Panalpina Brazil is VSB’s new logistics operator for all inbound cargo for its new plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil. VSB is a joint venture between French Vallourec and Japanese Sumitomo Metals Industries.
Apart from being responsible for 100% of inbound cargo, Panalpina is also in charge of track and trace of all cargo, and will manage national logistics with the aid of an in-site team. They have also been nominated as the preferred carrier for VSB, to carry out ocean charters for heavy sized cargoes.
Luis Guilherme Paschoal Andrade, Project Coordinator – Logistics, VSB, said: “Currently this project is one of three major and complex projects under way in Brazil with several suppliers in different countries. Therefore the partnership with a company with a global presence, experience in managing multiple operations and industries, special visibility and working on reducing costs for customers are vital factors in the choice of Panalpina that differed in these points. We expect the level of service is performed with significant financial gains for our operation.”
The joint venture has also begun on the construction of a new industrial plant, with an estimated investment of around $1.6 billion. The group, functioning under the brand of ‘VSB Vallourec & Sumitomo Tubos do Brasil’ plans to reach an output of 600,000 tons of steel pipes per annum targeted mainly at the petroleum industry.
Panalpina boasts of a network of 500 branches in over 80 countries worldwide and around 13,500 employees. One of the world’s best providers of forwarding and logistics services, Panalpina is well known for air and ocean freight shipments.
