The increasing consumption saturation of European countries is forcing corporations to look for new sales markets. A direction that is enjoying growing popularity and has great growth prospects is Asia.
According to the authors of the “Asia Pacific Transport & Logistics 2014” report, the dynamically developing countries of the Southeast Asia region are slowly ceasing to be just a place of production and are becoming serious markets for manufacturers from Europe. The authors of the aforementioned report also claim that by 2017, more than one-third of the global container logistics market will belong to the Asia-Pacific markets. For entrepreneurs in the logistics industry, this is a clear indication of which foreign trade directions will be the most popular.
Prudent expansion
Dachser, which started its operations with road transport in Germany and then developed in Europe, currently has nearly 500 branches in 42 countries around the world. It is a family-owned company that takes a particularly prudent approach to planning for the future – all investments and expansions into new markets result from a carefully thought-out, planned strategy. After major acquisitions in Europe – in Spain and Italy, Dachser has made a series of acquisitions in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years, acquiring shares in companies in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India, and expanding its operations in China and South Korea. The operator’s core business in Asian markets is sea and air freight, as well as contract logistics, carried out within the Dachser Air & Sea Logistics division. The operator’s subsequent new locations serve not only to expand the transport offer within the Asian continent but also to complement the company’s global network.
India, Thailand, Bangladesh
Dachser has been present in the markets of India, Thailand, and Bangladesh since 1996, first as a partner in a joint venture with AFL Pvt. Ltd., which was one of the leading Indian logistics companies, and since 2014 as Dachser. This region is extremely important for the operator’s intercontinental logistics infrastructure. In India alone, with its central branch in Mumbai, the company employs approximately 500 people in 27 locations. In Bangladesh, the operator currently runs two branches, and in Thailand one – in Bangkok.
Malaysia, Indonesia
As part of the implementation of the development strategy of the Dachser Air & Sea Logistics division, the operator entered Malaysia in 2012 as a partner of one of the local logistics companies. Just a year later, the company opened its first branch in neighboring Indonesia, the largest island country in the world and one of the engines of economic growth in Asia. Currently, Dachser has several additional offices there and is planning further investments in expanding the network in a region that has very high development potential. Recently, the Indonesian government launched an ambitious $150 billion project aimed at making the country one of the world’s largest economies by 2025. A priority need is the improvement of infrastructure, which will also influence the development of logistics.
South Korea
Dachser has been operating in the Republic of Korea since 2006. At the beginning, it operated as a shareholder in a joint venture, and after acquiring all shares from its partners – as Dachser Korea Inc. The power of the South Korean economy and its enormous technological capabilities make this 50-million-strong nation one of the most important economic partners for European countries in East Asia today. The logistics operator’s headquarters is located in the country’s capital, Seoul. Dachser also has a branch in Pusan (Busan), which handles sea transport. The company operates a warehouse for air freight at Incheon Airport, which is Korea’s main airport and one of the most important transport hubs in Asia.