Trans Caspian Translogistica 2017: The spectacular world of transport and dynamics

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On April 28, the 16th Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition, TransCaspian / Translogistica 2017 ended at Baku Expo Centre. This year’s exhibition has gathered 88 companies from 14 countries worldwide. TransCaspian /Translogistica is accompanied by two exhibitions in the adjacent sectors: the 7th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition, Road&Traffic 2017 and the 4th Caspian International Boat and Yachts Show, CIBS 2017. The organizers of the exhibitions are Iteca Caspian and its partner ITE Group.

The exhibitions provided participants and visitors with a unique opportunity to meet with the leaders and experts of the state transport agencies of both Azerbaijan and the region, to get acquainted with the prospective infrastructure projects and, for interested parties, to enter into new business contacts. TransCaspian/Translogistica 2017 has managed to gather key state transport structures and commercial organizations engaged in the field of railway transport, marine industry, commercial transport, as well as transport and logistics services.

Focusing the attention of the international community on the development of transport infrastructure, both in Azerbaijan and on a regional scale, the exhibitors showcased the most important areas of their activities. The stands of the Azerbaijan Railways, the Baku International Sea Trade Port, the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company, the State Maritime Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ukrainian Railways “Ukrzaliznytsa”, CJSC “Astrakhan Sea Port”, Minsk Car Repair Plant and others stood out in a rich variety of presented projects.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramin Guluzadeh stressed that the leadership of the country pays much attention to the transport sector of Azerbaijan. Thanks to the widespread application of modern technologies, the transport infrastructure of Azerbaijan is continuously growing and developing. The annual holding of specialized exhibitions positively influences the strengthening of international relations and the growth of business activity. This statement met the support of major market players from Austria, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and others who placed their expositions at Baku Expo Centre. New companies accounted for 30% of the total number of participants.

Why is Azerbaijan attractive for most exhibitors? According to the exhibitors, our country is characterized by successful economic development; such large-scale transport projects as “North-South”, Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and “Baku-Tbilisi-Kars” are being actively implemented in Azerbaijan. These large-scale transformations contribute to the transformation of Azerbaijan into the main link between Europe and Asia. Therefore, it is so profitable and prestigious to annually take part in this trade event which emphasizes the role of Azerbaijan as a transport hub. TransCaspian / Translogistica is part of a series of specialized transport and logistics exhibitions organized by the British group of companies ITE Group plc, including TransRussia (Moscow), TransPoland (Warsaw), TransUzbekistan (Tashkent), TransUkraine (Kiev), TransitKazakhstan (Almaty), a series of BreakBulk exhibitions (Antwerp, Houston, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur) and others. The aspiration of serious entrepreneurs to partnership with Azerbaijan creates conditions for attracting large investments to the country. Such a significant event in the industrial sphere of the Caucasus region has consistently occupied one of the leading places in a number of international forums and promotes the development of the transport infrastructure of Azerbaijan.

But what are the main objectives of the foreign exhibitors? Potential partners count on stability and long-term business relations; they look to expanding their presence in the local market and cooperating in mutually beneficial projects. This was facilitated by a workshop organized by the organizers on April 27. The event, as a high-profile part of the business program, aroused the keen interest of businessmen from different countries. It was attended by local companies, exhibition visitors and exhibitors, and B2B meetings ensured multilateral negotiations with key visitors.

The Transport and Logistics sector provided cargo owners with optimal ways of transporting goods by rail and sea. The Marine Industry sector provided models of multifunctional rescue vessels, boats and multi-purpose speed boats, as well as services for design, modernisation and re-equipment of sea and river vehicles, engineering support for conversion and turnkey construction of pontoons, berths and marine yachts. The traditional Railway Infrastructure and Rolling Stock sector shows models of locomotives and wagons, services for repair and production of railway transport, products of auto-driving, fuel consumption registration and automatic start-function of diesel engines in locomotives and technological equipment for diagnostics also is demonstrated.

Specialized exhibition CIBS 2017 united manufacturers and distributors of boats, yachts, various types of marine equipment, yacht clubs, water sports, sea transport. Among the exhibitors of this year were Laky Verf (Russia), Nevsky Shipbuilding and Ship repair Plant (Russia), CJSC RIF (Russia), Yachting 2000 (Austria).

Specialized exhibition Road&Traffic demonstrated the latest achievements in the field of designing and building roads, bridges and tunnels, introducing modern information technologies in the management of traffic, the creation of conditions for meetings between manufacturers and operators of public transport, as well as the development of ways to address road safety issues.

The exhibition created ideal conditions for meeting with managers and experts of the leading road construction companies of the region, and is traditionally showcasing industry innovations, among which were Urban and Cordoba products for road lighting, in addition to Novoplast-primer. This year the Baku Transport Agency participated at the exhibition for the first time.