The president of Palos Garza Group, a company dedicated to intermodal logistics in Laredo, provided his perspective on different issues that concern the foreign trade community during an event at Texas A&M International University last week.
Mario Palos Garza highlighted the historical fact that helped Laredo become an important commercial port that has led it to be the first commercial port in the United States.
Mario Palos Garza, CEO of the Palos Garza Group.
“Our city has been very blessed commercially since 1881 when the railroad arrived in this region, which marked Laredo as the backbone of merchandise transit between Mexico and the United States,” he said.
Palos Garza also expressed his opinion on the volume of cargo handled in Laredo, the interruption of the supply chain due to the pandemic, the boost given to Puente Colombia and the construction of Bridge 4/5.
Logistics
Palos Garza said that the volume of cargo handled in Laredo is “highly desired and coveted.” He credits the state of Nuevo León, through its bridge, to help ease that burden.
“Conservatively, I think that around 16,000 trucks cross the World Trade Bridge,” he said. “The Mexican state of Coahuila is also contemplating the possibility of taking cargo to its bridges.”
He added that different countries have their global schemes with their own industry niches to strengthen.
“It is up to us to strengthen Canada, Mexico and the United States,” he said.
Supply chains
Palos Garza said that the pandemic disrupted the supply chain and that caused a global problem.
“I think we have to adapt to new technologies and, in this case, to the new engines,” he said. “Definitely one possibility is the issue of evaluating electric trucks, as it would mean significant diesel savings, quantified in thousands and thousands of dollars.”
He added that this does not mean that there is no an implicit cost, but that other factors would have to be considered.
“You have to assess how far a truck can travel on electricity alone, how long it needs to be stopped to recharge and whether the conditions are there to recharge,” he said. “In the end, we are all attentive to this new modality that is already here to stay."
The government of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon has been implementing actions to improve Puente Colombia's trade operation such as going from two to seven lanes with two exclusive lanes: one for cold perishables and another for TESLA and its suppliers.
Columbia Bridge
Palos Garza believes that Nuevo Leon has taken the right path to promote a bridge that has not been used to its full capacity.
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