After nearly 20 years of isolation, on January 16, 2016, the United States and the European Union lifted financial and economic sanctions imposed on Iran. The decision opens up a huge market for investors. As early as September 2015, Polish companies participated in an economic mission organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Economy. It was attended by over one hundred entrepreneurs, including ROHLIG SUUS Logistics – the only company representing the Polish TSL industry.
Hidden potential
Iran is a country with enormous economic potential, inhabited by nearly 80 million people. It is the largest market in the Middle East. Its economy also stands out against other countries in the region. It ranks fourth in the world in terms of oil resources and has the largest natural gas deposits, with reserves estimated at 33.6 trillion cubic meters. An asset of Iran is its relatively stable legal system and internal situation. Due to economic sanctions, the country was cut off from the Western market for many years, and its main trading partners included China, India, Korea, and Turkey. Currently, the lifting of economic sanctions opens Iran to Europe and provides an opportunity to launch new transport corridors. Iran is a strategic country for the entire region, from which distribution to neighboring countries can be conducted, and after the lifting of sanctions, its position will grow even further.
Broad opportunities
ROHLIG SUUS Logistics, as a Polish logistics company with global capabilities, decided to take advantage of the potential dormant in Iran.
– We are observing significant interest among our clients who are looking for new sales markets. Thanks to a flat management structure, we make decisions quickly. We decided to be the first Polish logistics company to start comprehensive forwarding services for the Iranian market. We organized our participation in the economic mission, where we finalized the first agreements leading to our presence in Iran – says Tadeusz Chmielewski, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ROHLIG SUUS Logistics. – During the mission, we met many Polish entrepreneurs planning foreign expansion into the Iranian market, and we want to effectively support their debut in that market. Furthermore, the change in the political situation means new business opportunities, both for Polish and European entrepreneurs, in which we want to actively participate.
New transport corridors
During the mission, ROHLIG SUUS Logistics signed a cooperation agreement with an Iranian partner operating in the area of intermodal transport (sea, rail, and road transport) on the Iran-Poland route and sea freight on the Far East-Iran route. According to the ROHLIG SUUS representative, the new transport routes that will be created due to the opening of Iranian borders will allow for shortening transport times on certain routes, including from India to Europe or from China to countries located in the Caucasus region. It is also worth noting that Iran has railway infrastructure, and most large cities are connected by a network of highways. Moreover, Iran is the largest market in the region, and from its territory, goods can be distributed to selected neighboring countries. There are, therefore, many prospects for creating potentially new transport corridors.
– We are an innovative company, constantly looking for new solutions and opportunities that would shorten transport time and save our clients’ money. This is the primary goal of our presence in Iran – points out Tadeusz Chmielewski. – We believe that our strong commitment at the very beginning of the process of rebuilding trade relations between Poland and Iran will allow us to build effective supply chains covering key global economies in a short time. The global ROHLIG network has declared full support for our initiative.
