More warehousing space in Morocco

Militzer & Münch Morocco is expanding in Tangier: 2,000 square meters of additional warehouse space are to ensure faster handling.

The port city of Tangier is located at the northern tip of Morocco, close to the Strait of Gibraltar, barely 30 kilometers from the Spanish mainland, and thus at a strategically extremely important position for goods flows. For many years, the Tangier branch office has been Militzer & Münch’s gateway to Morocco.

At this time, Militzer & Münch Morocco is expanding its own warehouse with an annex: 2,000 square meters of additional logistics space will help meet the increasing customer demand and ensure the even faster handling of shipments: “At our location in Tangier, we have been recording steadily growing volumes for years”, explains Olivier Antoniotti, Managing Director of Militzer & Münch Morocco. “With the new warehouse, we can handle the additional transport volume even better and with more flexibility.”

In total, the warehouse area in Tangier will grow to 5,000 square meters. The inauguration and operational start-up of the new facility is scheduled for the beginning of January 2024.

Militzer & Münch Eichenzell: the gateway to the Maghreb

Most of the overland transports from the Militzer & Münch branch office in Eichenzell in Eastern Hesse are bound for one or more of the Maghreb countries. This makes Eichenzell one of the most important hubs for transports to Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

The small township near Fulda and Frankfurt is home to the German Militzer & Münch hub for the Maghreb – and it is continuously developing. Over the last few years, the branch has experienced steady and healthy growth. “We have a clear picture of the direction we want to take in the future,” says branch manager Julian Backenstoß. “We are receiving very positive feedback from our customers for our consistently good service. As a result, we’ve been able to expand our business and also increase our staff.” Close to twenty colleagues are now attending to the needs of customers. The attached warehousing area covers around 4,500 square meters.

Consolidated freight destined for North Africa
On average, eight to ten containers leave Eichenzell every week in a southerly direction to begin their journey to North Africa: four to five semitrailers per week head to Morocco via Algeciras in Spain. Another four to five round trips per week go to Tunisia via Marseille and Genoa. The focus is on consolidated freight.

The trucks need about six to seven days to make the journey to Algeria. Multimodal shipments are completed within nine to ten days. “If time is of the essence, customers prefer the pre-carriage by truck to Marseille. If transit time is not an issue, the combination with rail is a popular choice, also because it is cheaper. The customer can save a few hundred euros and at the same time do something for the environment,” explains Lilli Macholdt, Deputy Branch Manager and Trade Lane Manager Maghreb.

More than just the Maghreb
“We have a lot of experience in organizing and carrying out transports to the Maghreb countries,” explains Julian Backenstoß. “That’s why we keep expanding our activities and recently opened a branch office in Augsburg. There, under the management of Fourat Chetoui, Trade Lane Manager Maghreb, we are currently focusing on the direct freight business to and from the Maghreb. However, we also offer overland transports to many other destinations, of course.” In addition to transports to North Africa, Militzer & Münch also handles groupage transports to Azerbaijan via Eichenzell, as well as transports to Eastern and Western Europe. Moreover, the Eichenzell branch office has been the official CargoLine Germany depot for more than ten years, acting as a hub for classic groupage pre- and on-carriage to and from Europe or within Germany.”

Militzer & Münch Romania: Upswing and Optimism Despite Uncertain Times

Militzer & Münch has been present on the Romanian logistics market for almost 20 years with its own country unit. The focus is on imports and exports within Europe, with customers mainly from the industrial goods and clothing sectors. Despite current uncertainty factors, the subsidiary not only proves to be stable, but it can even report growth.

At the Romanian subsidiary, all signs point to expansion. And this although market conditions are currently rather challenging. The ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine, the energy crisis, and high inflation are creating uncertainty on the market and hardly allow any forecasts.

Teamwork to defy challenges

According to Managing Director Valentin Dragu, the fact that Militzer & Münch Romania is nevertheless so well positioned on the market is mainly due to the high degree of motivation and hard work of his team. “The logistics industry is very dynamic; you have to act flexibly and to be able to react to current market changes. I am very proud to say that we accomplish this even in difficult phases. As a medium-sized transport service provider, we are holding our own very well against the competition, and we are therefore generally optimistic about the future,” he says.

New location, new employees: for the roughly 30 employees of Militzer & Münch Romania, a move was due last fall; the M&M Romania team relocated to new, modern premises in downtown Bucharest. “Our current team members are happy with the new offices and the location’s very good transport connections, but hopefully also new team members in the future will appreciate this, as we are currently looking for reinforcement”, says Valentin Dragu.

