Militzer & Münch Poland was awarded an extraordinary contract last winter. As part of a government project, the Polish M&M team is working on a very large order to deliver grain silos to Tanzania. The intensive contract negotiations with the customer took almost one year. The logistic and statutory requirements were a challenge to the expertise of the entire team.
In November 2018, the team of Militzer & Münch in Poland was contracted to deliver about 200 containers with grain silos to Tanzania. The grain silos protect harvests against pests and putrefaction – and can thus, in the long run, prevent hunger and malnutrition in the East African country.
“The customer had never before handled sea freight – and of course never on this trade lane”, says Artur Wojtczak, Sales Director, M&M air sea cargo S.A. “As this was a large project, he got several quotes and then took a lot of time to consider. In the end, our consulting and expertise convinced him – and he awarded the contract for the project to our team.”
Business Development Manager Anna Kiczak was responsible for the contract negotiations.
New Destination and Strict Requirements
Artur Wojtczak and his colleagues in Wrocław, Poland, demonstrated their full commitment to win the tender. “Our Business Development Manager Anna Kiczak presented our service portfolio to the customer”, says Artur Wojtczak. “She was in charge of the negotiations that took almost one whole year.” Among others, the strict government regulations and requirements prolonged negotiations. The team had to review them in detail so as not to overlook anything. “Tanzania is a totally new destination for Militzer & Münch”, Artur Wojtczak says. “This means a valuable new experience for the whole team. Already in preparing the project we learned a lot.”
A Strong Team
The members of the team familiarized themselves intensively with the local standards. “Then, our colleague Arkadiusz Kant negotiated with the African agents the best possible conditions for the cooperation”, says Artur Wojtczak. “He has spent several years in Kenya and was thus the perfect contact person.”
The participation of Senior Business Development Manager and sea freight expert Paweł Szelest was also absolutely essential. “Together with Anna Kiczak, he worked on the contract details. Our lawyer supported us in legal matters.”
In December, the first five containers were dispatched. In the meantime, the team has already successfully delivered an essential part of the project volume, with the help of Oksana Deveterykova, operations agent at Militzer & Münch Poland.
The project is expected to last until the first quarter of 2020 – until the circa 200 containers have reached Tanzania. The project benefits from the professionality and expertise of all colleagues involved. “The destination is totally new territory for the team – and the colleagues are doing a brilliant job. From the start, they were open to the new challenge. And our customer can reach them 24/7. This untiring commitment of course generates interest among customers from similar sectors or with similar export destinations.”
Development Cooperation in Tanzania
Beside droughts and poor harvests, the improper storage of grains such as millet and corn is among the root causes of hunger in Tanzania. The so-called post-harvest losses often amount to almost 50 percent. This forces Tanzanian families and farmers to bridge the time until the next harvest with food they pay high prices for; as a consequence, they get into debt.
Some governments and organizations are currently committed to improve the grain farming and economic strategies in Tanzania. In the course of these projects, grain silos are sent to Tanzania, and Tanzanian craftsmen are learning to build silos from zinc sheet. Such measures allow families and farmers to better subsist on their own grain products and to sell surplus stock at a profit in the long term. This again allows them to invest in the education of their children.
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