China is well versed in mammoth projects. A gigantic investment package has been dedicated to the improvement of the transport network between Asia and Europe under the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. Benefiting from the opportunities this entails, Militzer & Münch is developing new locations and road transport services in China and Central Asia.
For OBOR, China has set aside more than 100 billion dollars for the coming years. The Silk Road, which goes back 2,100 years, is gaining importance again for today’s global transports. The route traversed countries that today are known as China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Today, goods can be shipped from one continent to the other in just under 15 days, replacing the months or years it once took.
Bulking up business in China
In the Central Asian countries and in the Trans-Caucasian region, Militzer & Münch employs a staff of 200 – in China, the number of employees is 100. By appointing new specialists including Glenn Bai as Managing Director China and Eric Wang as Director Rail Freight China, Militzer & Münch China took steps towards expanding business along the New Silk Road. A new container block train connecting Xuzhou in Eastern China with Tashkent, Uzbekistan already demonstrated the potential, completing the journey in just 10 to 12 days.
Countries and projects
Militzer & Münch is one of the leading transport and forwarding service providers in Central Asia with locations in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In February 2017 Militzer & Münch set up a presence in Azerbaijan. In Tajikistan, Militzer & Münch recently won a long-term contract comprising the delivery of merchandise for a bed and furniture chain with six or more truckloads per month. In Kazakhstan, the economic situation is turning back to normal and project business is expected to gather speed after Expo 2017.
Overland transports save time and money
The Chinese government has already convinced more than 60 countries of its OBOR project. Shipments by train take about 20 days less than by vessel and are much cheaper than by plane. At this time, there are ten departures a week for the full container loads that Militzer & Münch and InterRail are transporting via rail from China to Europe and vice versa.