The Washington Inquirer EditorGeorgia’s leading company in cargo transport throughout Georgia and CIS countries, Gianti Logistics, is celebrating eighteen years of operations in the country.
The company already has offices in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Estonia, with the head office located in Tbilisi. Other offices in the country are located in Poti and Batumi.
“The success of the company is the success of the team! We are proud of our work and our team and we make it happen, no matter what”, General Manager of Gianti Logistics, Giorgi Makhatadze, said.
Gianti Logistics has been in Georgia since 2005, transporting all types of cargo – gauge, bulk, container load, full truck-load, less than-truckload, heavy, oversized hauling and rigging, specialized equipment, etc.
The company has participated in major regional projects, including the construction of the South Caucasus pipeline, the Shah Deniz project, and SOCAR Azerikimya.
Among these large projects was the delivery of a 640-ton tree from Buknari to Shekvetili and a cafe-restaurant in Anaklia, which is located at the mouth of the Enguri river, where the river meets the Black Sea.
Their fleet includes 100 vehicles of Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards, which are maintained in the company’s own service center Gianti Motors.
With their own fleet the company transfers cargo to the South Caucasus, Central Asia and CIS countries, and carries out international transfers to any location in the world.
Golden Brand spoke with Makhatadze about the company and summarized its successful activities of 2022 that led the company to win another Golden Brand award in the category “favorite logistics and transport company”.
Q. Congratulations on winning the Golden Brand! Please tell us what the main success was that made an impression on the experts of the Golden Brand awards and the customers who participated in the survey.
A. It is probably due to the fact that our organization is multidisciplinary and does not have a single specific framework.
However, our team treats all areas with the same professionalism and responsibility.
We undertook a number of impressive and successful projects in 2022. Gianti Logistics shipped seven transformers and accessories: four units of 135 tons and three pieces of 91 tons. We received cargo in Poti and transported it to the town of Tskaltubo in the Imereti region. We placed transformers onto a foundation with the help of hydraulic jacking/sliding systems and turntables.
Q. What are your impressions of the first half of 2023?
A. Successful operations have continued this year as well. Recently Gianti has just finished an interesting transportation project for the oil industry, which included receiving two vessels loaded with heavy equipment and further transportation till final destination.
The longest unit was 47 meters and the heaviest 206 tons.
Starting with preparation of local permits, including mobilization of special hydraulic modular trailers and road construction/modification works all was carried out with our own resources.
Q. Last year Gianti Logistics rejoined the world’s largest and most powerful network of independent freight forwarders, WCA World. What will this membership bring to your company?
A. Partnership is important to us. That’s why, after a short break, we rejoined the WCA World global network and became part of a great team. Being part of the world’s largest and most powerful forwarding team means more confidence, more responsibility, more motivation, professionalism, experience, more logistic possibilities and business opportunities.
We believe that the search for new ways of development and catching up with innovations and latest news will determine the success of the company.
Q. Gianti Logistics’ fleet is equipped with Euro 6 standard trailers. What is the role of “green logistics” in your company’s operations?
A. Seventy percent of cargo in international logistics is transported by trailers. Although road transport is efficient, the emissions produced by the trailers increase the risks of harming the environment.
“Green logistics” means eco-friendly concepts. Its main component is Euro 6 standard trailers. These vehicles are only inferior to electric trailers in terms of eco-community.
Q. In what direction and by what methods of transport are loads predominantly transported?
A. We are capable of transporting all types of cargo, be it gauge, bulk, containered load, full-truck-load, or less-than-truckload, heavy, oversized hauling and rigging, specialized equipment. The diversity of our fleet (such as tilt, containerized and flatbed trailers; low loaders; multi axle hydraulic modular trailers, hydraulic jacks, sliding system and other special equipment for out of gauge/heavy lift cargo) allows us to cope with all types of challenges on land.
As for where we haul, mainly Transcaucasia, Central Asia and Turkey. Recently we have added two more routes – European destinations and rail freight from China.
Q. What kind of cargo is transported for the most part?
A. All types of cargo, except live cattle, but mostly food products and heavy machinery.
Q. How favorable is business in Georgia today?
A. The business environment in the country is good, but when it comes to establishing a transport corridor and hub, a lot of work needs to be done in different directions because we are not logistically ready for this status.
This includes road and warehousing infrastructure, which need to be improved.
Our ports are small and not ready for a large amount of cargo. The capacity of the Caspian Sea ports and the lack of Georgian railway carriages are also a problem.
