Ramos highlighted the importance of the province of Cádiz as a world-class logistics hub, capable of competing with anyone.
One of the challenges of the Logistics Platform is to ensure that the province is not only a reference at the distribution level, but rather that it becomes a first-rate production center.
The delegate of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone, Jorge Ramos, participated yesterday in the presentation of the Southern European Logistics Platform in Tangier, within the framework of the III Spanish-Moroccan Business Meeting of the Transport and Logistics sector, which was held in the Moroccan city on March 5 and 6. Ramos was part of a Cadiz delegation headed by the mayors of Cádiz and Jerez, the mayor of Algeciras and officials from the Provincial Council.
In his speech, the Free Trade Zone delegate highlighted the importance of the province of Cádiz as a first-rate logistics hub and explained that the Platform is prepared to attract part of the commercial flows from America and Asia, which enter the European Union in more than 80% through the ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg. "Currently we market 15% of world trade through the Strait of Gibraltar, but we are able to compete with anyone because we perfectly fulfill the premise that a good logistics operator must fulfill: time and the precio", explained Ramos, who illustrated his presentation with the fact that the province of Cádiz is the axis that, through the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Central corridors, can place any merchandise in the Center of Europe in 48 hours without crossing any traffic lights.
The delegate of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone emphasized that the priority objective of the implementation of the Logistics Platform is the conjunction of efforts to make the synergies productive, and invited the neighboring country to participate in this project, explaining that "an alliance between the two shores is necessary because we have to manage 30% of world trade. Our duty is to generate wealth to contribute to the well-being of citizens, creating economic activity and employment. “We are doing our homework well to establish ourselves as a great global trade platform.”
Along these lines, Ramos pointed out that the challenge of the province of Cádiz as a first-rate logistics center is not only to be world leaders in Distribution, but also to become a reference production center that concentrates competitive industries and companies. “For this reason and to achieve this, policies are needed that bring together these values on this and that side of the Strait,” he said.
Ramos stressed the need to achieve a registered brand in Spain that is capable of selling its offer to the large market circuits and that can compete and be able to capture the Pacific market, which currently enters through the North Atlantic ports. Ramos exemplified his presentation with merchandise flow data that reveals that last year 14,544 ships crossed the Panama Canal –paying toll -, while 115,000 ships sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar, which, in addition, curiously do not “pay toll” some to cross it.
Delving into the role of the Cádiz Free Zone in the Southern European Logistics Platform project, the head of the Institution reported that the objective of the Free Zone Expand is to expand the square meters available with tax and customs benefits throughout the province by creating new spaces, in order for companies to install that are more competitive and contribute to the creation of wealth and employment.
Finally, the delegate made the Cádiz Free Trade Zone available to the participants in the Meeting so that they could visit it and learn first-hand about the 500 companies that are located in its facilities. –and that they employ more than 2,500 workers - and informed all attendees that their mission and challenge for the next 5 years is that “these 500 companies that we currently have become 2,500.”
For her part, the mayor of Cádiz, Teófila Martínez, explained that in the province of Cádiz "we have the assets and infrastructure and our challenge is to coordinate so that powerful industries are installed." He added that "we have a logistical position in the world and we maintain the support of the Government of Spain."
Martínez suggested that the actions in the Panama Canal could imply changes in commercial flows that would favor our province, which would result in the creation of wealth and employment and announced that in the coming weeks a meeting on Logistics will be held in Cádiz in which different cities will participate.
In the same line as Ramos and Martínez, María José García Pelayo, mayor of Jerez, highlighted that the promotion of this Logistics Platform is “a priority project to enhance the existing resources, with which to draw the attention of the international logistics sector to the possibilities that our province offers as an entry for goods.” and as “the ideal framework to encourage the establishment of an authentic provincial industry that provides added value.”
Meanwhile, José Ignacio Landaluce, mayor of Algeciras, also defended the creation of the Logistics Platform, indicating that "there is a clear commitment on the part of the large logistics companies and the main global container shipping companies work with our terminals."
This meeting has been organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tangier and promoted by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain, through the Spanish Embassy in Rabat and the Economic and Commercial Office in Rabat and Casablanca. It has been aimed at Spanish and Moroccan transport and logistics companies, as well as institutions from both countries, related to these sectors.