CAREC Institute Speaks at the 10th Anniversary Kazakh-German Logistics Forum

Chief Economist of the CAREC Institute Dr. Hans Holzhacker, spoke at the 10th Anniversary Kazakh-German Logistics Forum organized by Kazakh-German University, Business Club and LogCentre Logistics Transfer Center on December 7-9, 2022, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The forum is aimed at supporting and developing scientific and educational, and industrial relations in the field of logistics.

The forum brought together researchers, experts and practitioners in the field of logistics to discuss new opportunities and challenges on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) in the current geopolitical situation, digitalization and prospects for further development of the logistics industry.

Dr. Hans Holzhacker made a presentation at the forum in which he emphasized the importance of the TITR for transportation and trade flows on the Euro-Asian continent under the new geopolitical and geoeconomic realities. He pointed to the plans for the development of the corridor agreed during the general meeting of the TITR Association in Tbilisi on October 21, 2022, and the establishment of a coordination council and a rail transport working group by the initiative of transport ministers of Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. He also raised the question whether the TITR could become a major element of a broader ecosystem of corridors through Central Asia. Dr. Holzhacker emphasized the importance of soft infrastructure, proper management and coordination along with addressing specific bottlenecks for the enhancing the capacity of transportation corridors, including the TITR. And he emphasized that transportation corridors should become economic corridors in order to help develop the economies along the corridors. “For logistics this not least means to properly develop first mile and last mile services”, said Dr. Holzhacker.

Forum discussions also included master classes by leading experts and managers of logistics companies on pressing issues of cargo transportation, route optimization and standardization of customs processes, as well as a student Olympiad, where teams competed on the depth of their knowledge in a multitude of areas of logistics.