Upswing in road and sea transport

So far this year, the current geopolitical and economic situation has had hardly any impact on Militzer & Münch Romania’s activities and results. The country unit recorded a slight decline in project business, though, the volume of road transports, however, increased, and in the sea freight sector, an upswing is noticeable, too.

Nevertheless, Valentin Dragu plans to focus Militzer & Münch Romania on transports that have proven successful for his company: “We expect trade within Europe to intensify next year, which will open up many opportunities for us. Therefore, we are now working on further expanding our transport business and trade relations in this direction – and hopefully soon with the vigorous support of new team members!”

“In the pharmaceutical sector, every day is a journey of discovery”

There is probably no other sector that imposes such high demands on the handling of goods as the pharmaceutical sector. Drugs and other medical products are particularly sensitive; even the smallest temperature fluctuation can impair their effectiveness and shelf life. The highest levels of quality, hygiene and safety are therefore crucial when handling pharmaceutical products – and logistics service providers who want to operate in the pharmaceutical sector have to prove that they meet the required EU standards as part of their GDP (Good Distribution Practices) certification.

Militzer & Münch Germany committed to achieving GDP certification in 2021 – with success: Last year, the country organization attained the certificate, with Charlotte Dürr, Group Project Manager Pharmaceuticals at Militzer & Münch, the leading force. We talked to her about the importance of the certification for the logistics provider, what opportunities it opens up, and about her personal passion for and further plans in the field of pharmaceutical logistics.

Ms. Dürr, the GDP certification is an important milestone for Militzer & Münch Germany. Would you please describe what this means for the national subsidiary and also for you personally?

First of all, one has to state that the certification process is very demanding and extensive. The hardest part was to create a basic framework of documentation and standards that covers all areas of the EU GDP directive. In addition, our carriers need to be thoroughly checked and assessed for their quality and compliance with the guidelines on their part.

With our quality system, we can ensure the responsible and competent handling of the sensitive goods – be it from Munich to Nairobi or from Berlin to Ulaanbaatar. This helps us now to continuously certify further locations of the group, as with the successful GDP certification of Militzer & Münch Germany, we have also aroused interest in other country units. As a result, we have a great working group of local GDP managers, sales experts, and quality managers. In Poland, we successfully passed the certification audit in March; in Georgia, we are currently planning the first audit.

Many country organizations already have experience in the various product categories and see great growth potential, especially in Southeastern Europe and Central Asia. The healthcare sector is of great importance for the entire Militzer & Münch Group, and developing this product opens up a whole range of new opportunities for us.

What exactly are the new opportunities for Militzer & Münch Germany that result from the certification?

Worldwide, the healthcare market is booming, and Germany is one of the market leaders. As a GDP-certified logistics service provider, we can now participate in this sector to a wholly different extent, open up new markets, and address a larger clientele.

The first sales initiatives we launched after successful certification showed quick results: We received many requests for quotations both for full truck loads by road, including numerous shipments to Central Asia and as far as Mongolia, and by sea and air to various destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, as well as for imports from America. Within the Militzer & Münch Group, M&M air sea cargo GmbH is responsible for GDP compliant transports by air and sea freight, as well as by rail.

Moreover, we can support the medical supply of many war and crisis areas while maintaining quality standards. There is also great interest in refrigerated transports by rail. Here, we benefit above all from an increased interest in reducing emissions.

Can you give us some examples of projects that Militzer & Münch Germany is already handling in the pharmaceutical sector?

At this time, we are handling transports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as shipments within Europe. In addition, we have imports of raw materials, accessories and medical cannabis. The high level of customer demand indicates that certification was exactly the right step to take. We are convinced that it will enable us to significantly expand our activities in the field of pharmaceutical logistics, and we are looking forward to intensifying our cooperation with other Militzer & Münch country units in cross-border transports of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

With your dedication and commitment, you have been instrumental in driving the pharma project forward. Where does your enthusiasm for this area in particular come from?

After my qualification as a forwarding specialist and subsequent studies in International Transport Management and Marketing, I started at Militzer & Münch in 2018, initially as Sales Coordinator, but then took over product responsibility for Aviation Logistics. With the onset of the pandemic, I was looking for a new task and started to develop the Pharma Logistics division – a decision I have not regretted to this day! The products with their specific requirements and transport conditions are certainly a challenge, but the market is absolutely viable, and working in this field is a journey of discovery for me every day, due to the wide variety of products and customers. And by the way, I have probably always had a penchant for special products: in my bachelor thesis, I devised a strategic market analysis for the transport of horses by air.

What are your plans for the future?

We want to further expand our pharmaceutical logistics network so we can offer our customers worldwide the best possible service and products. Where this is not feasible via our own Militzer & Münch network, we cooperate with local partners who, of course, have to meet our requirements and also the GDP standards. The search for such partners, which is not easy in every country, is currently one of our most important tasks.

