The continuing evolution of maritime transport towards ever larger ships is the main reason that Maersk shipping line sees the mega project as a real option for the future.
Commercial validation of the Grand Canal of Nicaragua project has been underpinned by the opinions expressed by the Head of Daily Operations at Maersk Line, Keith Svendsen, who told Shippingwatch.com that while the Panama Canal expansion will allow the passage of much larger vessels than at present, the maximum length that will be admited is 336 meters, while the Triple-E series used by the leading global shipping company, now measures 400 meters.
The incentives for investment by multinational companies and free zones explain part of the increase in demand for space by the industrial sector.
The development of new industrial parks run by large companies seeking to position themselves as logistics centers, has become the main driver of the property market, which in reports for the last half of 2013 showed an absorption rate of 92%, higher than the 86% recorded in the previous semester.
It has been estimated that there are 80 million square meters of space in unmet demand for use as warehouses, industrial buildings and Office-warehouses by logistics companies.
In response to this lack of supply identified by Colliers International new projects have appeared west of the capital, near the logistics centers of companies which distribute their products nationwide.
The logistics union of Guatemala is demanding greater agility and improvements in customs offices in order to prevent the port terminal to continue reducing competitiveness against the Mexican port of Manzanillo.
The lack of agility in customs procedures and the absence of a law to standardize practices in ports are the reasons why Puerto Quetzal is losing competitiveness against its Mexican neighbor Manzanillo.
Exporters are complaining because customs clearance procedures at the port terminal which used to be completed in three days now take 20.
Ever since Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana assumed control of operation of the cargo terminal at Puerto Cortes, the processes for inspections and unloading have delayed goods by considerably more days than before, raising costs for exporters and importers, who have to wait up to 20 days to take their products out of the port.
Logistics companies in the region will gather together on March 26th and 27th in Guatemala City.
The Union of Guatemala has organized the International Logistics Forum Guatemala 2014, in which issues related to the performance and competitiveness of the global logistics industry will be discussed.
The president of the Union of Logistics, Eliezer Castellanos said to Industriaguate.com that "This event aims to identify potential improvement in logistics management, comparing global with local practices in order to increase the country's competitiveness."
The administrator of the Panamanian International Airport has 300 hectares available to grant in 20-year concessions to logistics companies, hotels, hospitals, and for use as offices.
Tocumen SA is currently considering three concession models for managing the air cargo in 2013, which totaled 110 thousand tons. The restructuring of the business includes the development of facilities for light manufacturing plants.
The supermarket chain Riba Smith will expand the food technology industrial park to produce and distribute all kinds of goods from there.
This is the first private company that is backing a logistics center of this kind and size in the country. The industrial park could be in full swing in April 2014 and is located in the town of La Pita in the border area between La Chorrera and Capira.
Cold chain logistics improves for fresh produce exported by the region to the U.S. through the main port of Florida.
From a statement by the Trade Promotion Office in Costa Rica:
"The logistics center is the South Florida Logistics Centre which is operated by the company Flagler Global Logistics and is located next to Miami International Airport.
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.
Panama's potential for international trade and becoming a logistics hub connects well with trade agreements signed with various nations.
Gerald Gomez, general manager of Procter & Gamble for Latin America, said that "the Free Trade Agreements (FTA's) that Panama has are very important as their main objective is to open both local and international products which means there is an exchange between one country and another."
With an investment of $1.6 million Logística Integral S.A. is to establish itself as a logistics operator for outsourced services to national and regional administrative chains.
The company has invested in infrastructure measuring 2,200 m² with a capacity to store 3,800 pallets.
"... Our goal is to give companies linked to us the opportunity to provide outsourcing solutions in terms of storage, receipt, distribution to customers, imports or exports," said José Joaquín Ruiz, general manager of the company.
A center for industrial and logistic automotive activities is planned in the grounds of a former shooting range.
In Nuevo Emperador, Arraiján, west of the Canal, in "an area that was used as a bombing range by the U.S. administration", the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is studying the development of a vehicle transshipment center.
Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president of the Office of Research and Market Analysis of the ACP, said: "Here we see a great potential for development of logistics activities, specifically those which we have already spoken about, in the sense that Panama could be a center for transshipment and distribution of automobiles. "
The Government and private sector of the country plan to expand their business in Latin America using Panama as its hub.
A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads:
As part of the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Panama and the Ukraine, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Nunez Fabrega, the deputy minister in charge, Mayra I.
Panama has a lot to learn from Singapore, Rotterdam and Hong Kong, countries which stand out as the top three global clusters.
This was revealed by a study prepared for the Panama Canal Authority by the firm Nathan Associetes Inc. This report explains that there should be a series of efforts to address the problems facing the logistics industry in Panama, on issues such as roads and information technology infrastructure, with the aim of improving the perception that logistics operators have of the country's customs sector.