A contribution by Lilli Macholdt, Julian Backenstoß and Geronimo Krebel
Eichenzell. When it comes to the Maghreb, both M&M Marseille and the German Road competence center in Eichenzell are pivotal. The cooperation goes hand in hand, especially with regard to transports to and from Tunisia and Algeria; it is essential and indispensable.
The M&M Marseille office is located in the municipality of Vitrolles in the immediate vicinity of the freight port and airport. With a monthly throughput of over 400 containers to the Maghreb, M&M sets a high benchmark. Every week, M&M Eichenzell loads an average of four to six groupage trailers to Tunisia, which leave the European Union via the ferry in Marseille. The colleagues in France then take care of customs clearance, ferry bookings and coordination with the shipping company, among other things.
30 containers a week
M&M Vitrolles plays a central role in transports to Algeria by acting as a hub for all shipments. The containers are also stowed on site before being shipped to Algeria at an average rate of around 30 containers per week. In 2023, Germany contributed 273 shipments and 1,971,700.00 kg.
As part of this cooperation, the valuable exchange of coordination and information took place on February 22, 2024 on site in Vitrolles, initiated by Julian Backenstoss, Lilli Macholdt and team leader of the German Maghreb team Geronimo Krebel. The agenda included topics such as operational processing, customs details, information flow within the two branches, Algerian sales and Maghreb marketing, which were discussed in detail with Jerome Dorel, Branch Manager, Sebastien Bibet, Business Development Manager Algeria, Nadja Bennamane, Team Leader Algeria, and Jerome Imperato, who is responsible for operations.
Despite the packed schedule, the team in Vitrolles was still able to arrange a tour of the port so that we could see the processes live on site, which we were very pleased about. A great way to round off our visit!
