FPS executive puts the logistics perspective on inward investment
According to Alfred Stienen, managing director of FS Mackenzie Group, a member of the Famous Pacific Shipping Group, logistics planning cannot be an add-on to inward planning decisions. Stienen says that investment in factories and assembly plants will be a complete write-off if the plant is located in the wrong place in terms of its logistics requirements. "Headlines about jobs created from inward investment often involve direct employment, how many jobs a factory or office development might bring. But these are not the only jobs inward investment creates. Logistics can also bring employment to a region." FS Mackenzie has taken on local staff in its fourteen across Europe, Asia and Africa. In Russia and the Ukraine, the company employs more than 120 staff members. This translates into a massive investment in skills and training. "We bring jobs as much as we bring freight into a region we serve," said Stienen. Stienen attaches much importance to membership of the Famous Pacific Shipping global group of freight forwarders, which is present in many key global industrial regions and particularly strong in Asia. "What this means is, really, when we serve a market, thanks to our membership of the FPS network, the client is able to access some of the most important freight markets on the globe through our connections." Stienen said that while it is very easy when trying to attract inward investment to concentrate on the showcase architectural models of glittering offices and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, how many ever put the availability of supply chain and logistics into the equation? "Build a fine manufacturing plant without thinking about the supply chain and you might have a white elephant on your hands. International businesses will not locate in areas where they cannot connect to the global economy," he concluded. Quelle: eyefortransport |