Congested roads, infrastructure deficiencies, poor rail transport, legal problems and high tax pressure are all shortcomings identified by Alejandro López, the intermodal logistics manager of the Hamburg Süd shipping line, in Argentina that prevent the company from operating efficiently there.
In an article for La Nacion, he cites the Port of Buenos Aires as an example: “It has [in place] a very complex system for the arrival of cargo, which makes it more expensive. If you want to enter ... by rail, there are regulations for schedules, ... and access problems for HGVs.” Conceding that some infrastructure upgrading work is ongoing, he noted that, “meanwhile, we have to survive”.
He pointed to the cost of doing business in Argentina as a major factor, too, calling upon the government to put clear rules in place. The tax take is too high, he stressed, while there is a requirement to over-staff terminals, which make them less competitive.
Buenos Aires, he says, “is not modern ... [and] has old technology”.
