Santiago, Chile: Maersk Container Industry (MCI) seeks to alleviate Latin America's peak season export bottlenecks with a new reefer container and reefer machine factory in San Antonio, Chile.
"We're investing in world trade, plus we are growing with our customers," says Soren Leth Johannsen, MCI's Chief Commercial Officer. The new factory, announced on 11 November, will help shipping lines and Latin American exporters of fresh produce, fish and meat bring their goods to the global market. "We will deliver our high-tech, energy-saving reefers in one of the most reefer-demanding regions in the world," says Soren Leth Johannsen. The current world trade imbalance means that tens of thousands of reefer containers each year are shipped empty to Western South America to be loaded with reefer cargo.
"The factory in Chile will benefit customers by reducing the number of empty reefers in their supply chains," Johannsen says.
The new production, to begin by the end of 2013, is embraced by Vice President John Pearson at TAL International, one of the largest leasing companies.
"At times TAL has positioned new reefer equipment to South America to cater to the large reefer export. Such expensive repositions will sooner or later become history with this initiative of MCI," Pearson says.
The new factory will make a difference for the whole trade in frozen and chilled goods out of South America's West Coast, according to Executive Vice President Bruce Brecheisen from Miami-based Seaboard Marine.
"With the significant reefer imbalance in this region MCI's factory will make it easier to position reefer containers close to where they are needed," Brecheisen says. Seaboard Marine ships 70,000 TEU reefers annually.
The reefer expansion in Chile is a strategic complement to MCI's existing reefer production in Qingdao, which is producing at full capacity in China's busiest reefer region.
"The factory in Chile is unfortunately not a 'quick fix' to resolve overnight the current strong demand. So we hope for understanding and patience from our customers whose demand we cannot completely fulfill at this point," says Soren Leth Johannsen.
Facts: MCI has 5,700 employees worldwide and is headquartered in Tinglev, Denmark, home of global sales and R&D. Production takes place at factories in Qingdao, Dongguan, and Huidong, China. Annual output: Reefer containers 41,000; reefer machines 37,000; dry containers 200,000 TEU.
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