Employees will also now be providing some of the key customer service functions locally. “We are now even closer to our customers and can take action in the same time zone”, says Javier Rodriguez, Head of Sales at Lapp Panamá. The time difference to Stuttgart, which is up to eight hours, is now irrelevant.
The distribution centre in the “Panamá Pacífico” customs-free trade zone is an important element of the Lapp Group’s growth strategy for Central and South America. It creates a bridge between the production and distribution company to the South in Brazil and the one to the North in Mexico. The team of Lapp Panamá currently look after trade partners and customers in Central America and the Caribbean. Customers are primarily from the food and beverage industry, including sugar mills, beer and meat producers, and producers of biomass for energy generation.
The expansion is a big step towards greater autonomy for the team. Lapp has had a presence in Panamá since 2011, with an office to support its trade partners for technical product support.