We want to further expand our pharmaceutical logistics network so we can offer our customers worldwide the best possible service and products. Where this is not feasible via our own Militzer & Münch network, we cooperate with local partners who, of course, have to meet our requirements and GDP standards as well. The search for such partners, which is not easy in every country, is currently one of our most important tasks.

We generally see great potential in pharmaceutical shipments to Central Asia, as well as to Southeastern Europe and Africa. In Central Asia and Southeastern Europe, we are already operating our own organization in almost every country. And in East and West Africa, for example, we have just successfully found reliable partners. For our activities in the region, I benefit from participating in the Militzer & Münch Talent Development Programme in 2022: As an international team, we had the opportunity to analyze new markets – and with Africa, the focus was on a market that is now emerging as one of our core markets for pharmaceutical transports.

 

 

Thank you very much für your time!

transport logistic 2023 in Munich

Militzer & Münch will be present with its own stand at transport logistic 2023 in Munich, the leading trade fair of the logistics industry, from May 9 to 12, 2023.

Benefit from the expertise of our M&M specialists and experts, as well as from numerous representatives of our M&M organizations abroad, who will be happy to address individual challenges as well as your questions regarding transport handling and operations, and to discuss possible solutions with you.


Our Country Days

From Tuesday to Thursday, you have the special opportunity to receive in-depth advice on Southeast Europe, Rail, Turkey, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, North Africa and New Zealand during our Country Days.


Friday is Job & Career Day

With our presentation “Generation Z and the Millennials – Challenges for Employers”, at Campus Plaza booth B2.315/216, we will inform about the latest trends in the world of work for employers, and about career opportunities in the logistics industry.

You will find us in hall A5, booth 227.

We are looking forward to your visit!

New Leadership at Militzer & Münch in Germany

St. Gallen, 16 January 2023. The Militzer & Münch Group has completed the restructuring of its business activities in Germany. Since January 1, 2023, Holger Seehusen, Thomas Winter, and Viola Rockelmann have been heading both M&M Militzer & Münch Deutsche Holding GmbH and the two operating units, M&M air sea cargo GmbH and M&M Militzer & Münch GmbH. Thus, all Militzer & Münch units in Germany are now under the one management.

Viola Rockelmann, hitherto Finance Director of M&M Militzer & Münch Deutsche Holding GmbH, has been appointed Managing Director and forms, together with Holger Seehusen and Thomas Winter, the management team of Militzer & Münch in Germany. In addition to their previous management positions at the operational units, Holger Seehusen and Thomas Winter have been appointed to the management team of the German holding company. The distribution of responsibilities within the management team remains unchanged: Holger Seehusen focuses on air and sea freight activities, including rail transports on the China – Europe route, Thomas Winter is mainly responsible for road freight transports, and Viola Rockelmann for finance and administration.

The previous managing directors of M&M Militzer & Münch Deutsche Holding GmbH, Alexei Kovalenko, CFO of the Militzer & Münch group and spokesman of the Group Management, and TransInvest board member Ingo Seifert, are stepping down from their management positions at the German holding company. Their other functions remain unchanged.

“We wish Viola Rockelmann, Holger Seehusen and Thomas Winter all the best for their new tasks,” says Alexei Kovalenko. “Our country unit in Germany has shown very positive development over the past years; it is an important pillar of the Militzer & Münch Group. With the new management structure, we now have a leaner setup in Germany and can act more dynamically to even better meet the future challenges of the logistics sector.”

Viola Rockelmann holds a degree in business administration and has been with Militzer & Münch for 27 years. Holger Seehusen previously held management positions at IHG Logistics GmbH & Co KG and Rhenus Logistics. He has 30 years of experience in the logistics industry. Thomas Winter has been active in the logistics industry for over 25 years; among others, he was with DHL Freight and Emons Spedition GmbH.

A strong location of high potential

Whether capacities, energy prices or personnel costs: for the airfreight industry, the Corona pandemic was not without consequences. At present, it is still virtually impossible to make any long-term plans. In times of uncertainty, however, there are also some constants – like Frankfurt Airport, which has maintained its strong position as a major cargo hub in Central Europe for many companies. Including for Militzer & Münch.

 

M&M air sea cargo GmbH has an office directly at Cargo City South, Frankfurt Airport, where 15 employees work to serve customers; and the service goes far beyond standard freight: the team primarily handles dangerous goods shipments, valuable cargo and GDP (Good Distribution Practice) compliant transports for pharmaceuticals, which are subject to specific requirements, for instance with regard to refrigeration.

