Militzer & Münch Romania: Upswing and Optimism Despite Uncertain Times

Militzer & Münch Romania: Upswing and Optimism Despite Uncertain Times

Militzer & Münch has been present on the Romanian logistics market for almost 20 years with its own country unit. The focus is on imports and exports within Europe, with customers mainly from the industrial goods and clothing sectors. Despite current uncertainty factors, the subsidiary not only proves to be stable, but it can even report growth.

At the Romanian subsidiary, all signs point to expansion. And this although market conditions are currently rather challenging. The ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine, the energy crisis, and high inflation are creating uncertainty on the market and hardly allow any forecasts.

Teamwork to defy challenges

According to Managing Director Valentin Dragu, the fact that Militzer & Münch Romania is nevertheless so well positioned on the market is mainly due to the high degree of motivation and hard work of his team. “The logistics industry is very dynamic; you have to act flexibly and to be able to react to current market changes. I am very proud to say that we accomplish this even in difficult phases. As a medium-sized transport service provider, we are holding our own very well against the competition, and we are therefore generally optimistic about the future,” he says.

New location, new employees: for the roughly 30 employees of Militzer & Münch Romania, a move was due last fall; the M&M Romania team relocated to new, modern premises in downtown Bucharest. “Our current team members are happy with the new offices and the location’s very good transport connections, but hopefully also new team members in the future will appreciate this, as we are currently looking for reinforcement”, says Valentin Dragu.

Upswing in road and sea transport

So far this year, the current geopolitical and economic situation has had hardly any impact on Militzer & Münch Romania’s activities and results. The country unit recorded a slight decline in project business, though, the volume of road transports, however, increased, and in the sea freight sector, an upswing is noticeable, too.

Nevertheless, Valentin Dragu plans to focus Militzer & Münch Romania on transports that have proven successful for his company: “We expect trade within Europe to intensify next year, which will open up many opportunities for us. Therefore, we are now working on further expanding our transport business and trade relations in this direction – and hopefully soon with the vigorous support of new team members!”

Militzer & Münch Eichenzell: the gateway to the Maghreb

Most of the overland transports from the Militzer & Münch branch office in Eichenzell in Eastern Hesse are bound for one or more of the Maghreb countries. This makes Eichenzell one of the most important hubs for transports to Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

The small township near Fulda and Frankfurt is home to the German Militzer & Münch hub for the Maghreb – and it is continuously developing. Over the last few years, the branch has experienced steady and healthy growth. “We have a clear picture of the direction we want to take in the future,” says branch manager Julian Backenstoß. “We are receiving very positive feedback from our customers for our consistently good service. As a result, we’ve been able to expand our business and also increase our staff.” Close to twenty colleagues are now attending to the needs of customers. The attached warehousing area covers around 4,500 square meters.

Consolidated freight destined for North Africa
On average, eight to ten containers leave Eichenzell every week in a southerly direction to begin their journey to North Africa: four to five semitrailers per week head to Morocco via Algeciras in Spain. Another four to five round trips per week go to Tunisia via Marseille and Genoa. The focus is on consolidated freight.
The trucks need about six to seven days to make the journey to Algeria. Multimodal shipments are completed within nine to ten days. “If time is of the essence, customers prefer the pre-carriage by truck to Marseille. If transit time is not an issue, the combination with rail is a popular choice, also because it is cheaper. The customer can save a few hundred euros and at the same time do something for the environment,” explains Lilli Macholdt, Deputy Branch Manager and Trade Lane Manager Maghreb.

More than just the Maghreb
“We have a lot of experience in organizing and carrying out transports to the Maghreb countries,” explains Julian Backenstoß. “That’s why we keep expanding our activities and recently opened a branch office in Augsburg. There, under the management of Fourat Chetoui, Trade Lane Manager Maghreb, we are currently focusing on the direct freight business to and from the Maghreb. However, we also offer overland transports to many other destinations, of course.” In addition to transports to North Africa, Militzer & Münch also handles groupage transports to Azerbaijan via Eichenzell, as well as transports to Eastern and Western Europe. Moreover, the Eichenzell branch office has been the official CargoLine Germany depot for more than ten years, acting as a hub for classic groupage pre- and on-carriage to and from Europe or within Germany.”

Militzer & Münch Romania: Upswing and Optimism Despite Uncertain Times

Militzer & Münch Romania: Upswing and Optimism Despite Uncertain Times

Militzer & Münch has been present on the Romanian logistics market for almost 20 years with its own country unit. The focus is on imports and exports within Europe, with customers mainly from the industrial goods and clothing sectors. Despite current uncertainty factors, the subsidiary not only proves to be stable, but it can even report growth.

At the Romanian subsidiary, all signs point to expansion. And this although market conditions are currently rather challenging. The ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine, the energy crisis, and high inflation are creating uncertainty on the market and hardly allow any forecasts.

Teamwork to defy challenges

According to Managing Director Valentin Dragu, the fact that Militzer & Münch Romania is nevertheless so well positioned on the market is mainly due to the high degree of motivation and hard work of his team. “The logistics industry is very dynamic; you have to act flexibly and to be able to react to current market changes. I am very proud to say that we accomplish this even in difficult phases. As a medium-sized transport service provider, we are holding our own very well against the competition, and we are therefore generally optimistic about the future,” he says.

New location, new employees: for the roughly 30 employees of Militzer & Münch Romania, a move was due last fall; the M&M Romania team relocated to new, modern premises in downtown Bucharest. “Our current team members are happy with the new offices and the location’s very good transport connections, but hopefully also new team members in the future will appreciate this, as we are currently looking for reinforcement”, says Valentin Dragu.

