“INVEST IN GREEK LOGISTICS” AN INITIATIVE TO ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL CARGO AND INVESTORS POWERED BY HELLENIC LOGISTICS COMPANY (EEL)

The Hellenic Logistics Company (EEL) within this special and demanding ecosystem continues faithfully to promote the science of Logistics, to produce knowledge through the panHellenic research it prepares, to map new best practices in supply chain management and to inform its members for all developments in the field of logistics, through targeted actions and initiatives based on the above axes. In this context, EEL has started to shape the website logisticsingreece.gr which will be the informative electronic hub where comprehensive information on the logistics services provided in Greece will be provided, as well as the possibility of direct interaction of those interested in them with the listed providers. Meanwhile, EEL has already created a special brochure which summarizes the performance of Greek logistics as well as the privileges of cooperation with Hellenic Logistics companies. This effort focuses on the creation of an information portal for the Greek Supply Chain Sector. But the most important thing is that both the website that has been created, and the brochure will promote and showcase the services of the Greek Supply Chain, in the form of a national brand abroad in order to attract International Merchandise flows as well as multinational investment schemes.

ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS & LOGISTICS ENTERPRISES OF GREECE (IFFAG&L)

Greece’s strategic geographical position makes it an ideal location for logistics operations. It serves as a gateway to both Europe Middle East and Africa, with its location at the crossroads of three continents.

It is no coincidence that Greece has been active in trade since ancient times. This legacy has created a culture of commerce and entrepreneurship that persists today.

Furthermore, Greece’s location closer to the Suez Canal means that it is a crucial hub for trade between Europe and Asia. This proximity also enables faster and cheaper transportation of goods to central Europe, allowing for quicker delivery times and cost savings for businesses.

Last years, the Hellenic state has made – also through privatizations -significant investments in the infrastructure (airports, ports, road, and, railway networks, etc.) leveraging Greece’s geopolitical position and adding value to the Global supply chain. Global players give to the Greek market added value as trademarks as well as financial turnovers feeding the demand for local logistics.

In 2022 alone, several funds have been channeled to the Greek Logistics Sector. Mergers and Acquisitions have taken place, companies have expanded their facilities and renewed their equipment, and overall business has grown significantly.

The conclusion to all the above well-designed and carried out was Greek state placed the foundations of a healthy market offering high growth potential, always in the safety of E.C. and the Eurozone as a member. In this healthy and safe environment logistics market grows year-to-year providing extraordinary prospects of high returns.

The big deal is for Greece to become as a value perspective Country in the sector of Global Logistics.

• GEORGE STAMNOS | A’ VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BOD IFFAG&L

Greek Cold Storage Association Greece

Greece stands on the crossroad of three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa), connecting, since early antiquity, people, goods and cultures. For that reason, Greece has long been a strategic node for transportation in the greater region.

Maritime transport is the most important mode of global freight transport, accounting for 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent by value. Container throughput in European ports has been growing at 6% annually, while traffic through South-East Mediterranean ports has been growing at more than 8% annually.

In this environment, Greece’s geographical position as a gateway between East and West render it highly attractive for investments in logistics and transport to take advantage of these increasing trade flows in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The increase in world population leads to increased consumer demand for fresh products. The introduction of food even in ecommerce as well as the wider variety of temperature-sensitive products lead to the need to increase cold storage areas. In this way, the demand for cold chains will increase in the coming years. Even today, the demand for cold logistics services is so high that finding available and cost-effective solutions is difficult. In addition, in many cases, companies choose to use refrigeration during the transport and storage of their products, even if it is not necessary but simply prolongs it their lifetime. In a recent GCSLA survey, most companies that transport cold products, 91% and all 3PL companies, 100%, said they expect demand for cold chain services to increase over the next three years. Both shippers (70%) and 3PL (52%) said that COVID-19 has accelerates their development plans, increasing their need for greater cold chain capacity.

In the same context, 70% of shippers indicated that they expect to develop cold chain capabilities and processes in-house, without thirdparty mediation, within the next three years. Additionally, 50% said they plan to outsource more of their cold chain services, indicating the correlation between their internal and external services. About 90% of 3PL said they plan to expand their cold chain and capacity services. Overwhelmingly, 3PL said cold chain services are important to their business growth over the next three years, with 62% saying it is moderately important and 38% saying it is very important.

Greece’s potential to become an important logistics hub, distribution and assembly for Europe has already been recognized by major supply chain players with a positive sign in their results, giving an external impetus to invest now in the same model as the other big players in the market.

ILME – INSTITUTE OF LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT

Greece was always a crossroad from the very beginning of commerce in Europe. And there are good reasons for this:

Geographical Location: Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its location makes it a natural gateway for trade and commerce between these regions. Greece’s geostrategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean is a key point for cargoes’ transportation between Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Shipping Industry: The Greek shipping industry is one of the largest in the world, and the country’s ports are some of the busiest in the Mediterranean. This provides ample opportunities for logistics companies to provide shipping, warehousing, and other related services.

Infrastructure: Greece has invested heavily in improving its road network, ports, and airports. The rapid development of combined and intermodal transport networks in the global trade, in combination with the establishment of the port of Piraeus, which is the first E.U port after Suez Canal with land, rail and air connections to all European networks and corridors, as the main pillar of support for supply chain services, enables large multinational companies to settle in Greece and exploit, among others, the European tax and customs regimes, the possibility of creating available stocks, and, in cooperation with Greek logistics companies, the forwarding of their products in a very short time by train or by road to central Europe and the Balkans.

Furthermore, for more urgent shipments or distant destinations, Piraeus Port is closely cooperating with Athens International Airport (AIA) promoting sea-air flows and offering yet another multimodal alternative to the market. AIA serves as a transit cargo hub, mainly for the US-based airlines, coordinating feeder road traffic from Central, Eastern, and even Northern Europe. Contrary to major EU airports, AIA has no curfew and operates on a 24/7 basis while the cargo handlers invested recently in modern infrastructure and green solutions.

Service Providers: Third-party logistics companies offer a wide range of services, adopting new technologies such as warehouse automation with the use of robotics, route optimization, and realtime tracking to enhance their services and increase efficiency. New Logistics Centers (like Thriasio Logistics Center) that will connect even better all means of transportation (air, sea, train, and road) are already in the planning phase being the very last missing pieces of the puzzle.

Human Capital: Greece has a highly skilled workforce with expertise in logistics, engineering, and transportation. Greek professionals are multilinguals, trained and certified in Logistics.

ILME: The Hellenic Institute of Logistics Management, is a member of the European Logistic Association, connecting Greeks with their European colleagues, and providing a space for communication, synergies, training, and certification of professionals by ELA standards, both for companies and professionals in Greece.

Time is always of essence, but we strongly believe that given the current international trends, the location, the infrastructure, the existing service providers, investing in the Greek Logistics is an opportunity that any strong international player should not miss.