Santino Hormuth has been working in the logistics industry for 15 years and has been managing the branch of M&M air sea cargo GmbH at Frankfurt Airport for just over a year. Transports according to GDP guidelines have characterized his work from the very beginning, as immediately after he joined the company, certifications in the GDP area were already taking place. “That was rather challenging for me – after all, I was familiarizing myself with the internal structures, the work processes, and my colleagues at the same time,” he recounts. “Not least thanks to the excellent cooperation on the team, we passed the certifications successfully and have since been working on boosting GDP transports as a product in our portfolio and expanding our customer base in this area.”

Special, in many ways

In 2021, the air freight volume at Frankfurt Airport was around 2.3 million tons, the highest amount of cargo handled at any German airport. Europe-wide, Frankfurt Airport is one of the ten largest airports.

Santino Hormuth appreciates his workplace and is aware of its importance: “Frankfurt Airport is a magnet for companies, an important location for science and education, and one of the biggest workplaces in Germany. It is also the Lufthansa home base and the leading cargo hub in Europe. This gives the airport a very special position also for Militzer & Münch,” he explains. “Moreover, our location directly at the airport is definitely of competitive advantage for us: we are virtually in the middle of the action, and can act fast.”

Speed is the order of the day

Speed plays a crucial role in the handling of air freight projects. In most cases, orders are urgent and need to be handled efficiently and swiftly. In this respect, Militzer & Münch benefits from its decades of experience and presence on the market, as well as from well-practiced teams. This allows for short decision-making paths with a minimum of bureaucracy – and that way, even particularly urgent transports become routine tasks. Santino Hormuth’s team regularly handles just-in-time shipments for automotive suppliers, transports engines and other parts for the air freight industry, and was recently responsible for the transport of equipment for the World Cup in Qatar from Frankfurt to Doha.

Santino Hormuth’s goal for 2023 is to further increase Militzer & Münch’s freight volume at Frankfurt Airport, the number of key accounts, and of existing customers. To this end, among other things, there are plans to restructure the sales department.

“We are still facing tense times. But in my year so far with Militzer & Münch, I have experienced how informal and at the same time professional the cooperation is here at the Frankfurt site and across all branches. Therefore, I am sure that we will successfully master this phase.”

Seasons greetings

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As the Christmas holidays are drawing near, we wish you joyful, restful days among family and friends.
We would like to take the occasion to express our thanks to you for the good cooperation in 2022.
For the challenges of the upcoming year, we wish you good luck, success, health and personal contentment.

M&M Tajikistan: best of the year

Dushanbe. First prize for M&M Tajikistan: the team under Managing Director (MD) Aziz Sharipov won the official competition for best exporter of the year 2021 in the logistics segment. The competition is held every year by the Government’s Export Agency; the award ceremony for the country’s best exporting companies took place at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dushanbe on November 28.

Proud of this honor is Aziz Sharipov: “It is a great reward for all the work the team has done this year, and it further strengthens the M&M brand name.” The picture shows the M&M Tajikistan team with MD Sharipov (third from left) with the trophy.

Militzer & Münch: growth in China

Militzer & Münch is stepping up activities in China – with more employees and new branches. Local sales are being strengthened, and services are being expanded, which offers more opportunities for customers.

After strong growth in China, Militzer & Münch is now adjusting its organization in the country: “We are internally splitting our activities into North and South China from now on”, explains Andreas Löwenstein, Regional Managing Director Asia / Far East. “At the helm of both, we have very experienced managers, to whom the North and South Chinese branches will report in the future.”

Regional Director for China South is Carl Gao, the former branch manager in Shanghai. Jeffery Guo, 45, took over as head of China North in October. He has been at home in the logistics industry for over 20 years, including more than ten years as branch manager with a renowned international logistics service provider. With his expertise, he will support the northern Chinese branches with immediate effect, and further expand business in the region.

A greater footprint in North China

“The new management appointment for North China is just one element in Militzer & Münch’s general growth strategy in the region,” says Elyar Sherkati, Managing Director of Militzer & Münch China. “This year, we are strengthening our presence also by taking on additional employees, for instance at our branch offices in Tianjin as well as in Qingdao, one of China’s most important logistics locations.” Moreover, the Qingdao team was recently able to move into new office premises, and in Zhengzhou and Changchun in the northeast, Militzer & Münch opened two new sales offices.

In Shenyang, also in northeastern China, the company recently began operating a new branch office. Branch manager Colon Sun, who has already been working in the international freight forwarding industry for several years and has a very good knowledge of the market in northeastern China in particular, is in charge of developing and running the new location.

