Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
How Will The Panama Canal Expansion Bolster Industrial Houston
With so many ports anticipating the increased business to be generated by the new Panama Canal Expansion, it’s interesting to take a look at each one, and how local experts look at it. Recently, Forbes looked at Houston, and how the Canal’s new look could be a game changer.
Such a monumental shift is destined to alter trade routes, creating winners and losers in the global cargo race. One winner should be greater Houston, whose industrial giants, led by the Port of Houston, might beat out West Coast competitors in attaining foreign goods. As Port of Houston executive director Roger Guenther recently explained to me in a sit-down interview, the Panama Canal has already connected Houston to two prominent global regions. Houston area manufacturers both receive and ship goods, via the canal, from several Latin American countries, namely those down South America’s western coast. And it connects Houston with east Asian powerhouses like China, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Guenther explained that Houston-area factories, which are clustered along an industrial stretch of over 50 miles from the east end of downtown to the Gulf Coast, tend to export raw materials to those countries. The foreign factories then use said materials to assemble products, shipping them back to Houston, where they are transported to stores for consumers.
Source: Forbes
More Alstom trains for Panama City metro Line 1
When Panama’s first Metro line was built, a consortium was created to both build the railway’s infrastructure, and also to provide state-of-the-art-trains. Now, that same consortium, led by Alstom, is receiving a huge order for more trains, which will be used on the current line and future lines yet to be built.
Alstom’s share of the contract is worth €130m and covers the supply of 70 additional Metropolis vehicles, which will enable Panama Metro to lengthen its trains from three to five cars and increase the fleet from 19 to 26 trains. The additional cars will be assembled at Alstom’s Santa Perpetua plant in Spain and deliveries will start in early-2017.
Traffic on the 13.7km north-south line from Los Andes to Albrook has grown rapidly since its inauguration in April 2014 and weekday ridership has now reached around 215,000 passengers. Ridership on Line 1 is expected to increase further with the opening of Line 2, which will operate from the outset with five-car trains.
Source: International Railway Journal
Italian wingsuit jumper goes viral with YouTube video showcasing her flying through Panama City skyscrapers
Believe it or not, there have been several viral videos created by skydivers in Panama City over the past 3 years. In fact, Panama is now developing a reputation as an action sport tourist destination. The latest video to go viral is this incredible one for GoPro, showcasing Italian wingsuit skydiver Roberta Mancino.
“If you are going to fly with your Wingsuit in between buildings make sure that there is not so much wind the turbolenze [sic] it can be crazy!! But if you decide to do it because is the only day that you can than you better fly like little boss,” she wrote.
Source: RT News
Panama Ranks 3rd in LatAm/Caribbean for International Franchise Investment
Brand recognition is huge in the commercial sector of Panama, and because of it, many global brands and franchises want to be a part of the local market. In a recent study of brands and investment, Panama was ranked 3rd in Latin America for franchise investment. Here’s more from out blog:
The benefits on investing in global brands in Panama
Investing in Panama is always a multifaceted proposition, and investing in global brands is hot right now. The main reason why this type of investment is popular is that the consumer culture responds very well to it. In other words, consumers in Panama, whether they’re local, tourists, or expats, seem to react very well to recognizable brands and services. But it’s not draining money out of the country. By investing in franchising, you’re investing in a foreign brand within a local market. So from the Panamanians’ perspective, foreign franchise growth is actually domestic market growth. It’s just branded differently.
Continue reading about the franchise investment in Panama
