GCS adds two more automotive customers to its Novorossiysk operation
Global Container Services (GCS), a key logistics provider for the automotive industry, has won two more customers for the fully tailored supply chain services it operates via the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The company is now carrying CKD auto parts from the Black Sea port to assembly plants in Cherkessk for both the Taiwanese manufacturer Luxgen (SUV and premium class) and the Chinese brand Brilliance Auto.
“We work with these customers to help them select the best carriers for the seafreight leg from Taiwan and China to ensure on time delivery, sustainable transit times and minimal overall costs, including local charges and extras, ” says Andrey Naraevskiy, Director Liner and Business Development.
Containers arriving at the NUTEP terminal in Novorossiysk are taken by block train or bonded trucks operated by the GCS subsidiary Ruscon, the 470km to the Derways assembly plant in Cherkessk. GCS schedules its trains, carrying 54-56 40ft containers, to meet the production needs of the plants, ensuring a reliable and steady supply of components to the assembly lines.
“Initially, the two customers will need just two or three trains a month, but we know volumes will rise as production at the plants expands to meet demand, ” says Mr Naraevskiy. “We will continue to upgrade and redesign the services to meet each customer’s specific needs.”
In the last ten years, the port of Novorossiysk has established itself as the gateway for a number of automotive producers supplying assembly parts to plants in Central and Southern Russia. Expansion of car-makers in Russia has been fuelled by the general increase in private incomes and the growing consumption of the country’s middle class.
Other brands using Novorossiysk as their main port of entry for CKDs entering the Russian market include Ford and Chinese producers Lifan, Geely and Chery.
The NUTEP terminal, operated by a sister company to GCS in the “GC” Delo group, has recently been upgraded to enable it to handle two block trains a day. Other expansion plans include the construction of an additional container berth to handle ships of up to 8, 000TEU, bringing the total capacity at NUTEP to 650, 000TEU by the end of 2016.
Global Container Service (GCS) Ltd is the largest private intermodal and logistics provider in the area and one of Russia’s leading container transport operators. Its subsidiary Ruscon handled over 200, 000TEU in 2012.
“We have specialist knowledge of the automotive sector and we expect to continue developing our services as more and more car manufacturers take advantage of our experience and expertise, ” says Mr Naraevskiy. “We design dedicated solutions for each individual customer to ensure they have the most efficient and cost effective service for their particular needs.”
Global Container Service (GCS) has worked successfully in the Russian container market since 1995. Beginning in the liner agency, today it counts among the top ten container transport companies in Russia and the CIS.
GCS belongs to one of Russia’s largest transport holding companies, Delo, which also owns several terminal assets in the port of Novorossiysk.
Presently the GCS Group consists of seven companies in various fields of container shipping such as agency, logistics and terminal operations. It is active in all of the major container ports and provinces of Russia, as well as neighbouring CIS countries and overseas.
In the near future, the group plans to expand further its existing companies and add new ones in order to match the growing demand for professional transport services in Russia, the CIS and further afield. A strategic target of GCS is to triple the volume of revenue and double its container throughput over the next five years. That will be achieved through consolidation of its vertically-integrated systems for seamless delivery of containers to any destination in Russia and world-wide. In embracing that challenge GCS firmly relies on its 900+ staff and close partnerships with leading Russian and international transport companies.
Ruscon
Ruscon is one of the leading transport operators in the Russian container industry today, being the multimodal branch of GCS. Its experienced team, counting more than 1000 people in nine offices throughout Russia and CIS, handles over 200, 000TEU a year.
Based on a combination of GCS-owned facilities and cooperation with leading international and Russian logistics providers, Ruscon manages cross-border and cross-continent product flows to and from Russia. The company renders comprehensive solutions in arranging ocean freight, deliveries by truck and train, terminal handling, storage and forwarding.
