Ecuador: Exports as drivers of growth

The location of a. hartrodt's newest national subsidiary is program: In Ecuador, a. hartrodt has had an office in the spectacular Gaia Tower in Quito since 2018. Behind the dynamic facade, Shirley Secaira, Managing Director at a. hartrodt Ecuador, and her team of ten are pursuing growth plans at the end of the pandemic: "After initially focusing on imports, at the moment we are entering important export accounts." The focus, she says, is on frozen products, raw materials and finished products such as candies. For one year, there has been an export employee in Guayaquil, the most important port of the South American country.

60 percent import, 40 percent export

Secaira commends the carriers for supporting the freight forwarder's local development of exports, "especially in what concerns vessel space". Exports account for 40 percent of a. hartrodt Ecuador's business – especially toward the USA, Central America, Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK. Secaira names China, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA as the main tradelanes in imports. Also here, the volume is increasing, for example due to more machinery (parts).

Project logistics for the petroleum industry

The growth driver of a. hartrodt Ecuador's import business is project logistics for the petroleum industry. "We work with suppliers of huge plants," says Secaira. For one customer, for example, the freight forwarder handled the transport of a 30,000-kilowatt transformer for a refinery via the Pacific port of Manta. Experts from a. hartrodt first checked the cargo very thoroughly on board of the ship. Then, they supervised the unloading of all boxes and individual parts onto the customs yard until they were transported by flat-bed truck to their final destination. There are strict drug controls in the region – a. hartrodt has the corresponding BASC certification (Business Alliance for Secure Commerce).

Secaira sees the greatest growth potential in the export business. The engineer in foreign trade has sales experience from various international freight forwarding companies. In 2023, she wants to open a. hartrodt's own office in Guayaquil.