GEFCO opens Bulgarian subsidiary
French GEFCO Group is strengthening its presence in Central and Eastern Europe with a new subsidiary in Sofia, Bulgaria. Due to its geographical location, Bulgaria acts as a gateway between Western Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, facilitating automotive logistics flows in Europe. GEFCO Bulgaria will be led by Aleksander Raczynski, the Group press release said.
GEFCO brings its expertise in automotive logistics to Bulgaria Founded in 2011, GEFCO Bulgaria has already been delivering a broad range of services, including those within the field of automotive logistics.
The subsidiary quickly opened an automotive centre in Lozen, southeast of Sofia, where vehicles are grouped together before being distributed.
The subsidiary signed its first contract with Sofia France Auto (SFA), Peugeot's official importer in Bulgaria. GEFCO Bulgaria is the exclusive logistics partner for the distribution of vehicles managed by SFA on the domestic market.
The subsidiary's customers also include Citroën, Volkswagen and General Motors. Eventually, GEFCO Bulgaria plans to develop its Overseas activities, including maritime connections between Bulgaria and the Middle and Far East. Strategic crossroads and an essential international hub in GEFCO's network The Bulgarian subsidiary started operating new flows from Europe in January 2012, in particular from Marckolsheim and Blyes in France, from Kolin in the Czech Republic, from Trnava in Slovakia, Atessa in Italy and Izmit in Turkey.
"Located between the Romanian and Turkish subsidiaries, GEFCO Bulgaria facilitates close cooperation between these countries and promotes commercial traffic heading towards Europe", explains Aleksander Raczynski.
GEFCO covers 15 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. An agreement with 4 universities in Sofia to accompany its development GEFCO Bulgaria is developing partnerships with the Economics departments of 4 universities in Sofia (University of World and National Economy, Technical University, Sofia University, and New Bulgarian University). GEFCO Bulgaria welcomes and trains student interns in logistics professions.
A strong emphasis on the development of services for industry At the beginning of April, GEFCO Bulgaria and GEFCO Germany jointly launched a new groupage line between Sofia and Stuttgart. A leading chemical company, already a client of the Germany subsidiary, is the first to benefit from this new weekly link. It takes 4 days to transport the products and 24 hours to distribute them on the national market. This controlled temperature transportation strictly adheres to the demands of the European agreement concerning the international transportation of dangerous goods by road.
"In Bulgaria, the transport and logistics market is very healthy and has a strong potential for growth,” indicates Aleksander Raczynski. "We plan to quickly expand our activities and our customer portfolio by offering our logistics expertise to the electronics, consumer goods and industrial equipment sectors. We also intend to strengthen our ties with small hauliers in Bulgaria, thereby contributing to local growth."
An agreement with 4 universities in Sofia to accompany its development GEFCO Bulgaria is developing partnerships with the Economics departments of 4 universities in Sofia (University of World and National Economy, Technical University, Sofia University, and New Bulgarian University). GEFCO Bulgaria welcomes and trains student interns in logistics professions.
GEFCO Bulgaria has a workforce of 14 employees who have already acquired extensive experience in the GEFCO Group. The subsidiary's managing director, Aleksander Raczynski, has been working in the logistics sector for more than 10 years. He joined GEFCO Russia in 2005 and has headed the joint venture between GEFCO and Algaï Automotive Logistics in Moscow since 2007.