines, LNG emits around 20 percent less CO2. At the same time, according to industry experts, an LNG-powered truck releases up to 96 percent less nitrogen oxide than a diesel truck. For STI, the implementation of environmentally friendlier fuels is rooted in the company’s philosophy. “According to STI’s motto ‘Taking Quality The Extra Mile’, we constantly work towards minimising our customers’ environmental impact,” explains Cesar Vega, Managing Director of the STI subsidiary in Spain.

Transporting goods with LNG trucks is also economically advantageous for STI. With the LNG shipments in Portugal, the company saves about five percent in fuel costs in comparison to using diesel. “With the background of volatile diesel prices, alternative fuels such as LNG are becoming increasingly important for us,” Vega explains.

To produce LNG, natural gas is cooled to minus 162 degrees and liquefied. Alternatively, LNG can be produced from biogas.

About STI Freight Management
Some 285,500 national and international overland consignments, 8,000 air and sea freight consignments as well as 28,000 payments of customs duty per year. The above figures summarize the portfolio of STI Freight Management GmbH, which is headquartered in Duisburg. Behind these facts is one of the leading contract logistics providers in Europe. Since 1983. STI Freight Management has specialized in the planning and handling of complex transport and logistics projects. The subsidiary of HAVI Global Logistics and Martin-Brower UK Holdings Ltd. employs 221 people at twelve locations. Apart from the international transport of food and other temperature-controlled goods, such as high-quality pharmaceuticals, the companyÂ’s competencies also include supplying cruise liners, warehousing and customs clearance.