The land of logistics opportunities: Colombia

Pop Musician, Shakira and Nobel Laureate, ‘Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ are not the only Colombian exports to the world. Coffee, emeralds, flowers and logistical convenience are among the other offerings of Colombia. And effectively bridging the gap between Colombia and the world are logistics leaders like ECU Worldwide Colombia that enable seamless global cargo movements for businesses across the country.

Situated at the cusp of North and South America, at 4.5709° N, 74.2973° W, Colombia has always been at the cross-section for trade and commerce. It is the only South American country whose landmass opens on to the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares borders with Panama on the north-west, Venezuela and Brazil on the east, and Peru and Ecuador on the south. Needless to say, its strategic location makes Colombia an opportune destination for the logistics sector. ECU Worldwide Colombia has been helping customers leverage this opportunity for close to three decades now.

Logistics driven by natural resources and booming industries

Known for its rich natural reserves – Colombia has the second-highest bio-diversity in the world and is one of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world – this Latin American country has been capitalizing on its God-given resources to boost its economy. Its major exports are largely natural resources: oil, energy, coffee, flowers, agricultural products and beverages, along with manufactured goods including plastics. In fact, Colombia is the first country to export avocadoes to Europe. Its main imports on the other hand, are machinery, fabrics, chemicals and technology.

Colombia’s booming industries: fabrics and footwear manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, construction and infrastructure, chemicals, agricultural goods – especially sugar, and technology among others, require significant volume of logistics and supply chain solutions. And ECU Worldwide Colombia has been supporting these industries with its entire portfolio of services that includes Full Container Load (FCL), Less than Container Load (LCL) services, air freight, XLERATE which is a combined sea-air express service, project cargo solutions and cross trades.

Making the most of Colombia’s geographical advantage

Apart from its natural splendour, Colombia is especially important because of its strategic location between North and South America, as well as the fact that is has ports in both oceans. On the Atlantic there are Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Tumaco; while on the Pacific side there is Buenaventura. This not only makes Colombia a strategic point to receive goods from all over the world, but also makes it an attractive platform for the development of global trade. Its junction between trade routes, attracts foreign investment and the government has signed various commercial trade agreements with numerous countries to boost Colombia’s growing economy.

“We at ECU Worldwide Colombia have focused on exploring the potential of the logistics edge that the country provides. We have set up direct services and connections to and from anywhere in the world, with the main ports being Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Buenaventura. Moreover, with a thrust on going digital with our state-of-the-art logistics platform ECU360, we are giving our customers the digital edge. They can now get instant quotes, quick bookings, schedules and door-to-door deliveries in more than 50 countries in just a few clicks,” says Rebecca Chavez, Country Manager, ECU Worldwide Colombia.

ECU Worldwide’s network, operating in over 180 countries, offers businesses in Colombia with unmatched global shipment solutions backed by the synergies of having a presence in both origin and destination countries. Moreover, due to its geographical position, Colombia has many commercial routes, transits and transshipments, which facilitate the entry and exit of maritime cargo. Being connected with five countries in the region through shared borders adds to the convenience of businesses looking to expand in and around the region.

Infrastructure development adding to logistics potential

The Colombian government has invested extensively in infrastructure in free zones and on land transport. Road routes form the bulk of the country’s logistical modes. Trucks service the routes from the ports to the main cities which are in the interior. From there, the cargo is dispatched in small groups to cities and towns which are more remotely located in the highlands.

Currently, the national policies lay a thrust on modernization of transport infrastructure, through heavy investments and ongoing road concessions. The government is also focusing on improving the river and rail infrastructure. All of these measures are aimed at reducing the time and cost of trade operations. Additionally, Colombia is home to one of the biggest airports in Latin America, which is second only to the airport in Brazil.

All these factors make Colombia a country with huge potential for logistics, especially since it is extremely well-connected through waterways, surface routes and air. With its capabilities for multimodal logistics, expertise in handling diverse types of cargo and direct services across more than 2400 trade lanes for LCL, ECU Worldwide Colombia has emerged as a reliable partner for many leading businesses across diverse industry sectors.

Delivering excellence and optimizing operations

ECU Worldwide applied its learnings of over three decades of market experience from across 180 countries to develop its suite of services in Colombia. Customer centricity being one of its core values, ECU Worldwide Colombia nurtures a team of highly qualified professionals with many years of experience. An approach of offering customers nothing but the best drives team ECU Worldwide Colombia to understand specific requirements of customers and customize solutions to cater to them.

Apart from offering favorable transit times and the best services, the team goes the extra mile to share useful market information with customers, so they can anticipate the shipping conditions for their operations and plan ahead.

Using various digital technology and tools, ECU Worldwide Colombia offers customers the benefit of streamlined operations, quick and convenient shipment bookings, transparency in pricing and better control and visibility of their cargo movements.

Conclusion

With rich natural resources, its strategic location and various international trade agreements, Colombia needs logistics services characterized by an unmatched global network, expertise and robust digital operations – all fortes of ECU Worldwide Colombia!