Tobacco Asia

46 tobaccoasia / Issue 4, 2018 September / October dures." In that regard, Andromeda is not restricting itself to any source and/ or destination countries. "We do not serve specific regions only, but provide our services worldwide," insists van Nueten. Filling a void: Krishnapatnam Port India, and especially the region between Guntur and Vijayawada in the south- ern state of Andra Pradesh with its fertile farmlands, is a major global tobacco producer and exporter. The leaf tobacco industry of Guntur alone accounts for approximately 12,000-15,000 40-foot freight containers of export vol- ume annually. What had been missing in the vicinity was a good port that could facilitate that trade, though. That changed in 2013 when the purpose- built Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal (KPCT) became operational. "Krishnapatnam is located about 250 kilometers from the Guntur-to-Vijay- awada trade belt and was therefore ideally suited to meet this need," recounts Vinita Venkatesh, the port facility's director. How dire that need really was becomes rather clear when looking at the ever increasing annual tobacco pass- through figures processed by the port (see table 1), 100% of which is exported to markets around the globe. Krishnapatnam handles a wide range of cargo types including tobacco, providing three general-purpose warehouses plus two container freight sta- tions facilities (CSF). Tobacco can be stored at any of these, meaning that the port is presently not actively promoting a concept of "tobacco-only" ware- housing, but the facility does accommodate tobacco for both short-term and long-term storage in shared warehouses. Nevertheless, Venkatesh "would consider" hiring out exclusive tobacco-only warehousing space and even con- template allowing tobacco companies to install processing machinery on site if she were approached. So far this apparently hasn't happened. "When a [tobacco] shipment is to be expected, an appropriate number of empty 40-foot contain- ers are dispatched by road from KPCT to the ex- porter's factory, where they are loaded before re- turning to the port," explains Venkatesh. The port provides fumigation of tobacco containers, too, if needed. "Containers are taken to [our] specialized fumigation area for treatment and subsequent cus- toms processing and – once declared pest-free – will then be moved to the export yard," Venkatesh elaborates. Tobacco crops, she adds, often also ar- rive from India's other major growing region, Kar- nataka, "which are processed in Guntur and then moved to KPCT, pending export procedures." All customs documentation is handled by port-based customs house agents (CHAs). "Each tobacco exporter appoints a CHA for their ship- ment through KPCT," Venkatesh says, adding that "the customs office's on-site location ensure easy and convenient processing." KPCT has been well planned, including being connected to an excellent road-and-rail network to facilitate the transportation of goods, a fact that makes the container port interesting for imports also. For instance, KPCT had a 25 kilometer-long four-lane road constructed connecting the port premises directly to the national highway. "That access road was of course built with foresight for the future to ensure the smooth in- and out-flow of cargo from and to KPCT without road traffic congestion," says Venkatesh. There are also regu- lar container train services commuting between KPCT and Bangalore, Nagpur, and Hyderabad. "We are a congestion-free port and container shipping lines arrive and sail as per their berth window agreements, being able to maintain their respective schedules," asserts Venkatesh. "KPCT functions around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year, without any holidays." And with its enormous land area both inside and the imme- diate vicinity surrounding the port facility proper, KPCT even "welcomes any industry that may have plans to set up facilities of their own, and we can offer them land on lease or for outright purchase." Dedem Mekatronik: the one-stop provider Moving on to Turkey, we next take a look at De- dem Mekatronik. Headquartered in Izmir, the com- pany was founded in 1995 and today also has rep- resentative offices in Dallas and Barcelona. Dedem Mekatronik is not leasing out tobacco warehousing space per se. Instead, the firm supports tobacco producers by designing, building, and implement- ing for them automated warehousing systems in factories or at remote storage locations. "We use state-of-the-art technologies like ASRS systems and automated guided vehicles [AGVs] to create fully- automated, self-contained raw material logistics op- erations," elaborates general manager Rasit Imrenci. Table 1: Warehouses and Container Freight Stations at Krishnapatnam Port *61,140 m2 when outdoor container storage space is included. **194,249 m2 when outdoor container storage space is included. Source: Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal Facility Name Units Floor Area per Unit Total Floor Area Rail Siding K Warehouse 1 10,000 m2 20,000 m2 Yes 2 5,000 m2 each MVR Warehouse 4 8,652 m2 each 34,608 m2 Yes SRK Warehouse 6 + 6 2,416 m2 each 28,992 m2 Yes Seabird CFS 1 9,000 m2 9,000 m2 * No Gateway 1 4,645.2 m2 (bonded) 13,935.5 m2 ** No Distriparks Ltd. CFS 1 9,290.3 m2 (domestic) (Dedem Mekatronik) (Dedem Mekatronik) Rasit Imrenci, general manager, Dedem Mekatronik A fully- automated AGV, perfect for pallet-centric logistics operations

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