Greece - An International Freight Center

Franco Nicola Cupolo is Managing Director - Chief Executive Officer of THPA S.A. and Member of THPA S.A.’s Board of Directors.

He is a seasoned executive with over 20 years senior management experience within international transport, logistics and infrastructure.

Previously he served in the following positions:

He was born in Italy and studied ‘’Maritime Economics Sciences’’ in Naval University Institute of Naples.

Thanos Psathas is the CEO of ETVA VI.PE. S.A., a member of Piraeus Bank Group (PBG) and Greece’s largest owner and manager of Industrial Areas and Business Parks. He is also the CEO of THEK S.A., the company that will develop Greece’s largest logistics centre (235.000m2 of usable space) in the Thriasio area, near Piraeus. He has been working at PBG since 2008, as General Manager. His appointment at ETVA in late 2018 followed a 6-year term as Deputy CEO and member of the BoD at Piraeus Bank Romania. Before he joined PBG, he had worked at the audit firms Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.

Mr. Psathas is a graduate of the Athens University of Economics and Business in Business Administration and holds a Postgraduate Degree in Audit Management and Consultancy from Birmingham City University and an MBA in Finance from Durham University. He is also a Certified Auditor and holds 6 other certifications in auditing and risk management. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Piraeus Insurance Romania and the Hellenic-Romanian Chamber of Commerce.

TRAINOSE CEO, Prof. Philippos Tsalides has studied electrical engineering and has served as Vice Rector at the Democritus University of Thrace from 1997 to 2003.

He served as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament from 2003 to 2007. In 2008, he was appointed Secretary General for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Development. In 2015, he served as Deputy Minister of the Interior, responsible for Macedonia-Thrace issues during the Caretaker Government.

He holds the position of TRAINOSE CEO since 2016.

Dr. Athanasios Ziliaskopoulos received his diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, his MSc in Industrial Engineering and his Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. From 1996 to 2004, he was the Louis Berger Professor of Transport Systems at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL USA. Dr. Ziliaskopoulos is a Professor of Production and Logistics at the University of Thessaly since 2004; between 2010 and2015 he was the Chairman and CEO of TRAINOSE, S.A and the Chairman of the Greek National Logistics Committee. While at TRAINOSE S.A., he managed to restructure the company rendering it profitable in 2012 despite the annual loss of 240 million euro generated since 2009. Furthermore, in 2013 he was instrumental in initiating the railway container services from the Port of Piraeus to Central Europe. He is an expert on issues of infrastructure with the Asian Development Bank and has participated in various infrastructure and PPP initiatives in Asia. As Chairman of the National Logistics Committee, in 2014 he initiated the development of the Law 4302/2014 regulating logistics issues. In 2020 he was appointed Chairman of the Greek National Council for Logistics aiming to promote Greece as a transit hub.

Background

• Thanos is a Partner at EY Greece and is EY’s Head of Supply Chain & Operations for Greece and the Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe & Central Asia (CESA) region. He also serves as EY's cross service lines Consumer Products & Retail Sector Leader in South East Cluster
• He has over 30 years in management consulting and has participated in large SC transformation projects in private companies and public organizations
• He joined EY in July 2014, and, prior to that, he was Senior Partner and Managing Director of a leading niche regional consultancy firm operating in Southeast Europe
• Thanos is an Economist  (BA in Economics from Jersey City State University,- USA) and holds a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Engineering School of N.Y.U (USA)
• He is a Certified Trainer from British Association for Commercial & Industrial Education (BACIE) & holds a Special Degree in Human Resources Development & Training from British Institute of Training & Development (ITD)
• He is an ex-Chairman of Honor of Managements Consultants Association (member of FEACO)  and Chairman of Honor of ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) Cyprus (member of ECR Community) as Chairman of Honor

Competencies

• Transportation & Distribution Optimization
• Logistics & Fulfilment Optimization
• Integrated Supply Chain Operating Model
• Cost to Serve Optimization
• Route – To – Market
• Network Optimization
• Supply Chain Network Restructuring
• Transport & Logistics Outsourcing
• Smart Factory/ Manufacturing Excellence
• Sustainable Transport & Logistics
• Inventory Optimization
• Procurement Excellence
• Change Management and Transformational Projects

