Panalpina has made three long-standing agents in Asia and the Americas full members of the company’s Perishables Network.
The three companies who were nominated following years of cooperation and a thorough vetting process were Cropa of Guatemala and Honduras; MIT Cargo of Sri Lanka; and TML of Pakistan, who reached agreements during the Fruit Logistica 2018 trade fair in Berlin to intensify their cooperation with Panalpina.
Panalpina aims to develop consistent standards for perishable logistics across the world, with global head of perishables Colin Wells saying: “In the perishables industry, shippers and local forwarders have traditionally followed their own practices. By working more closely together with our agents, we can establish our own standard and create a reliable and uniform environment for our customer where they enjoy the same experience wherever they may be.”
The company also says that with improvements in infrastructure and production techniques, new transport routes and equipment, better packaging and more varied products can also drive opportunities for Panalpina’s agents.
Panalpina global agent relations manager, Marco Spiess says: “For the new member agents, our Perishables Network is a door opener for the global market. Together we can create new end-to-end solutions for their customers and expand the perishables business.”
Cropa, which has offices in Guatemala and Honduras has been Panalpina’s agent in Central America since 1985, and has an extended portfolio of perishable services and a complete warehousing structure in El Salvador.
Bananas are the main perishable export, with snow peas, berries, baby vegetables, asparagus, melon, mangoes, limes, shrimps and pineapples also proving important.
MIT has been Panalpina’s agent in Sri Lanka since 1988 with operations including 24/7 temperature controlled warehousing facilities at the air cargo village within Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.
TML, which operates out of Karachi in Pakistan has been Panalpina’s agent since 2012, and offers reefer equipment backed by an experienced team offering expert handling and tailored multi-modal transportation of fresh and frozen goods.
Panalpina plans to add more agents to the perishables network throughout 2018, focusing on Africa.
