Duesseldorf, 7th December 2017 – XSTAFF AG and the Spanish logistics services provider Noatum Maritime Services S.L.U. have formed the joint venture XSTAFF Iberia S.L., with each company holding a 50 percent ownership interest. The joint venture agreement was signed on November 23 in Barcelona.
Bodo Knop, founder and managing director of XSTAFF, believes the joint venture will be a win-win situation for everyone involved: “In a sea-freight market that continues to face major challenges, this agreement is an important step toward a positive future for XSTAFF and its customers. It allows us to achieve a long-term expansion of what we provide through our beneficial cargo owner (BCO) platform and offer trading firms and associations a first-class network with comprehensive services, whether they are based in the Asian market or in the increasingly important Mediterranean region.”
From now on, customers and members of the purchasing network for commercial enterprises can make use of not just the existing connections between Europe and Asia but also the broad range of maritime, logistics and port services at over 50 locations throughout the entire Mediterranean region (France, Spain, Portugal and Turkey) and North Africa (Morocco and Algeria). At the same time, the complete services portfolio of XSTAFF is made available to the roughly 4,000 customers of the Spanish company, giving them the benefits of logistical one-stop shopping. The portfolio includes services in the fields of procurement support, legal advice, distribution logistics, supply chain event management, special logistics solutions, quality management, customs clearance and reverse logistics, rendered by over 50 network service providers in Europe and Asia.
The managing director of XSTAFF Iberia, which has an office in Barcelona in addition to its headquarters in Madrid, is Sergio Marmol de la Vega, who previously held the position of Managing Director – Head Asia Europe Trade at APL Europe. He has confidence in the project and the business idea behind it: “By bundling their volumes through the purchasing network, our customers strengthen their negotiating position and can therefore achieve better terms with the shipping companies. I’m certain that this strategy will prevail in our region too,” he says. That assessment is shared by Antonio Campoy, Executive Director of Noatum Maritime: “Our company is known for its excellent services and the extensive know-how of its approximately 1,100 employees. The joint venture is an outstanding platform for making these skills available to an even larger group of customers.”
About XSTAFF AG
XSTAFF AG was founded in October 2016 by the trading firms COOP Switzerland and the Belgian Colruyt Group as a central point of contact and coordination for a new international purchasing network. The company represents the interests of its clients by bundling the contractually committed transportation volumes of the network partners, conducting negotiations with the shipping companies in their behalf, and supporting the members of the network in the implementation of their supply chains. The organization comprises over 50 network service providers in Europe and Asia and operates a second joint venture based in Hong Kong called XSTAFF Asia Pacific Limited.
About Noatum Maritime
Since 1963, Noatum Maritime has been providing high-quality services for ship operators, air carriers, receivers and shipping agents across the entire Mediterranean region through its three divisions Noatum Maritime Services, Noatum Logistics and Noatum Terminals. The company has a first-rate network of offices in the principal ports of Spain, Portugal, France, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria and Chile and is now present in China and India as well through its subsidiaries. Noatum Maritime is known for its excellent services and specialized employees, which together have made the firm a recognized leader in the industry.