The World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA) met at the Mexico "Point WTC Guadalajara 2022: Logistics Challenges in Latin America/WTCA Latin America Regional Meeting" last month to discuss the hardships threatening the logistics operations in the Americas, according to a press release.
"There is a revolution in the world of e-commerce that has no limit. It is a situation that all companies must take advantage of, but especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the largest generators of employment in Latin America. There is a golden opportunity for them to enter international markets and being a part of the WTCA can open many doors," Carlos Ronderos, regional director-Latin America at the WTCA, said.
During the presentation, Latin American WTCA members showcased their developments and business models, introduced new topics around free trade agreements and the financing of WTC-branded projects. A total of 30 WTCA member representatives from 25 Latin American WTC locations attended.
“Panel discussions focused on topics such as challenges in the post-COVID era for maritime and air cargo industries, logistics challenges deriving from cross-border e-commerce, how to rebuild disrupted global supply chains and the opportunities for U.S. and Latin American companies with nearshoring as an option to reconfigure Global Value Chains (GVCs),” a recent press release states.
The speakers at the event were Jorge Acevedo, president and CEO of WTC Nuevo Laredo and WTC Guanajuato; Jimmy Avendaño, fulfillment officer at Amazon-USA; Luis Avilés, senior executive at the Air Service Development Houston Airport System; Jaime Granados, head of Trade and Investment Division of the Integration and Trade Sector of the Inter-American Development Bank; Federico Lepe, general manager at WTC Guadalajara; Jorge Morones, CEO of WeCargo Technologies; Edgar Patiño, former chairman of the Peruvian National Port Authority; Michelle Porrino, executive director at WTC San Luis Potosí; Yiovan Reynoso, director of the Logistics Committee at Index Guanajuato, among various others.
During the event, Granados said, "Cross-border e-commerce in Latin America grew by 40% from 2020 to 2021. However, this growth is low compared to other regions worldwide, which demonstrates that the region still has great opportunities to continue promoting its growth in the international market, including nearshoring."
The event follows a recent Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) the WTCA signed with the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) as it looks to facilitate global trade by collectively using ITA's and the WTCA's global networks.
“This partnership will help further drive corporate investment and trade opportunities for U.S. companies seeking to increase exports and imports,” a recent press release states.
"The WTCA, along with WTC Guadalajara, is proud to have hosted leaders from Latin America for an insightful exchange of ideas that will benefit businesses in the Americas," said Robin van Puyenbroeck, WTCA executive director-business development, who also moderated a discussion on logistics with WTC businesses serving as first-class logistical hubs. "This seminar furthered the WTCA's goal to help local economies across the globe and greatly amplified our WTC brand value proposition in the world of logistics."