A proposal has been made to develop a specialized Roll on-Roll off cargo terminal in the Pacific, to improve the management of vehicles and heavy equipment and create other opportunities for the automotive industry, such as automobile accessorization.
The proposal put forward by the Panama Canal Authority is to develop a specialized docking area for roll on- roll off ships, transporting vehicles to Panama, from where they are distributed to other markets. The aim is to promote the development of this type of cargo in Panama and lay the foundation for the development of other business lines that generate added value and chains. One of the activities that can be developed is dedicated to adding value to vehicles, called "accessorization".
For companies in the sector, the country has the right conditions to become a hub of global added value chains, but more zones need to be built.
The Panama Canal expansion will open up new opportunities in the field of logistics and value added, which according to representatives of the free zones, must be taken advantage of. One such emerging sectors has to do with the value chains.
The trade agreements signed by Panama with several nations could serve as a platform for new business for the CFZ.
The CFZ wants make a u turn in the way it does business but to do so it must make adjustments so that it not only receives goods but also gives them an added value.
This was explained Luis Germán Gómez, president of the Association of Users of the Colon Free Zone.