Rıza Mehmet Korkmaz, General Manager of UNSPED customs brokerage, wrote about the developments in supply and the opportunities that arise in the new era for DÜNYA.

High opportunity in logistics

One of the issues that have been preoccupying our country's agenda for several years is the middle income trap. When we look at the world's largest exporters today, we see Germany and China. Without structural transformations, we cannot compete in the short term neither with Germany's high technology nor with China's cheap labor. But we believe that there are no countries in the world where we cannot compete with our logistical potential. By accelerating transactions and processes, by activating digitalization, by reducing bureaucracy, Turkey should also rise to the top position in the Logistics Performance Index and increase its competitiveness. In this context, our country has great advantages for logistics centers that can serve at the global level. To the west of Turkey is Europe, where 40% of the world's trade is made and 11% of the world's population lives; to the East is Asia, where 25% of the world's trade is made and 61% of the world's population lives. Turkey has easy access to 1.6 billion potential customers in Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa and a $ 28 trillion market with a 4-hour flight. Due to its geographical location and settlement on the main transport corridors, our country is almost a natural Transfer Center.

On the other hand, the “One Belt, One Road project”, initiated by the People's Republic of China and aimed at reviving the historical Silk Road, covering 65 countries and projected investments of $ 1 trillion, also offers important opportunities for Turkey located in the Middle Corridor. Practices that negatively affect the competitiveness of our companies, increase costs, and fuel unfair profits should be avoided. In export and import operations, unnecessary costs encountered in logistics processes from the point of origin of goods to the point of delivery in another country, additional and unfair payments/fees that are not based on contracts and legal tariffs, delays caused by bureaucracy should be removed with the cooperation of the public and private sectors, at least to be reduced to the lowest levels.

At the global level to avoid falling into the middle income trap, to operate logistics centers and set up global logistics and e-commerce companies to produce technological developments will improve competitiveness and even adapt to required technology. This should be the goal for the next 10 years for the logistics sector.