(Finance) – Synergies with operators and partners, sea-road-iron integration and the ten-year business plan supported by three billion in investments for freight transport. These are the topics discussed by Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics, during the interview on Radio 24’s Contianer programme. As part of the weekly in-depth analysis dedicated to transport and logistics, the CEO of the leader of the Logistics Hub of the FS Group reiterated the objective of “becoming a non-profit logistics player only in Italy, but also in Europe”. With the industrial plan 2022-2031 the Group – reports FS News, the information portal of FS Group – wants to double the share of rail freight traffic compared to 2019, improve existing terminals, create new ones and work from a system perspective on the entire supply chain to make this sector more competitive and reach European targets. One of the strategic assets of this project is the digitalisation of the supply chain, therefore, the Logistics Hub, led by Mercitalia Logistics, is focusing on strategic partnerships to expand its international presence.
Recently, the Group has made a significant step into the European market with theacquisition of the freight transport company Exploris, thus becoming the second largest rail freight transport operator in Germany. This new development has extended the presence of the logistics hub to 11 countries, significantly influencing Italian traffic flows and import-export.
“As a Logistics Hub we work to have a main role in a real shared revolution that will certainly make a fundamental contribution to the relaunch of freight traffic in Italy. It must mainly be a competitive relaunch, but also and above all sustainable. It is important that Mercitalia Logistics carries out a more central role as a system operator and therefore become a European player in integrated logistics”, he comments De Filippis.
The European context adds further impetus to this vision, with the political agreement reached between the Council and the European Parliament on new TEN-T regulation. This new orientation aims to build a reliable and high-quality rail, road and water transport network between 2030 and 2051, promoting sustainable connections across Europe. The FS Group wants to redefine the future of freight transport, with a commitment to innovation, sustainability and the creation of a integrated logistics network at European level. In fact, the company is actively expanding its network and entering into strategic partnerships to integrate rail, road and sea transportation.
“It’s fundamental – he underlines De Filippis – create partnerships and that each operator fully carries out their role. Furthermore, it is essential that there is an operator capable of integrating rail, road and sea. Precisely for this reason we are working hard to ensure that Mercitalia Logistics becomes a system operator and that the railway leads the country’s logistics. We are expanding our network and activating these new synergies. We also have a very important investment plan of around 3 billion, dedicated to the renewal of the fleet, because we must be ready when the infrastructure manager releases the major works of the PNRR, to the upgrading of existing terminals, to the creation of new terminals and to digitalisation”.