“Shenyang is a major transportation hub in the north of the country. We are glad to be able to further expand our presence at this location and in North China in general, to win experienced specialists, and thus to offer high-quality logistics services to our customers,” says Andreas Löwenstein.

The network of locations is expanding

Another new branch office expands Militzer & Münch’s network of locations in Central China: in September, an office was opened in Wuhan, capital of the Central Chinese province of Hubei and an important transport hub in China for air, rail, road and sea transport. The aim: to offer customers the full range of transport and logistics services, and to boost local sales. Branch manager in Wuhan is Jacky Zhu, who previously worked as sales manager at Militzer & Münch China in Wuhan for almost five years, and is thus very familiar with the local market and customers. He still reports to Carl Gao as before.

With the two new branches in Shenyang and Wuhan, the Militzer & Münch China network now comprises a total of 13 locations: Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shenyang, Urumqi, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wuhan, Chongqing, Shenzhen, as well as the two sales offices in Zhengzhou and Changchun.

“Strengthening our activities in China is part of our growth strategy,” says Andreas Löwenstein. “We look forward to further driving this positive development with the new offices and employees on board!”

Highly motivated, ready for the future

‘New Markets’, ‘Industry 4.0 along the New Silk Road’, ‘New Risk Management’ – on October 10, online presentations on these diverse topics marked the end of the Talent Management Programme 2022, designed by TransInvest in cooperation with the Institute of Supply Chain Management at the University of St. Gallen.

In early summer, 21 young talents from various TransInvest companies had already convened in St. Gallen for the first teaching module of the in-service training course. In terms of topics, the three days focused on Strategy & Controlling, Supply Chain Resilience & Sustainability and Process Management. At the beginning of September, the participants met in Istanbul for the second, three-day module. In challenging, interactive teaching units, they gained in-depth insight into the areas of Leadership, Digitalization & Business Innovation, and Marketing & Sales, among others.

Alongside these tangible teaching contents, the Talent Management Programme also focuses on soft skills: thus, teamwork and the strengthening of the group spirit for example are decisive factors for living the TransInvest culture.

“In addition, the modules give the young talents the opportunity to expand their international network and experience the TransInvest culture first-hand by working closely with participants from other countries,” says Ralph Stadler, Head of Group Human Resources. “That way, our experienced experts and guest lecturers not only train our junior employees professionally, but also promote their personal development.”

 

A tried-and-tested, new support concept

Exclusive, science-based, practice-oriented: the Talent Management Programme was launched eleven years ago to provide precisely this kind of support for future managers from TransInvest ranks. The aim of the Talent Management Programme is not only to equip participants with logistics and management skills, but also to retain them in the company in the long run.

“Employee retention is extremely important for companies; it is a big challenge,” says Alexei Kovalenko, Chief Financial Officer, TransInvest and Militzer & Münch, and Speaker of M&M Group Management. “We are glad that we have been able to successfully meet this challenge with the Talent Management Programme for many years now. The young talents receive intensive training in all relevant areas and are offered the opportunity to develop individually – and we can fill top positions in the TransInvest Group with highly qualified and motivated junior staff from our own ranks. A win-win situation.”

In 2022, the Talent Management Programme met expectations in every respect – both on the part of the participants and those responsible around Ralph Stadler. With the impulses from the final teamwork presented, the participants are now creating a Personal Development Plan (PDP) with their superiors, a plan which will guide their development in the company over the next few years.

“Our team is the basis of our success”

This year, Paata Kacharava celebrates a very special anniversary: 25 years ago in June, he started as Managing Director of M&M Militzer & Münch Georgia and has been driving the development of the country unit with heart and soul ever since. We talked about his time at Militzer & Münch so far, changes in the logistics industry, and the appeal the business holds for him.

Mr. Kacharava, first of all congratulations on 25 years with Militzer & Münch! That’s a long time; how would you describe it in retrospect?
In summary, I would say it was a very exciting and, in the beginning, also challenging time for me personally. When I joined Militzer & Münch Georgia in 1997, I was the first and only employee of the country unit. Today, our core team consists of six employees, who take care of all projects in the fields of road transport, air and sea freight, as well as of our courier and express services with our partners. The past three years in particular, with the global impact of the Corona pandemic and the political events in Ukraine, have had a major effect on the Georgian economy, and also put our business to the test.

What was your professional career like before you joined Militzer & Münch?
Before switching over to Militzer & Münch and the logistics industry, I had worked in Georgian government institutions for many years, holding various positions in the foreign trade sector; among others, I was responsible for the management of foreign trade relations.

