Investment in the construction of new ports is essential for a country like Panama, whose economy depends heavily on the logistics sector, to continue to compete globally in the coming years.
Since nearly one third of Panama's Gross Domestic Product is created by the logistics sector, the development of this productive activity is of great importance for the country.
The Social Security Fund of Panama granted the Consorcio Salud en Control the contract for the service of storage, distribution and final dispensation of medicines at the national level, for a period of four years.
According to official information published on April 7, the winner of the tender was the business consortium composed by the companies Intercontinental de Medicamentos, S.A. de CV and PMG Logistic Corp.
The Social Security Fund of Panama tenders the service of updating, implementation and integration of the processes of storage, distribution and final dispensation of medicines at the national level, for a four-year term.
Panama Government Purchase 2019-1-10-0-99-LV-356528:
"The purpose of the services to be contracted is to train the human resources of the Social Security Fund for the adequate planning of the acquisition and logistics of the distribution and dispensation of medicines and surgical medical supplies in all its dependencies, for this purpose it is required that the contracting be for a period of at least four years, to implement and to provide the service.
Encouraging investments in free trade zones, increasing the number of new headquarters of multinational companies and strengthening diplomatic relations with Asian countries, are some of the stakes of the Central American country.
Taking advantage of the competitive position in terms of connectivity and logistics is the main offer of the Panamanian economy for companies from all over the world to settle in the country.
A 7.7-kilometer logistic corridor that will serve for the mobilization of cargo in the Pacific sector was inaugurated, which will serve ports, industrial parks, factories and distribution centers.
Trucks using the Canal Logistic Corridor must be affiliated with the Cargo Pass system, similar to the one operating in the North and South Corridors and the Colón-Panama Highway.
Because Colombian ports have a lower operating cost base than Panamanians, the South American country competes to appropriate the logistics business in the region.
Until a while ago, Panama led the logistics operations in the region, however, there are some signs that indicate that this situation could be changing, since the growth in the movement of maritime cargo in the country has reported a slowdown in recent years.
Investing in infrastructure that improves the connection between its main ports is one of the most determining factors for Panama to recover the competitiveness that is beginning to lose regionally and globally.
The Panama Maritime Chamber (CMP) presented its strategy "Maritime Vision Country 2019-2024", in which it analyzes that although the Canal was expanded and remains competitive at the port level in the region, the country needs to improve in terms of institutionality, human resources, infrastructure, processes and technology, to continue giving tools to the logistics sector to continue its development.
Companies from the logistics sector will be meeting in Panama City on October 18 and 19 to exhibit their products and services and take part in business conferences.
The event is being organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) in conjunction with the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt), and will be held at the ATLAPA Convention Center.
The Nestlé company invested $20 million in Panama in its new distribution center and $75 million in a purchasing hub.
According to representatives from Nestlé, the new distribution center is located in Parque Sur and the investment allowed them to increase their logistics capacity by 40%, and the shopping hub is located in Costa del Este. From there a group of buyers will acquire different categories of Nestlé products for all countries.
Ten companies have already expressed interest in the free zone that Tocumen is set to develop in the airport's cargo terminal, whose tender is scheduled for the end of November this year.
The logistics zone will cover a total area of 35 hectares, but the first stage, which will begin in the first quarter of 2018 with earthworks, will include the development of 18 hectares.
From November 7 to 10 companies related to the logistics sector will be meeting in San Pedro Sula to exhibit their products and services and participate in business rounds.
The event Expo Logística Honduras 2017 is being organized by the Honduran government, and will take place at the Expo Center Convention Center, San Pedro Sula.
From October 18 to 20, logistics and foreign trade companies will be gathering together in Panama City to take part in conferences on issues related to the sector.
The event, which will take place at the ATLAPA Convention Center, will involve companies and consultants in logistics and foreign trade. Expo Logística Panama will be held in an exhibition area with 5,360m² of space, where about 150 local and foreign companies will be taking part in more than 250 modules with products and services geared towards the area of logistics and multimodal transport.
The purpose of the multimodal logistics center now under construction is to connect the primary customs zone with the Colon area under the same tax regime, and the commercial areas of Coco Solo and Coco Solito.
The construction, being carried out by Constructora Urbana (Cusa SA) must be completed in 18 months.The project consists of building the entrance and exit building to the multimodal logistics center on Randolph Avenue, and the objective is to unify the primary customs zone with the area of Colon under the same tax regime as the expansion areas developed over the last 20 years in Coco Solo and Coco Solito.
The Panama Canal Authority expects to tender at the end of the year several logistics projects to be developed in 1,200 hectares of land in the canal zone.
The goal of the Panama Canal Authority is to generate value-added services around the extended canal, and according to the head the institution, Jorge Luis Quijano, several state companies from China have already expressed interest in participating in the development of these projects, which could be estimated at $1 billion and would be developed over a period of five to seven years.
Schencker from Germany, Blue Logistic from Colombia and the Panamanian companies J Cain & Co. and Colon Import, and two groups who preferred to remain anonymous, have expressed interest in participating in the project.
Joseph Fidanque III, manager of Tocumen S.A., said that when they have the plans for the free zone, which it is estimated will be in about four months, they will call a tender for the construction of the work, which is part of a cargo logistics plan, and includes an investment in the long-term of $70 million.For the first phase they have already approved $15 million, part of which will be used for soil conditioning and roadworks.