Career
Every year, China hosts hundreds of events dedicated to logistics, SCM, and transport-related infrastructure. These events focus on both domestic issues and large-scale international cooperation, including the implementation of the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Therefore, at the beginning of the year experts from the AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG corporate group in China set the ambitious goal of personally attending the all of China’s most important logistics forums. This way, they would develop and strengthen business ties with Chinese partners not only in formal face-to-face meetings but also in highly specialized events.
The AsstrA team achieved this goal with perfect results. In October of this year, representatives of the transport and logistics provider visited the China International Logistics and Transportation Fair (CILF) in Shenzhen. There they participated several summits on Sea-rail Transport, Cross-border Belt and Road Transportation Opportunities, and Challenges of the China-Europe Block Train. AsstrA experts also attended the highly specialized Hong Kong Electronic Fair.
Vyacheslav Gural, Asia Region Director at AsstrA, spoke about the goals and results of the events:
"From October 11-13, 2018, the 13th CILF exhibition, including the 3rd Logistics Summit, were held in Shenzhen. This is a progressive platform for discussions with active participation from international-level speakers including representatives of large businesses and government agencies having significant influence on the development of business and logistics in China. The event brings together professionals and experts in the field of logistics, supply chain management, distribution, warehousing, and information technology. Owners and C-level executives of the country's largest ports, railways, freight forwarding companies, and express container train operators (approx. UKP). This year, there were about 1,800 exhibitors from more than 50 countries at the CILF, and 130,000 people attended.
Our primary goal was to meet with our regular customers and suppliers to discuss ways to expand cooperation, existing problems and challenges in the logistics industry in China, and how to grow with joint solutions to these challenges. At the same time, we also wanted to connect with new international partners and continue growing our network of business contacts.
We managed to hold 30 individual meetings and negotiations both in a formal and informal settings like a business dinner. We made preliminary cooperation agreements and discussed the possibility of launching new joint projects. Our presence at events of this kind helps to increase awareness of AsstrA in China – in this region, "word of mouth" works better than any advertising. All this allows us to get a clearer picture of UCP transportation on East-West routes and of how our Eurasian partnerships are developing. Often the media says one thing and in reality everything turns out to be quite different."
During the exhibition, the 3rd Sea and Rail Congress was held within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Tangor Zhumagali, China Country at AsstrA, offered impressions of the event:
"The Congress covered development prospects for Chinese-European express container trains. Operators such as CMGL, UTLC, and Yuxinou talked about their plans to expand carrying capacities, improve delivery speeds, and open new hubs. Individual operators presented their new express train routes to Vietnam and Germany. Of particular note were sensitive issues like disordered and non-systemic organization of the new UKP from China, low power checkpoints at the borders."
Dmitry Pokhodenko, Head of the China Operational Department at AsstrA, shared his thoughts:
"The exhibition had thematic sections on computer equipment, phones, accessories and electrical appliances as well as companies providing certification services for products finished outside the country of manufacture. The exhibition was focused on the B2C segment and drew 2,940 exhibitors and more than 65,000 visitors interested in electronic novelties. Buyers were concluding supply contracts on the spot. The event was organized as an exhibition-fair where assistants and sellers could do “show and tells” about their gadgets in their stands. We visited all the exhibition halls and talked with interesting potential customers from China, Türkiye, Russia, and Hong Kong. We exchanged contacts and gathered important information about exhibitors, manufacturers, and countries in which their deliveries are made. I am confident that the company's client portfolio will increase due to the new contacts and acquaintances we made at the exhibition."
