Sanction pressure had a serious impact on cost and duration of cargo transportation. However, seemingly dead-end situation motivated business to look at it from a different angle and find solutions. New routes and technologies for cargo delivery were discussed on November 27 by participants of the round table «Integrated Logistics Solutions in the Context of Sanctions Restrictions», which was held as part of the XXVIII International Forum and Exhibition «Russian Industrialist» in the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre.

CEO of IFC COLOS LLP Aidar Zakarin underlined that now the logistics is in the transformation mode. Sanction restrictions have significantly reduced the availability of transport routes, which has had negative impact on costs, he continues. Difficulties with financial settlements also aggravate the situation.

«But despite challenges, companies find ways of adaptation to current realities. Restructuring of logistics chains through friendly countries and corridors is taking place. Sanctions are not only a period of difficult challenges, but also a period of opportunities. They stimulate innovative solutions which should be proposed to the clients. Companies capable of restructuring their processes will find new opportunities for growth and strengthening of market positions», – Aidar Zakarin believes.

Taking into account that European market is completely closed for Russian consumers, expert proposed returning to the route of the Silk Road proven for centuries. It goes through the Republic of Kazakhstan and is one of the most effective directions of cargo transportation, continues Aidar Zakarin.

«High-tech industries are located in China and the lion’s share of cargo traffic goes namely from this country to Russia», – he explained.

Anastasia Kholkina, FEA Office Partner in Novasmart SC, Head of Projects in Russian-Chinese Chamber continued topic of building relations with Chinese partners and issue of supplies from China in her speech. Anastasia shared practical experience and schemes of import supplies of equipment and components in 2024.

«China is advanced country where trends, which we can implement, are emerging. We have teams in China, the first of which is engaged in selecting analogues from the point of view of technical specifications, the second – in designing something that does not yet exist in the world», said Anastasia Kholkina.

One of the illustrative cases was setting up of production of goods in China according to Russian GOST, she notes. This became necessary because at that time there were no enterprises in Russia that could produce boiler pipes 20 meters long. As a result, specialists found the appropriate plant in China, built the entire production chain to guarantee the pipes’ compliance with technical specifications and Russian standards, set up a quality control system and certified the pipes with Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Oversight of Russia.

Vyacheslav Mozolevsky, Project Manager of Transsystem International LLC, spoke about the innovative logistics platform «Ship Easily», which was launched this year. The service allows shippers to automate the process of finding a carrier: once information about the cargo appears in the system, it becomes available to all transport companies within a radius of 300 km from the loading location. This makes it possible to provide transport earlier than others, at a reasonable rate and with transparent pricing, explained Vyacheslav Mozolevsky.

«Ship Easily» platform integrates a universal betting calculator with geodata for 180,000 populated areas and a comprehensive user verification system. The application can work without the Internet and all shipments are insured for provision of reliability. The service is used by 24 cargo owners and 204 transport companies with their own vehicles and drivers, said Vyacheslav Mozolevsky.

Pavel Trykov, Development Director of Severboat LLC, devoted his speech to the advantages of amphibious equipment. According to him, the Krasnoyarsk amphibious plant «Sever» produces airboats for year-round travel on water, snow, ice, marshland and hummocks. Their use allows delivering of people and cargo in hard-to-reach areas, searching and rescuing of people, and servicing of oil and gas fields, he listed.

«We are the only manufacturer with confirmed operating temperature of +45 to –50 °C in climatic chamber. But there are examples when search and rescue services worked on airboats at the cold pole at minus 60 degrees», Pavel Trykov underlined.

In addition, the Krasnoyarsk amphibious plant «Sever» produces snow and swamp-going vehicles for year-round operation in difficult natural and climatic conditions. Due to its increased cross-country capability, this equipment can be used in taiga, marshy areas, regions of the Far North, in the Arctic zone with winter roads and frozen rivers.