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In an interview for the September issue of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine, we spoke with Dragan Simović, a member of the Supervisory Board of Militzer & Münch Serbia, about the company’s ambitious growth plans. The M&M Militzer & Münch company was founded in October 2019 by the Serbian logistics company, Invictus System Transport & Logistics d.o.o. and the German company M&M Militzer & Münch International Holding AG. According to Mr. Simović, the company has very ambitious plans to occupy the leading position in Serbia.
What did you next after establishing M&M Militzer & Münch in Serbia since the company was quite unknown in Serbia?
You are absolutely right. Before the establishment of the joint venture, Militzer & Münch was more or less unknown in the Serbian market. This prompted us to make the company as renowned and recognizable in the first stages. We first had to present the M&M brand, which has existed in the international market since 1880. The history of M&M stems back to a family-run company founded in Hof, Germany, while today M&M is an international holding company with over 100 branches in 29 countries and more than 2,200 employees.
The company seems to have very ambitious plans. What are its goals?
Our goal is to be among the leaders in the transport and logistics sector in Serbia in the next two years. Customer satisfaction is our main focus. We analyze the demand in the logistics market and optimally adapt our services to the requirements of our customers. Our top performance and the commitment of our team already set us apart from the competition; namely, there is a great demand for our logistics services. Since the joint venture was established last autumn, the business has developed well and we are confident that we will be able to achieve our goal. We are proud to see that our services are so much in demand after such a short time.
“In a very short time span, we have established cooperation with leading German companies operating in the Serbian market, that we exclusively provide logistics services to”
You have managed to expand your network in Serbia in a very short time. Where are your branches located?
In a very short time span, we have established cooperation with leading German companies operating in the Serbian market, that we exclusively provide logistics services to. In accordance with the client needs, we opened branches in Požega, Velika Plana and the Terminal customs office. Since M&M’s inception, and in addition to the mentioned offices, we have also opened branches in Leskovac and Dobanovci. Given the company’s unexpected growth, the Dobanovci office moved to a new-6,500-m2 office and warehouse in mid-August. Accordingly, our plan is to acquire our own office space early next year and we are considering building a new logistics centre with modern offices in Dobanovci.
Which services are you most recognized for and what are your further development plans?
Since clients dictate the pace of development, M&M’s service portfolio includes a full range of services, starting with international road transport, logistics and freight forwarding to air and sea transport. The development of groupage transport in regional countries is also a challenge for us. Hence, we are already working on opening offices in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia, which will be managed by our branch in Dobanovci, which is our main business centre for the Balkan area. I can proudly say that M&M‘s operations team has been providing excellent groupage transport services in Germany, Italy and Austria through our extensive network of branches in these countries.
Having in mind large foreign investments, and above greenfield investments made by German companies in the Republic of Serbia, as a well-known German brand, M&M is recognized as a reliable and proven partner. M&M’s is certainly focused on German companies, which make up the majority of our clients because we offer them the services they are used to in their country.
Globalization requires rapid adaptation and modernization of the way we work. What makes M&M stand out in that respect?
Since the situation with COVID-19 has surprised us all this year, M&M has successfully managed to adapt to the crisis thanks to its outstanding system. Given that we are in a time of globalization and that time- and position-related obstacles do not exist, M&M has successfully responded to the challenges with its digital platforms for monitoring the status of shipments and trucks. Consequently, our focus is on the online distribution business (B2C business), which we are already doing for a reputable client from the fashion industry. We are currently implementing the automation of picking and packing of shipments, which saves time as well as minimizes errors. At the same time, this reduces the size of the workforce and our services will be far cheaper, faster and error-free in the future compared to the competition. We think that online distribution (B2C business) is the future of business and for that reason, our focus is on that.