As impressive as the new barge and export facilities are, there continue to be major bottlenecks in the inland transportation system that hinder commodity movements.Participating in a tour last week, which was organized by the U.S. soybean sector to investigate Brazil's agricultural transportation and export infrastructure, provided the opportunity to visit with farmer organizations and government officials in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso as well as with port and exporter officials in the ports of Belem, Santarem, Itaqui and Bacarena. The group also toured export facilities in the latter three. Santarem, Belem and Bacarena are located along the Amazon in the state of Para, and Itaqui is in the state of Maranhao.The tour participants came away impres...
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.