Tomas van der Maarel is our Manager Business Development, responsible for PMC General Cargo. Having recently won the Young Port Talent 2023 award, Tomas was pleased to share his thoughts on the current market and the challenges he faces.
Tell us a little about PMC General Cargo, Tomas.
As the name suggests, this PMC is focused on global supply chains for ‘general cargo’. This mainly covers products for the retail sector, commodities such as wood, processing machinery and greenhouses. While having the broadest setup in terms of products among the Broekman PMCs, it has a very specific role in delivering global forwarding services like sea and airfreight together with our warehouses and terminals.
How has Covid impacted the business?
The pandemic is one of a number of factors having an effect on global supply chains. Covid changed the setup as companies no longer wish to be purely reliant on Asia. This is especially so in relation to Covid restrictions and the increasing number of cases. The focus for origin of goods is changing to India as well as eastern and southern Europe.
In addition, we are currently seeing a reduction in demand for global freight forwarding due to economic uncertainties and the increased stocks that companies built up during the pandemic. This creates further scarcity on the market for warehousing space and makes for some interesting times ahead.
How do you see 2023 panning out?
It is vital that we continue to maintain strong relationships with our current customers. At the same time, we will be staying on top of key developments such as digitisation and sustainability while seeking out potential new customers in our niche markets. Our knowledge of and experience in these areas allow us to provide a unique personal touch to our logistics services.
What is the biggest challenge?
The greatest current challenge is the prevailing economic uncertainty. There is also an overall shortage on the labour market that is impacting the logistics sector too. With this in mind we are continuously looking for new talent to join us.
The PMC General Cargo team is young, enthusiastic and collaborative so I’m really looking forward to working together internally. I’m also keen to build new relationships with our current and potential customers as we create further sustainable growth for Broekman Logistics together.
Are you curious about the possibilities? Then contact our professional Tomas van der Maarel.
