A new cluster for Ecuador is presented. It is about logistics, which is added to the three that were presented from January to February this year, that of the plastic industry, that of the digital transformation and that of the forestry industry, which are part of the 20 cluster initiatives that are part of the Ecuador Compita strategy, led by the Ministry of Production, Foreign trade, investment and fisheries.

In 2022, that state portfolio delegated the management of the logistics cluster to the Logistics Association of Ecuador (Asolog), and during the event held this Wednesday, May 3, at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Espol), representatives of this entity, from the public sector and other institutions involved they presented the progress and the process they will implement in order to fulfill the set goals.

Three clusters have already been launched in 2023: the one for the forestry industry, plastics and the digital transformation of Guayaquil

Carlos Burgos, President of Asologo, stated that the logistics sector is of great importance in the country’s economy. He said that after the pandemic, it is possible to recover from 5.5 percent to almost 7 percent growth in the sector.

“It is a sector that has grown over time, logistics is a transversal activity, we are in all industries,” explained Burgos, who stated that the sector currently sells 10,000 million dollars, which represents almost 19% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

During the presentation of the logistics cluster, Carlos Monsalve, rector (e) of Espola; and María Constanza Ramírez, Cluster Development Director.

Meanwhile, Burgos mentioned the sector’s challenges in the country, security, traceability, infrastructure, technology and sustainability.

Two strategic projects have been defined for the logistics cluster: National Logistics Research and Roadmap. With the first, according to Burgos, we want to find out what Ecuador is like in terms of logistics, in terms of costs, infrastructure, users and providers of logistics services, what are the offers and demands and the opportunities that should be used as a sector towards the future.

Meanwhile, they are trying to update the logistics plan for the other. He said the latest version available is from 2019 with data from 2017. “It is important for us to be able to update this study together with multilateral organizations like CAF, which runs this type of project to leave a general framework of where the country needs to go in terms of logistics”, he pointed out.

for his part, Alfonso Abdo, Deputy Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisherieshe said that this cluster will have three strategic axes: logistics in numbers, competitive integration of the industry and digitization and innovation of the logistics chain.

“Based on the application of these tender funds, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries has allocated $80,000 for this first logistics cluster project (National Logistics Survey),” said Abdo.

Fernando Rojas, CEO of Asologi, referred to the agenda of the logistics cluster in 2023. He said that the configuration of the National Logistics Survey has been being worked on since January, and it is expected that the filling process will begin in the middle or end of this month, and that the results will be presented between October and November. He indicated that the selected application came precisely from the technological cluster that will be Ecuadorian.

He also announced various events that will take place throughout the year. SUMAT Expo is scheduled for July 4 and 5 in Quito; from August 2 to 4 Pan American Logistics and Transportation Congress; On October 6, celebration of Logistics Day; and, in November, the Logistics Excellence Awards.

Carolina Salamanca, director of Imetrica, the company that will be in charge of the research, indicated that it will focus on companies that use logistics services, logistics service providers and companies that support logistics services.

Salamanca argued that it was important for companies to cooperate with the research, because according to the World Bank (WB) report on competitiveness and logistics performance for 2023, Ecuador was not on the list and that this was for a reason. “Last week we had the opportunity to speak with the World Bank and ask firsthand why Ecuador did not appear in this measurement, it appeared every two years, since 2016, 2018 and 2023 it did not appear? The reason why Ecuador does not appear is that there were not enough responses from the companies that filled in the data,” he said.

He noted that Ecuador last appeared on the WB list in 2018, ranked 62 out of 131 with a rating of 2.88 out of 5.

“We need the support and cooperation of businessmen to give us data, if we don’t have it, we won’t know how we are doing. The companies that share information with us through the National Logistics Survey will have security, a guarantee of confidentiality of data and information, we will never reveal names, it will simply be numerical and statistical data that will allow us to mark that roadmap”, he assured.

The deputy minister also highlighted multiple opportunities with the logistics cluster: presence of strategic partners, creation and attraction of investments, creation of an innovative digital platform, sharing of knowledge and processes, socioeconomic growth of the sector and strengthening of human talents.