Trenaco building capacity to transport resources
With extensive expertise in oil, biofuels and agricultural products across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, Trenaco has become one of Colombia’s largest trading companies as well as one of the top five exporters of coking coal in the country.
The company said it projects to achieve $ 1.2 billion in revenue in the next three years.
“Colombia has so much potential when it comes to natural resources,” said Trenaco CEO Felipe de la Vega.
“This is why I started the company in 2008 together with my partners in Geneva.”
Since it was established in Colombia, Trenaco has grown exponentially, and several new projects are underway to ensure it will continue to develop.
“We have a train project to facilitate the more efficient transportation of our commodities,” said de la Vega. “The licenses are in place, and the Colombian government is investing in the track system. Once this is complete, we will be fully operational.”
Vertical integration is central to the company’s strategy, he said.
“Our strength lies in logistics, distribution and quality control. We are able to effectively and efficiently trade, store and transport physical commodities, such as oil, coal and ethanol.”
Trenaco currently exports 20,000 barrels of oil a day, using its 190-truck fleet that travels as far as 1,500 kilometers across Colombia. The new rail transport system will enhance efficiency, de la Vega said.
Trenaco’s gold mining venture is another area filled with potential.
“We are opening a gold mining division and have acquired the equipment necessary to extract the ore,” de la Vega said.
His work ethic is symptomatic of a company-wide handson approach to all facets of the business.
“If I have to take a car for seven hours, sleep over in a small town to inspect a mine and then take a plane back at 5 am and arrive in Bogota at midnight, I do it,” he explained.
“We do the hard work for international companies. We are a good partner because not only can we accommodate different investor cultures, we work 24 hours a day to ensure that we do things right.”
Today, Trenaco is ranked among Colombia’s 500 largest companies, operating a group of nine companies employing more than 500 people. Its establishment of Singaporebased CO3, an investment vehicle for the development of upstream coal assets, also marks a new focus on working with Asian investors.
In April 2013, Trenaco sent its first shipment of 42,000 tons of Colombian metallurgical coal to China. This year, it is looking to sell more than 200,000 tons of coking coal to the Chinese market.
“We really believe the best end user of our products is China,” de la Vega said. www.trenaco.com World Eye Reports provided the story