Duisburg is the logistics hotspot of Europe – and Seacon is right at the heart

Seacon Logistics’ office and customs warehouse are located right in the heart of the Port of Duisburg, just next to the new inland terminal. Logistics chain managers will have even more opportunities here in future. This is not only because Duisburg is home to one of the largest inland ports in Europe, but also because a large container terminal is being built here, transforming Duisburg into the logistics hotspot of Europe. So what does this mean for Duisburg and Seacon?

Duisburg’s rapid rise
The Port of Duisburg is even more important today than it was in the beginning. The history of Duisburg, which can be traced back to 883 AD, is primarily centred around the fact that many raw materials, including coal, were found here, giving rise to a thriving steel and iron production industry. Duisburg grew dramatically as a result. This was also the case in the 1950s and 1960s, when Duisburg was responsible for half of the country’s output and was a major driver of Germany’s development.

Steel and iron production in major decline
Due to development, globalisation and modernisation, steel production and mining has lost its significance. Mining in the region has ceased and all mineshafts have been closed. This was of course a hard blow for the site and the city of Duisburg. Duisburg was once a major commercial location for steel and iron production, but this has also decreased over time. Lots of steel and iron is still produced here but many jobs have been cut due to modernisation and Duisburg has dropped off the radar a little. 

Duisburg: the gateway to the world
Luckily, times are changing once again and Duisburg is experiencing a renaissance. The port and its extensive development have created an important economic centre and logistics hotspot. This offers Duisburg much more potential for growth. Duisburg is known to some as the largest inland port in the world. The River Ruhr flows into the Rhine in Duisburg, and the many port facilities make it a particularly attractive location. This makes Duisburg the “Gateway to the World”. 

Ideal conditions for logistics
Work on the new terminal, which is currently being built and hopefully will be opened next year, started several years ago. Once finished, it will contribute to the development of the site even further. There are plans for around 25,000 trains to be dispatched from here each year. There is an extensive rail network with 200 kilometres of track at the Port of Duisburg. These are ideal conditions for logistics. 

Focusing on our own strengths
The port’s capacity is 100 times greater than that of Venlo and as such, the Seacon office in Duisburg can focus on its own strengths. Here at Seacon, we are all about being close to our customers. We consciously seek out contact with them. We strive to work together with our customers to optimise their logistics solutions, build an intelligent transport supply chain and organise all aspects as quickly and as effectively as possible. We draw on all our expertise and our passion to do this. 

A wide range of services
Seacon works with logistics companies and the manufacturing industry, where proximity is vital. This of course makes Duisburg the ideal starting point for organising transport. Seacon enjoys a fantastic location in the heart of the port, close to the container terminal. By way of example, this means that we can serve our customers very quickly and that containers can be swiftly removed, unloaded and loaded. This allows Seacon to offer a wide range of logistics services.

An area of interest: the Belt and Road Initiative
The Duisburg terminal is more or less on Seacon’s doorstep. All customs services can be promptly performed here. This makes Duisburg very attractive for Seacon. Its development is also of great interest, in part due to the Belt and Road Initiative. As part of a business development management initiative, work is being done to expand the route, to acquire more customers and to optimise this product. However, the development of the route has unfortunately come to a halt at the moment due to the ongoing political situation. But logistics can’t be stopped forever. Either new routes will be found or the world will come back to its senses and we will be able to work together again and take advantage of the all the opportunities available to us.

Goals for the coming year and beyond
Despite the uncertain situation, we have fixed some goals for the coming year. Of course, we’d like to continue to raise our company’s profile. The long-term strategy for Seacon in Duisburg depends on achieving more with a vision over the next ten years. We have to think about how globalisation will develop. Will we experience deglobalisation instead? Considering the current geopolitical situation, you have to ask yourself: is China really still the market of the future, or will markets move to other regions of the world? Will production return to Europe or will it move to India, or even perhaps Africa or South America? One of our main objectives is to work out the answers to these questions and find the right place for Seacon. 

Greater investments in IT
This will of course involve opening up to the realities of the digital world, investing more in IT and optimising processes, in order to optimise supply chains, too. We want to position ourselves for success – not just in Duisburg, but all over the world. This is our goal for the years to come.