What were the biggest changes you experienced in the subsequent 25 years at Militzer & Münch?
The trade lanes as we know them today and the possibilities they offer, did not exist at all at that time. When I started at Militzer & Münch Georgia, people were dreaming of a Euro-Asian transport corridor and the manifold opportunities it would create – in the course of my career, I was able to witness how this very dream became reality, step by step. Today, the Caucasus and Central Asia are important trading partners for European countries; transports via road, rail, sea, and air to these regions are part of the Militzer & Münch core business. And we are seeing that the demand for products from and connections to these regions continues to grow.

Which industries do your customers come from?
Currently, our most important customers come from the automotive industry, the retail sector, and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, we work for many local manufacturers who wish to ship their products to the European market.

What is the attraction of the logistics industry for you?
It is clearly the people who work in this sector. Our employees drive our business forward every day with full commitment and know-how; they are the basis of our success. They have significantly contributed to the development we have been able to experience with Militzer & Münch Georgia in the past years, and I am very grateful to them for their commitment. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the Militzer & Münch management, whose support my team and I have always been able to count on in the past. Cooperating with all these people is a great pleasure for me, and I am looking forward to the tasks and projects still lying ahead of us.

Mr. Kacharava, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us!

Militzer & Münch establishes new country unit in New Zealand

St. Gallen, October 27, 2022. On October 11th, 2022, the new country unit Militzer & Münch New Zealand Ltd. started operations. With the first branch office in Auckland City, the Militzer & Münch network grows into the Polynesian region.

Militzer & Münch has recently started to offer its customers in New Zealand high-quality services in the air and sea freight sector. Its focus is on the import and export of various industrial goods and agricultural products. The newly founded company is part of a growth strategy, in the course of which Militzer & Münch is developing promising markets for itself.

New Zealand with its prosperous economy fits perfectly into this strategy: Due to the favourable climate, the agricultural sector thrives all year round, and agricultural products such as dairy products, wool, or meat account for a large share of exports. New Zealand is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products, for example. The island nation is largely dependent on international trade; imports include almost every industrial good.

 

Growing together

Shakir Samsudeen, 38, will head the company based in Auckland City. He is an experienced freight forwarder and knows the industry very well. The new country unit will start with three employees. it is planned to be expanded soon, however.

“The new country unit will serve many different industries, both with import and export”, says Andreas Löwenstein, Regional Managing Director Asia / Far East at Militzer & Münch. “The industrial and logistics sector in New Zealand has grown strongly in recent years and we expect this trend to continue.”

A new office in Wuhan

Beijing, October 25, 2022. M&M China now has an official branch office in Wuhan (population 14 million), one of the most important transportation hubs of China in terms of air and rail. It is also a connection point to different cities and seaports through inland waterways and roads.

The Wuhan branch started operating on September 1, 2022, and offers the full range of M&M services. Jacky Zhu has been appointed branch manager. Having worked in sales for M&M China for five years in Wuhan, he has built a stable customer base and is familiar with the local market.

Market study participation

St. Gallen, October 6, 2022. How do shippers cope with the fluctuating freight rates in logistics? The University of St. Gallen tackled this question with a diverse research consortium from the logistics industry. The result is a 132-page study that addresses challenges, practices, and instruments. Militzer & Münch participated in the study.

For several years now, Militzer & Münch has been a member of the Association of the Institute of Supply Chain Management at the University of St.Gallen. The institute regards itself as an international platform for the dialogue between science and practice in the field of Supply Chain Management. Holger Seehusen, Managing Director of M&M air sea cargo GmbH, regularly participates in various activities. For him, involvement in the study was an opportunity to demonstrate what practices shippers, forwarders and brokers can adopt to counteract volatile freight rates in logistics markets.


Volatile freight rates and sustainability

The study, titled “Managing Volatility in Logistics Markets”, examines freight rate volatility across ocean, road, rail, and air transport modes, and highlights management practices from the perspective of shippers and logistics service providers. It also provides a classification and analysis of indices and digital business models in the freight sector, thus making a significant contribution to a better understanding of the tools available on the market and their individual value propositions for shippers, forwarders and carriers.  In addition to fluctuating freight rates, sustainability concerns are also becoming increasingly important. “I am convinced that in the near future, decision-makers or customers, respectively, will not care so much whether it costs x € per kilogram, but how high the carbon footprint is in the goods procurement process,” says Holger Seehusen.

 

Workshops and interviews

After the official start of the project in August 2021, workshops were held in the following three months; the final presentation took place in December 2021. Work then started on the study. Besides the University of St. Gallen and Militzer & Münch, other logistics service providers, shippers, IT providers, and a commercial law firm were involved.

In addition to the regular exchange within the consortium, 44 interviews were conducted with logistics experts between early September and the end of November, and used as source material for the compilation of the study.

