MBO Interview with Mr. Andrija Radusinović, Container Terminals and General Cargo AD Container Terminals and General Cargo, in its role as port operator for the Port of Bar, is authorized to carry out a wide range of tasks, including the transshipment of containers, cargo and lumber. In addition to these activities, the company offers other services such as the storage of various goods and cargo, traffic mediation (logistics providers, dispatch, packaging, repackaging, sorting and measurement of goods), and the complete maintenance of containers etc.
MBO: Can you please describe, in brief, your company and its main objectives?
Mr. Andrija Radusinović, Executive director in Container Terminals and General Cargo
“The terminal area covers 52 hectares of land, and is equipped with both air land road systems, which enables us to carry out the transshipment of many different goods. Goods can be storage in our warehouse which has a capacity of 71,000 m2. The main activity of our company is to satisfy the needs of our clients effectively and efficiently, to generate profit, and to establish good business relationships.”
MBO: What are the trends of the international market and how do you keep Mr. Andrija Radusinović was pace with them?
Short biography:
born on 23rd May 1965. He graduated from School of Economics in Podgorica in the period from 1983-1987 and in the period 1988-1989 he attended the post-graduate studies in international economics, specifically international marketing. In the period from 19912011 he worked at Tobacco Company Podgorica and currently holds the position of Executive Director in Container Terminals and General Cargo, Port of Bar. He also attended a number of courses and training in area of international logistic studies. Regarding his business skills the following are recognized as priority: team work, transparency in decision-making processes and listening of market demands and trends. He speaks English and Italian.
MBO: What are your plans for the company in the near future? “Our company is committed to improving its existing services. We also aim to focus on analyzing our competition, and on reviewing both the labor market and company logistics.”
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“Although the global market was badly affected by the crisis, business affairs relating to cargo shipping and the storage of goods showed good results this last year. But the figures from 2008, before the global economic crisis, are still far from being achieved at the present time. Despite the economic problems, the global trend in the cargo-shipping sector is to invest money in large vessels with a capacity of more than 10,000 TEU units. Port operators also sometimes forward activities to other regions and in this way they help to strengthen alliances with other companies. Alliances develop as associations of different companies, something that just a few years ago was unthinkable. These trends require a view of the bigger picture, with big operators in the market being carefully monitored. Our objective is ultimately to create a regional Adriatic port area that is capable of meeting global trends.”
MBO: Who are the company’s biggest competitors and what are your main advantages over them? “If you throw look at competition within the region you will see that it is still nowhere near the standard of other places in the rest of the world. This is because infrastructure projects have not yet been well developed, and they do not have logistical centers on main roads in rural areas etc. The advantages of our company, however, are: a good infrastructure, good logistical planning, an enormous capacity of storage next to the sea with the potential to upgrade if desired, and our close proximity to the city centre.” The main owner of the company is the state of Montenegro, with a total of 54.0527% of all shares. The rest of the shares (45.9473%) belong to minority shareholders. The most influential of
these owns just 2.74% of the total company shares. Despite the fact that the company has shown a lot of potential during the last 9 months, it has operated at a loss due to having to make many severance payments. The company has had to pay off a lot of debts in the recent past due to restructuring in personnel, and due to social programs for disabled workers and future pensioners.
MBO: How did the company perform during the first nine months of 2011? “The results during the last nine months were not positive because we had to invest both in new equipment and in new staff. But the company expects to put out a new tender to look for an investor that might be able to provide financial support and help the company to move forward.”
MBO: An invitation to bid for the tender to privatize the company will soon be released. What are your expectations regarding this tender? “Interest in the privatization of the company is growing. The tender documentation is expected to give a new opportunity for business in the Balkan region, and in this way we can hope to become one of the global leaders in the market. New infrastructures and road connections with Northern Europe will also additionally increase our chances. New roads to Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia on one side, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the other side, will also help to open up a new chapter in the history of our company.” During the interview, Mr. Radusinović informed us about some of the obstacles his company has encountered, including: the constant need to take on board new technology, especially in the area concerning the transshipment of goods (international standards), finding ways to resolve redundancy issues for staff, and the necessity for privatization. He also stressed the need for quality logistics.
MBO: What type of business barriers do you perceive in both the Montenegrin and regional markets, and how do they affect the activities of your company? “The main problems we face area lack of dialogue and a need for further analysis of the market. Both of these factors harm our chances of gaining access to new markets. Our company is able to see upcoming obstacles before others do, due to the fact that our work is very specific and also because it is internationally oriented. Our company is currently making changes regarding the structure of the organization, with the aim of reducing the number of employees. Our experts have carried out lot of analyses, all of which have focused on market changes, especially in the Mediterranean market. Our goal is to create a fertile ground in which future investors can flourish. They will, in turn, hopefully give a new lease of life to our company both at a national and international level.”