ZAMMLER GROUP’s Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Kyryliuk took part in the international conference Europe-Poland-Ukraine Cooperate Together’24 held on May 23 in Kyiv.
The event gathered more than 160 participants, including entrepreneurs from Poland and Ukraine, representatives of ministries, non-governmental organizations, business communities, and experts.
Oleksandr Kyryliuk spoke at the panel discussion “Transport and Logistics in the Context of War in Ukraine: Current Situation, Challenges and Prospects”.
He emphasized that during the full-scale war, export-import operations with the EU increased. In particular, this was facilitated by transport visa-free travel, customs visa-free travel, and solidarity routes.
Today, 60% of Ukraine’s transit, exports, and imports by land pass through Poland, and the Polish market has become one of the largest among Ukraine’s neighbors and partners.
“Ukraine’s dependence on Poland has increased. It’s not just about land logistics. Due to the military operations and the closure of the airspace, Ukraine also actively uses Polish ports and airports. Polish infrastructure is best suited for export operations of Ukrainian businesses. However, this dependence can and should be developed and invested in. For example, to deepen cooperation in raw material processing, technology exchange, and development of logistics routes,” Oleksandr Kyryliuk said.
After the border restrictions, it has become more difficult to encourage Ukrainian businesses to focus on exports to Poland, but it is important. After all, Ukrainian goods are a strong global brand and this opportunity should not be lost.
Other problems include the lack of logistics infrastructure that needs to be developed in the western regions of Ukraine. Currently, 70% of logistics centers are located in Kyiv region.
There is also an acute problem of financing and lending, and further development of the logistics sector depends on this. It will also depend on the speed of Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Comparing the work of ZAMMLER GROUP’s representative offices in Poland and Ukraine, Kyryliuk noted that the Polish logistics market is more competitive. However, this competition encourages companies to use new technologies.
“We have seen how automation affects the company’s competitiveness, given the large number of players in the market. This competition encourages the use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence. The shortage of personnel also encourages companies to develop and automate processes,” emphasized ZAMMLER‘s COO.
Mr. Kirilyuk summarized his speech by saying that further, deeper mutual integration of the Ukrainian and Polish logistics markets is inevitable. Ukraine and Poland may face challenges ahead, but they must overcome them together.
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