“We defined relevant criteria to determine a suitable segmentation of logistics markets,” says Prof. Dr. Erik Hofmann from the University of St. Gallen. “Based on these criteria, e.g., geographic reach, mode of transport, and carrier, we examined four relevant logistics scenarios. Our goal was for the study to provide practitioners with a basis for implementing concrete solutions.”

Interested parties can access the study free of charge via the following link:

https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/266520/

 

Supply Chain Innovation Day

Participation in the study is only part of Militzer & Münch’s commitment to the Association of the Institute of Supply Chain Management at the University of St.Gallen. In order to get young people interested in the field of logistics and to draw their attention to Militzer & Münch as an employer, Holger Seehusen was a speaker at the Supply Chain Innovation Day initiated by the University of St. Gallen in Rorschach on Lake Constance last year. Militzer & Münch was also represented there with a small information booth. This year, Eva-Charlotte Dürr, Group Project Manager Pharmaceuticals, M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG, Switzerland, and Vignesh Pandi, Trade Lane Manager North America Airfreight, M&M air sea cargo GmbH, Germany, participated in the Supply Chain Innovation Day on September 27.

Militzer & Münch Uzbekistan – 25 years of textile knowhow

Tashkent, August 30, 2022. Uzbekistan is the sixth largest cotton producer in the world, and when Militzer & Münch Uzbekistan was founded 25 years ago, cotton fiber transport was the main segment, a highly demanding special segment, as the cargo is self-heating unless packed and monitored correctly.

The 25 employees of M&M Uzbekistan nowadays handle all sorts and modes of national and international transports, and recently added customs clearance to the portfolio, too.

M&M Uzbekistan also has many years of experience in importing machinery and equipment for the cotton industry and has become a specialist in project transportation.

How is the market today, we ask Managing Director Khurshid Kasimdzhanov: “Customers appreciate our long presence in the country and our professional key staff, who have been with us for many year.”

Multimodal via the Middle Corridor

The Middle Corridor is currently gaining ground as a promising alternative to the Northern Corridor of the New Silk Road. The route connects exporters from China or Kazakhstan in particular with Northeast, Southeast, and Central Europe.

For their customers, Militzer & Münch experts organize multimodal transports along the New Silk Road: by ship from Aktau and Kuryk in Kazakhstan via the Caspian Sea to the port of Baku in Azerbaijan, then by rail to Georgia, and from the ports of Batumi and Poti via the Black Sea to Europe. Already in 2017, an agreement was signed that regulates transport along the Trans-Caspian route. The route is used mainly to transport Chinese goods to European countries. From Kazakhstan, the time of transport is about 35 days.

As a rule, roughly 80 percent of Chinese goods reach Europe by sea. Currently, the Middle Corridor is becoming established as a reliable alternative to bypass container congestion that prevents on-time shipments at many major ports.

“Thanks to our efficient and competent global network, we were able to respond quickly to the increasing customer demand for this routing,” says Michael Spitzlei, Head of Business Segment Rail at M&M air sea cargo GmbH.

Our goals: effectiveness, conformity, and compliance

Group Quality Manager Maximilian Kaiser is responsible for the quality management at Militzer & Münch sites all over the world. In this interview, he talks about current projects, the quality audit process, and what fascinates him about working in logistics.

 

Well, hello Mr. Kaiser, could you briefly describe what your activities for Militzer & Münch look like? What are your tasks?
The purpose of Quality Management is to ensure that consistently products and services are provided that meet customer requirements and comply with applicable laws and regulations. To this end, as Group Quality Manager, I oversee a wide variety of projects and processes. Our team consists of more than 20 Quality Managers, one for each country unit, all of which are coordinated through the holding company here in St. Gallen.
Our goals can be summarized in three key words: effectiveness, conformity and compliance. This means that, with a clear customer focus, we purposefully implement, maintain and continuously improve a quality management system, or introduce one where it does not yet exist. We solve our customers’ logistics problems effectively, comply with international standards, and meet regulatory and legal requirements. The values guiding us here are loyalty, integrity and respect.

 

What are the current projects or developments that keep you busy in Quality Management?

We passed our surveillance audit for 2022 this May. Not a single deviation from the standard was found during the external audits carried out by auditing company LRQA. At the beginning of 2023, we will then already be proceeding to the ISO 9001:2015 recertification, for which the most extensive audits ever will be carried out: our entire process landscape needs to be compliant with the standards.

