Logistech–Logistics, Storage and Technologies Fair; While bringing together all the stakeholders in the sector at Fuarizmir, the situation and future of the sector are discussed with panels and seminars. Within the scope of Logistech-Logistics, Storage and Technologies Fair, which was held for the first time this year in Fuarizmir, the Chairman's Panel was held, moderated by Yusuf Öztürk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IMEAK Chamber of Shipping İzmir Branch.
“Time is Turkey's time”
UTIKAD Chairman of the Board Ayşem Ulusoy stated that Turkey has come to an advantageous position due to its geographical position during the pandemic period and said, “The closed roads and changing routes have made us a center of attraction. We learned that the industry, associations, universities, suppliers, and every stakeholder that produces logistics-related services should work together in order for our share, which has increased with the pandemic, to be permanent. We need to maintain our advantageous position in terms of time and cost, which are the most important factors of logistics and trade, as China's late production, our manufacturers being more flexible. We can continue what we have gained and move forward even more. We must act together. It's our time, Turkey's time," he said.
Turkey stands out in supply
DND Chairman of the Board of Directors Şükriye Vardar stated that maritime has shined as much as logistics has shone during the pandemic and it is understood once again how important it is for the procurement process, “The possibility of recession created by high inflation, the slowdown in demand for consumer products, the demands to receive the goods early. rising freight began to fall. Looking back in September, 11 percent of goods transported globally are pending at world ports. Strikes also have an effect, which increases the wait. Even though freight rates have dropped, costs are still very high. This is the case in maritime. When we look at it from the perspective of Turkey, I think that Turkey will differentiate positively in this process despite the recession expectations in the global markets. I can easily say that Turkey stands out in supply. I am of the opinion that Turkey will not be affected as much as other countries by the expected recession in global markets.”
Growth in the industry continues
TÜRKLİM Chairman of the Board Aydın Erdemir stated that there have been ports in Anatolia in every period from history to the present, and said, “The pandemic has shown us the importance of ports a little more. 90 percent of shipments in the world are by sea. In Turkey, this rate was around 95 percent in imports and slightly lower in exports. It has reached 60 – 65 percent in value and 80 to 90 percent in tonnage. We will see that ports, which are the starting point of both sea routes, roads and railways, will grow with environmental factors and other factors. Turkey has developed on the one hand and invested in its ports by the private sector on the other. In 1986 – 1987, it was carrying 80 million tons of cargo per year. Between 1990 and 2001, there was a 253 percent growth. It has grown 2000 percent between 2021 and 183 and 10 percent in the last 152 years in terms of load. This is the case in the container as well, and there has been a 10 percent growth in the last 155 years.”
It is necessary to act with the vision of 2050
Erdemir said, “The main issue for us is to prepare the vision for the 2050s. Logistics serves as a whole, industry and export. Our duty as institutions is to prepare the sector for 2050. We know that everything will change, institutions like ours will play a major role in the production and planning of these policies and the selection of a new management model. When we look at the developed examples in the world; All railway and maritime infrastructures require great public support and great planning. One of the most important functions of TÜRKLİM is to prepare the vision of the future with its experience. We have also prepared our report for 2050. The port capacity, which was 525 million tons, should increase to 1,3 billion tons and increase 2,5 times. This means connections between logistics villages, organized industrial zones and ports, etc. All must be planned. In terms of containers, an increase of 3,5 - 4 times is expected. Our ports need to be ready. There are studies on these," he said.
Road transport to 58 countries
UND Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Fatih Şener said, “The international shipping sector is a strategic sector for Turkey. We provide land transportation to 58 countries, we do not have sea borders with more than 40 of these countries. Due to the pandemic, the road has an unstoppable rise in the world. Because when it comes to production, stock-free work, e-commerce and fast trade, Turkey is said to be the largest in Europe in the international shipping sector. The rate of road transport across Europe is high. We experienced nothing when the borders were closed during the pandemic period. As UND, we started contactless transportation, driver and vehicle exchange at the border, etc. We tried to pave the way for export. After the shock was over, western countries turned to alternatives other than China at the supply point. Container, handling crisis, etc. Other developments, increased freight rates, increased the price of Chinese products, and the share of Turkish products in the market increased. As the opportunity to compete with China increased, road transport and logisticians experienced and are still living their golden age in the pandemic. With e-commerce, the rate of transporting individual packages increased and the number of packages transported increased when private commerce became available. Highways have turned into stockpiles, and there has been a serious density of vehicles,” he said.
Fatih Şener, in order for road transport to be sustainable in the future, by acting with the right planning, electric etc. He pointed out the importance of preparing the industry for this, stating that it should switch to vehicles produced with environmentally friendly technologies, new technologies, and make plans to reduce idle mobility with optimization and efficiency studies.
Bülent İbik, Deputy Chairman of the Board of DEFMED, reminded that we fell to the 47th rank in the Logistics Performance Index of the World Bank, which was announced before the pandemic, and said, “Due to the pandemic, the new rank has not been announced yet. It is one of the most important indicators when we can attract investment from abroad. We need to look at what we can change in order to rank higher. Factors such as customs, infrastructure, logistics performance, freight and international shipping, cargo tracking and tracking, and on-time delivery are taken into account. We need to move forward by acting together with the administration and the industry, and by addressing these processes wherever we get stuck.”
Yusuf Öztürk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IMEAK Chamber of Shipping Izmir Branch, said that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, now the danger of global recession, caused a significant change in the logistics sector. Referring to the advantages of the pandemic process in the logistics sector, Öztürk said that Turkey has the opportunity to become a regional center in the global supply chain by increasing its logistics performance. Pointing out that the decarbonization targets in the transportation sector for 2030 and 2050 are very critical, Öztürk emphasized that Turkey should be prepared for the green transformation in logistics.
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