Upswing in road and sea transport

So far this year, the current geopolitical and economic situation has had hardly any impact on Militzer & Münch Romania’s activities and results. The country unit recorded a slight decline in project business, though, the volume of road transports, however, increased, and in the sea freight sector, an upswing is noticeable, too.

Nevertheless, Valentin Dragu plans to focus Militzer & Münch Romania on transports that have proven successful for his company: “We expect trade within Europe to intensify next year, which will open up many opportunities for us. Therefore, we are now working on further expanding our transport business and trade relations in this direction – and hopefully soon with the vigorous support of new team members!”

At M&M Serbia: a regional perspective

Dobanovci, Serbia. “Our goal is the region, and with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro as our first step, we have embarked on our strategic expansion course,” says M&M Serbia’s Executive Director Nikola Vasiljevic. “Plans are to extend our brand to other neighboring countries.”

M&M Bosnia-Herzegovina and M&M Montenegro were both founded in the summer of 2021. “Bosnia Herzegovina is a growing market with significant potential. Montenegro is the smaller market, but not less important to the M&M Serbia network,” says Nikola Vasiljevic, who heads the new country units. At this time, both M&M Bosnia Herzegovina and M&M Montenegro have a staff of three; road transportation is the main business, but warehousing and customs clearance are offered, too.  The first full business year is behind the two companies, and we wanted to know how they developed.

Challenges and lessons

“For both markets, the past two years were quite challenging for and highly unpredictable, but despite the challenges, we were able to adapt and contribute to the growth of the local logistics and transportation markets,” says Nikola Vasiljevic, who heads the two new units. “Our unique and personalized approach to each client has allowed us to assess the market and our capacities accurately, elevating service to a new level and finding the best solution for every inquiry. Most of the clients we work with in Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are clients with whom we have had long-standing partnerships in Serbia. The focus is on import.”

“Were there any positive or negative surprises in the development of either company,” we ask.

“For a large corporation like ours, surprises, both positive and negative, are an integral part of business. The expertise of our staff is extremely important, as well as their approach to any particular situation. On a daily basis, we face challenges and strive to extract the maximum benefit from them. To us, negative situations are lessons that we can leverage as advantages in the future.”

To Tashkent via the Chang’an Express

Beijing, June 13, 2023. Xi’an is not only the starting point of the ancient Silk Road on the east end, but also an important gateway for international trade. Meanwhile, Central Asia, as the pioneer of the Belt and Road Initiative, serves as a benchmark for interconnected international trade. Central Asia Railway expands Xi’an’s external communication and trade by creating new opportunities.

On May 30th, 50 TEU with ZTE telecommunications equipment left Xi’an International Port onboard the Chang’an Express for Tashkent, the largest city in Central Asia

M&M China serves as the logistics service provider for this ZTE Central Asia specialized freight train.

The advantages of the Chang’an Express

The Chang’an Express, a new China-Europe connection. The train goes via the Khorgos Dry Port in Xinjiang and covers the total distance of 4,667 kilometers to Tashkent in ten days. This marks the first time that Xi’an International Port has collaborated with ZTE Corporation to launch a full train of goods to Central Asia.

“The reason we chose the China-Europe Chang’an Express is because it offers multiple routes, excellent services, and stable timeliness, which provide strong guarantees for the timely delivery of our clients’ goods. In the future, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation with Xi’an International Port Free Trade Zone and contribute to the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Elyar Sherkati, the Managing Director of M&M China, during an interview.

Militzer & Münch Eichenzell: the gateway to the Maghreb

Most of the overland transports from the Militzer & Münch branch office in Eichenzell in Eastern Hesse are bound for one or more of the Maghreb countries. This makes Eichenzell one of the most important hubs for transports to Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

The small township near Fulda and Frankfurt is home to the German Militzer & Münch hub for the Maghreb – and it is continuously developing. Over the last few years, the branch has experienced steady and healthy growth. “We have a clear picture of the direction we want to take in the future,” says branch manager Julian Backenstoß. “We are receiving very positive feedback from our customers for our consistently good service. As a result, we’ve been able to expand our business and also increase our staff.” Close to twenty colleagues are now attending to the needs of customers. The attached warehousing area covers around 4,500 square meters.

Consolidated freight destined for North Africa
On average, eight to ten containers leave Eichenzell every week in a southerly direction to begin their journey to North Africa: four to five semitrailers per week head to Morocco via Algeciras in Spain. Another four to five round trips per week go to Tunisia via Marseille and Genoa. The focus is on consolidated freight.
The trucks need about six to seven days to make the journey to Algeria. Multimodal shipments are completed within nine to ten days. “If time is of the essence, customers prefer the pre-carriage by truck to Marseille. If transit time is not an issue, the combination with rail is a popular choice, also because it is cheaper. The customer can save a few hundred euros and at the same time do something for the environment,” explains Lilli Macholdt, Deputy Branch Manager and Trade Lane Manager Maghreb.

More than just the Maghreb
“We have a lot of experience in organizing and carrying out transports to the Maghreb countries,” explains Julian Backenstoß. “That’s why we keep expanding our activities and recently opened a branch office in Augsburg. There, under the management of Fourat Chetoui, Trade Lane Manager Maghreb, we are currently focusing on the direct freight business to and from the Maghreb. However, we also offer overland transports to many other destinations, of course.” In addition to transports to North Africa, Militzer & Münch also handles groupage transports to Azerbaijan via Eichenzell, as well as transports to Eastern and Western Europe. Moreover, the Eichenzell branch office has been the official CargoLine Germany depot for more than ten years, acting as a hub for classic groupage pre- and on-carriage to and from Europe or within Germany.”