In addition, we are rolling out our quality management system at other country units. We are currently seeking ISO 9001:2015 certification for our country units in Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Malaysia. A local quality manager is in charge of adapting the standards to the individual requirements of the companies and of ensuring compliance with them.
Closely linked to quality management is risk management, for which we are currently optimizing various processes throughout our country units. In cooperation with our Head of Group Controlling, I am also establishing an Environmental Management System in accordance with the international environmental management standard ISO 14001:2015. This will strengthen our ecological awareness and make it easier for our customers to take environmental factors into account in their transport operations. Our Quality, Risk and Environmental Management together will form an Integrated Management System, which we will launch in March 2023.

 

What is the procedure of a quality audit?

We select internal audits on the basis of what is known as the “risk-based approach”. With this risk-based approach, we decide on specific sites, taking into account time, success and risk factors. When were the sites last audited? How important is the site to the success of the company? By selecting which sites will the risk of quality loss be minimized? The local Quality Manager supports local management in the implementation, administration and improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS). At the same time, the team carries out audits at sites in other countries of the region. For example, a colleague from France goes to Morocco or vice versa – after all, no one should audit themselves.

Here at headquarters, we coordinate what is to be audited where and by whom. Depending on what exactly we want to check, the auditor examines various processes. Do they meet customer requirements? Are they compliant with ISO 9001:2015? The results then end up at my desk, and I analyze them in collaboration with the local Quality Manager.

 

Could you please briefly describe your professional background? Which functions did you go through at Militzer & Münch?

I majored in economics and business administration. My first point of contact with Militzer & Münch was my traineeship starting in June 2017. In Frankfurt, I was assigned to the airport, in Stockstadt, I became familiar with our road transport division, and finally, in St. Gallen, I got to know our holding company. From August 2018 to January 2022, I was Executive Assistant to the CEO and Executive Assistant to Group Management, respectively. Then, I was appointed Executive Assistant to the Board of Directors of TransInvest Holding AG. Since October 1, 2021, I have also been Group Quality Manager. In cooperation with the Institute of Supply Chain Management of the University of St. Gallen, Militzer & Münch organizes the Talent Management Program to promote our in-house prospective managers, and I am participating in this program this year. I am certified in the areas of project and environmental management, and I am also currently qualifying as a Chartered Financial Analyst.

 

What fascinates you about the logistics industry?

Our team consists of many generalists, who are also specialized. All forwarders need to be knowledgeable in a wide range of areas: They have to understand the market, know import and export flows, keep an eye on the infrastructure and the political climate of many countries. At the same time, they are specialists in their field – road transport, airfreight, sea freight or project logistics. Every day brings new challenges in an international context. The topics and tasks we deal with are always a new and exciting experience.

Militzer & Münch China – now also in Ningbo

Ningbo, August 1, 2022. Ningbo, a major port and industrial hub in east China’s Zhejiang province, is the newest location for Militzer & Münch in China; the Ningbo branch office was opened on August 1. In line with the M&M growth strategy, M&M China is now also present in one of the economic centers southeast of the Yangtze River Delta.

The new location will help to improve the M&M network and presence in the area and aims to enhance local sales and to consistently provide diversified and high standard services to our clients.

Under branch manager Sherry Xie, the new location offers the full range of M&M services. Sherry Xie has 17 years of experience in the freight forwarding industry; she is regarded a specialist for the Middle East route, and will focus on developing the Middle Eastern, European and Southeast Asian market.

… and a new Director South China

Carl Gao, previously Branch Manager of the Shanghai office, has been appointed Regional Director South China to support business development in the region, which comprises the M&M offices in Shanghai, Ningbo, Chongqing and Shenzhen. The new function improves the management structure of the Chinese country unit.

A successor at the helm of the Shanghai branch will be appointed in the near future.

Militzer & Münch Poland and Germany expand cooperation

Germany is Poland’s most important trade partner, and for Germany, the partner country also ranks in the top five. Economic analyses predict that this trend will intensify in the future. Since summer 2021, the two Militzer & Münch country units have therefore strategically stepped up their cooperation in the road transport segment.

The focus is on the transport of part loads (LTL) – mainly imports from Germany to Poland. On customer request, Militzer & Münch also transports the goods as groupage. In this case, the logistics provider delivers the consignments to one of three conveniently located transshipment warehouses in Poland, and consolidates the cargo there, if needed.

While the local Militzer & Münch team takes care of coordination, organization, and customer service, partner companies handle the nationwide distribution.

Sales are increasing

“We work with partners which we select for each shipment via a scheduling software. In order to save resources, we pick up additional loads on the way, plan our transports together, and try to concentrate the coordination in the receiving country,” says Thomas Winter, Managing Director of Militzer & Münch Germany. He predicts a positive development: “The teams have always been able to react fast; they always found suitable solutions for our customers – we have received some good new orders. We are already noticing a perceptible increase in sales. I definitely see a positive development here for the future!”