Logistics is destined to be the backbone of the country’s development and a driving force for new investments in infrastructure. In the context of trade openness and economic globalization, the development of logistics services is essential to increase competitiveness by reducing costs and time.
Integral logistics platforms are the professional way to link supply and demand.
The inexorable trend towards the globalization of economies, new business practices, and foreign and domestic trade, such as the reduction of inventories and the just-in-time model, make the management of goods flows increasingly relevant when inserting a good or service in the international context.
The concept of an integrated logistics platform includes different types of real estate and service developments and is not limited to a logistics park or a distribution center. It is a business window open to the world, which has given strength to large logistics centers in Spain, the United States, or Japan. A concept that has made cities such as Marseille, Rotterdam, and Venice legendary. It is made up of three elements:
1. Logistics activity zone: this is the most important area and space where logistics operators or users manage their merchandise. It involves receiving, storing, and distributing it, as well as value-adding processes.
2. Dry port: is an area for receiving and dispatching goods that have a direct connection to a seaport. It is a large distribution center, which connects and facilitates the connection of operators with one or more conventional ports.
3. Transport city: it is designed as a large space for channeling and parking trucks and tractor-trailers. Its purpose is to provide maneuvering space, food, lodging, and safety for drivers.
Understood as an industry, the logistics platform is an economic activity that generates investment and thousands of jobs, without creating additional problems for the community or the environment. Even better, it provides an incalculable economic spillover to the region.
Private sector participation in this type of initiative.
There are development institutions that finance and promote legal, financial, and market studies, including feasibility analysis, origin-destination of goods and transportation, demand, among others.
Logistics platforms have an outstanding feature: when they are part of an intelligent plan and supported by adequate studies, they do not compete with each other, but complement each other, generating attractive returns for investors.
Villareal, A. (09 July) Logistics: key for the economic development of a country. www.t21.com