ATLANTA — Epitomizing the global nature of the logistics business, one of the world’s leading logistics companies chose Day One of the 2013 Georgia Logistics Summit to announce it has teamed up with Savannah-based Coastal Logistics Group to focus on providing supply chain solutions with specific value-added services for clients in the Southeast.
The two companies have committed to work collaboratively, leveraging each one’s respective expertise and service offerings to deliver customized solutions and greater value for joint customers.
The alliance combines Kuehne+Nagel’s strong global freight forwarding and air, sea, road and contract logistics capabilities with CLG’s strength in production support, including sequencing, packaging and crating consulting, design and manufacturing and aftermarket parts support.
“Today, customers require solutions for managing increasingly complex logistics requirement,” said Juergen Gentzke, K+N Southeastern regional vice president. “This alliance will allow us to further meet specific requirements.
“We are very pleased to be working with the CLG team.”
Chad Barrow, president and CEO of Coastal Logistics, said the alliance is a win for both companies.
“We’re excited about partnering with Kuehne+Nagel to provide value-added services to both their clients and ours.”
Customers these days are demanding more and more from their supply chain, said John Balcombe, director of supply chain solutions for K+N.
“What we are doing here is marrying our global ocean and air freight capabilities to the intricate work Coastal Logistics does within the walls of its warehouses.
“It’s not just cargo in and cargo out — what they do is highly valued.”
And that, said Page Siplon, director of the Georgia Center of Excellence for Logistics and host of the Logistics Summit, is what logistics is all about.
“Kuehne+Nagel is the huge company and Coastal Logistics is the nimble piece. Together, they will make it all work better,” he said, adding that the alliance is “huge for our area, likely bringing in a lot of business through our port.”
All in the timing
The two successful companies couldn’t have chosen a better stage — or a more appreciative audience — for their announcement. The Georgia Logistics Summit is a success story in itself.
What began as a luncheon designed to help logistics companies connect with one another has grown exponentially into a “can’t miss” event for businesses to connect, compete and grow.
This year, the fifth annual summit has drawn more than 2,000 participants to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta for two days of discussions, networking and problem-solving.
As the only event of its size and scope in the country, the summit draws not only Georgian, but also participants from around the country and the globe.
At Tuesday’s opening session, representatives from nine countries discussed International Logistics: Partnerships and Possibilities before a standing-room only crowd.
That was followed by a keynote panel discussion with some of Georgia’s newly located and expanding companies, including Caterpillar, Enova Energy Group and Gulfstream Aerospace.
Gov. Nathan Deal will open today’s session. A morning panel that includes Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz will offer a transportation update, followed by concurrent sessions on the food, manufacturing and retail segments.
The luncheon keynote presentation will feature executive Richard Westenberger of Carter’s Inc. on the impact of multi-channel commerce on logistics and retail operations, followed by an “Ask the Experts” panel on trends in future supply chains.