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From 16 to 18 May 2018, Shanghai hosted this year’s Transport Logistic China, a key event for the Asian transport and logistics industry and one of the largest of its kind in the world. Every two years, hundreds of participants from all around the world come to Shanghai to share their latest industry updates and exchange views on current issues. Sector experts appreciate this exhibition primarily for the comprehensive range of modern logistics products, technologies, and services on display. After all, key success factors in logistics are being able to stay on top of current market trends and the constant expansion of one’s Partner network.
AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG specialists were at the international exhibition and took advantages of its opportunities.
AsstrA Shanghai branch manager Andrey Soroka shared his impressions from the event’s business program and his conclusions after meetings with colleagues:
"This year the exhibition drew 667 exhibitors from 65 countries. The organizers estimated that there were almost 27 thousand visitors over three days. Therefore we planned our meetings carefully to get maximum benefits."
The event was huge in terms of both the exhibition area and thematic diversity. It occupied four pavilions and covered issues related to logistics innovation, air transportation, FMCG transportation, and the development of the New Silk Road. According to Andrey Soroka, despite the scale of the event and the large number visitors, the shipping sector was poorly represented at the exhibition, with most players seeming to prefer to participate in more sector-focused exhibitions like Intermodal or Breakbulk.
For AsstrA representatives at the exhibition, it was a priority to meet with long-standing Partners to strengthen business relations and discuss the latest news in the field. In addition, it was equally important to make contact with new potential Clients:
"One of AsstrA’s strategic objectives in China is to drive a dramatic increase in the flow of goods along the New Silk Road using express trains in particular. Therefore we planned meetings both with big market players like Xiang Ou Express, Sinotrans, RTSB, OTLK, FELB, RZD and KTZH Express as well as operators specializing in individual destinations. In total, more than 20 meetings were held," comments Andrey Soroka.
As a result of the meetings, the AsstrA experts achieved several goals: firstly they obtained current information on the transportation of goods by express trains and secondly AsstrA is now on the express train operators’ list of preferred local service providers, i.e. reliable last-mile delivery Partners for goods within the CIS and within the EU, especially Poland and Germany. As Chinese companies typically find it difficult to find good Partners with high-quality last-mile capabilities and operational services, being on this list is an important milestone achieved at the event.
Also adding to the effectiveness of the exhibition were various factors including the opportunity to meet personally with specialists from various companies.
"Visiting Transport Logistic China directly improved the efficiency of both AsstrA’s operations and sales departments with respect to China. Operational data on some of the Partners we met at the exhibition tripled, which is an excellent illustration of the Chinese proverb "It's better to see the face than to hear the name," adds Andrey Soroka.
This was also noted by Tangnur Jumagali, China Region Country Manager at AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG, who also took part in the exhibition:
"As a result of meetings with express train operators, we expanded our express train delivery capabilities to new trade lanes between China and Spain, Italy, and Romania. This was possible primarily due to in-person meetings and real-time communication with Partners."
AsstrA Asia Region Director Vyacheslav Gural summed up his conclusions from Transport Logistic China 2018:
"Such forums allow us to meet the right people in the right place. At the same time, no less important is the consistent work that should come after the exhibition. It is necessary to maintain constant communication with Partners and potential Clients, execute all agreements, and promptly provide respond to requests with complete information. In short, do everything to make a good first impression grow into confidence in the high quality of the company, which leads to long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation."
