"The Fact That The Penal Sanctions Applied To Vehicles With Turkish Plates Are Not Applied To Vehicles With Foreign Plates, Reduces Our Competitiveness"

Atom Logistics Turkey Sales and Marketing Director Hakan Gülümser,

 “NEW MARKETS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT WE NEED TO CONCENTRATE FOR SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS”

This time, we are asking our questions to Atom Logistics Turkey Sales and Marketing Director Hakan Gülümser. Gülümser talks to the readers of My Truck Magazine both about the problems of the sector and about the logistics activities of the company.

Noting that Atom Logistics, which has been providing logistics services since 2013, first set out as a forwarder in Izmir, Gülümser said that; "We started to buy our own vehicles at the end of 2014 and we have continued on our way by gradually developing our fleet in parallel with the increasing demand since then. Atom Logistics is a logistics company that provides services in both cities with its Istanbul structuring after its Izmir head office, and also has warehouses in both cities to meet all logistics needs, and maintains the logistics service quality it offers in our country, as well as abroad. We also have offices in Slovenia, Italy and Germany. With our strong road fleet, we started this journey by making partial and complete vehicle transportation especially to Germany and to Benelux, Austria and Switzerland. We expanded our service network. In Italy, Romania, Spain and Portugal, we carry out intensive and partial transports with our self-owned vehicles. In Slovenia, we provide services with our self-owned vehicles with foreign license plates.”

“We Invested Substantially in Intermodal Transportation”

Stating that the success they have achieved in road transport services has led to investments and projects in different transport modes, Gülümser said that; “At the point we have reached today, our company provides all of the intermodal, air, sea, fair and project transport services in addition to road transport. Despite being one of the newest departments, we have invested heavily in intermodal transportation together with the strategies we have determined and our corporate foresight, and we will continue to do so. Our success in intermodal transportation, which we achieved in a limited time period of 2021, made us make new equipment investment plans for 2022.”

“We Expect 50 New Vehicles To Join Our Fleet In November”

Stating that their self-owned vehicles and equipment also contributed to their success, Gülümser stated the details of their fleet as follows: “Currently, there are 550 self-owned trailers, 25 minivan/panelvan type vehicles, 50 units of 45 Swap-Body containers and 100 units of 45 HCPWs in our company fleet. This number is increasing day by day according to today's conditions and our needs. As the closest example, we expect 50 new vehicles to join our fleet in November.”

“We Must Integrate Digital Applications into Our Ways of Doing Business by Following Current Trends”

Expressing that the months spent with restrictions, prohibitions and measures once again show the importance of logistics activities, Gülümser said about logistics activities that; “While our industry has such an important mission, we have to be companies that offer fast, reliable and economical solutions. We must follow current trends and integrate digital applications into our ways of doing business, which we have reached success. In the difficult days we went through as a country, our company spent these difficult times by doing successful works with its foresight and strategies. We analyzed the processes very well and made smart investments for the needs. We completed the previous year with a growth of 75 percent, and this year we will exceed these rates.”

“The Fact That The Penal Sanctions Applied to Vehicles with Turkish Plates Are Not Applied to Vehicles with Foreign Plates, Reduces Our Competitiveness”

Emphasizing that Turkey has the infrastructure to take advantage of many opportunities due to its geopolitical position, Gülümser states that opportunities are more limited compared to other European countries due to insufficient compliance with EU legislation. Concerning the problems of the sector, Gülümser said: “The quotas, visa restrictions and customs document obligations applied to our country are high. Another threat is the war environments in our neighboring countries that abstain from other countries that want to trade through our country. For this reason, we have a structure that can be easily affected by any negativity due to the practices of our own country or neighboring countries and reflect this negativity to our commercial processes. The fact that the penal sanctions applied to vehicles with Turkish license plates are not applied to vehicles with foreign license plates reduces the competitiveness of Turkish transporters.”

“We Should Always Be Prepared for Possible Crises”

Stating that the most important issue to focus on for sustainable logistics is new markets, Gülümser said that; “International trade activities can change in a short time depending on instant developments. Therefore, we must always be prepared for possible crises. Although our country mainly focuses on the European and East Asian markets in its foreign trade activities, we should increase our investments and operations in these regions by taking into account the increasing demands especially from Africa and the Middle East.”

“Our Country Needs to Solve the Supply of Intermediate Products”

Gülümser emphasizes that Turkey has advantages in terms of its geographical location, logistics networks, supply chain and taking timely action in case of emergency. Finally, on the approach of foreign capital to Turkey, Gülümser said that; “Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the disruption and stopping of China's commercial and industrial initiatives has created new areas for many countries, including our country. With the disappearance of China in production, our country gained momentum and we were able to turn China's problems to our advantage. We have succeeded in expanding our production network, selling our production to foreign markets, and becoming a substitute product supplier. However, we know very well that in order for this situation to continue, our country needs to solve the supply of intermediate products. On the other hand, the fact that the railway line is suitable and active for uninterrupted transportation will become attractive for foreign investors with the completion of the railway connections of the ports.”