Professional experience

• Survey | Greece: International Freight Center, 2017 (first edition): In this report we examined the role of Greece as a competitive intermodal corridor for the European seaborne trade with Asia. In addition, we present all recent developments in: 1.Greek shipping & maritime logistics industry, 2.Greek hinterland logistics industry, 3.Road freight transport, etc.
• Survey | Greece: International Freight Center, 2021 (second edition): Greece, leveraging its strategic geographical location, along with increasing investment in upgrading its transportation and logistics infrastructure, has gone a long way toward developing its position as a global logistics hub, over the past years. However, there is still room for improvement for the country to achieve “excellence”. The second edition of EY’s report, Greece: International Freight Center, examines the role of Greece as a competitive intermodal corridor for the European seaborne trade with Asia
• Survey | ΕΥ Future Consumer Index Greece 2021: The survey of EY Hellas, brings to light a real wealth of information for Greek consumers today, tomorrow and beyond, and highlights clear trends, but also uncertainties and questions about the future. This report examines the views and perceptions of Greek consumers about the pandemic, its effects on daily life and consumer behaviors, as well as their views and expectations for the next period and the return to normalcy.
• Survey | Re-positioning Greece as a global maritime capital, 2017: In this report, we examined the role of Greece as a global shipping center and explored how this role can be strengthened in the face of increasing international competition and shifting world trade patterns from West to East. We investigated what makes a country an attractive shipping center, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Greece
• Study on the future of shipping in Cyprus (“Department of Merchant Shipping, Ministry of Construction and Works, CY” Project objective is to develop a holistic Strategic Development Plan for the Cyprus Shipping Industry based on the examination and analysis of the present as well as foreseeable future trends and developments in the International Shipping market. The role of Cyprus and how its shipping industry should develop in order to grow and contribute more to the country’s economy will also be part of the deliverables.
• Deployment of IWS / RTT pathway for a heavy industry Group to drive sustainable manufacturing performance improvement: Engaged in 2 RTT deployments: Steel Pipes line acting as Line Lead co-trainer, and Energy Cables line acting as Line Lead trainer. RTT deployment using EY Catalyst console. Built technical capability on operational level. Focused on the organizational part and on autonomous maintenance through standardization of processes and development of action plans.  OEE improvement through line stabilization leading a culture change and eliminating losses. Continuous training of Line Structure teams (Leads and Coaches) following the “Learn – Do – Teach” approach. Leadership on the floor coaching to site leaders in order to develop relevant leadership behaviors and skills.
• Application of the IBP - Integrated Business Planning methodology for selected companies of the Viohalco Group: Capture of existing S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) procedures and evaluate the current situation. Detailed redesign of all the procedures included in the IBP methodology as well as the new organizational structure, specifications & responsibilities of departments that will support the transition to the new operating model. It is based on the S&OP and IBP (Integrated Business Planning) methodology.
• Supply Chain Transformation of Assan Aluminyum: Overview of the existing operating model, recording of existing procedures and evaluation of the existing Status. Design of future operating model, analysis of discrepancies, detailed planning of the new organizational structure, specifications & responsibilities of departments, as well as redesign of Supply Chain procedures (Plan - Source - Make - Deliver - Return) at level 4.
• Quality Assurance Organization for Leading Steel, Pipes and Cables manufacturer in South Eastern Europe (3 business segments, 8 plants): Organizational Design of Quality Assurance department, Role descriptions - Capability mapping, 23 main procedures were designed at level 3 including Internal Audit, Compliance Audit, Customer Satisfaction Survey, Continuous Subcontractor Assessment, NCRs & CAPA, Complaints Management, Risk Assessment, Change Management etc., Capture of current situation in terms of procedures and deviations from the future possible situation, High level Quality Assurance Architecture, Define the SAP modules to be used - possible alternatives - determine the need for non-SAP tools "
• Operational Restructuring in over 15 entities: Fast truck operational assessment in production and warehousing and distribution facilities, raw materials receipts, inventories, logistics & distribution operations, commercial activity, sales network, market benchmarking mapping, evaluation, estimation of potential restructuring initiatives, option analysis
• ETVA Industrial Parks SA (Hellenic Fund for Sustainable Development): Recommendation for Industrial Park’s optimal use (Agribusiness Case/Logistics Center in terms of products/ services/ logistics engineering parameters).  The client is a subsidiary of a major System Bank, with 65% participation and the Greek state holding a 35% stake. Activity of the client is the design, development and use and management of Industrial Areas (Industrial Areas, Industrial and Entrepreneurial Areas, Small Business Parks and Business Parks), 26 in Greece. EY was engaged to advise on the optimal use of a 50,000 m2 industrial plot the client invested in and plans to construct and analysis & evaluate the cold chain potential business opportunity
• GAIA OSE (Public service - Property management company): 1.Project objective is to provide pre-feasibility study advisory services for internal Management decision purposes in relation to the preliminary evaluation of the need for upgrading the Greek fleet of vehicles (rolling stock and locomotives) by taking into consideration the new trends of the railway market in Greece, the passenger, as well as the freight transportation needs, 2.  Prefeasibility study for the optimal utilization of the company Property in Thessaloniki’, with an area of approximately 670,000 sq.m. Objectives of engagement included: Property Analysis (Analysis of Available Information, Property Overview), Market Overview, Real Estate Development Preliminary Study (Development of an indicative economic model, Development Scenarios, Market research on development costs and potential rental incomes Implementation of a cash flow model and drawing of indicative conclusions), High level Socio-economic Impact – Roadmap. Indicative uses examined for the property included: a)Freight Station, b)Freight Center, c) Free trade zone, d)Other combined use, e)Light ManufacturingChipita S.A.: 1. Creation of the centralized planning department by advancing effective processes for plan 2 execute utilizing SAP4Hana/ PPDS-Production planning detailed scheduling, 2 Assuring end to end (e2e) lot traceability (from the receival of raw materials to the delivery of finished goods to fragmented retail) utilizing SAP ECC
• Dixons South East Europe Α.Ε.Β.Ε. – Kotsovolos: Reverse Logistics Processes & Service Center Layout Optimization Greece, Central DC Process Optimization Greece, Operational model design and support to the activation of Dixons in the market of Cyprus, Provision of services in relation to the expansion of electrical retailing in Cyprus
• Experience in Freight Centers Operational Design: Design of Master Layout, Operational Processes, Transport Flows and Flows of Materials
• Transportation Network and Intermodal Facilities Design for Multinational Companies:  Master layout and design of the company’s regional intermodal distribution center and optimization of its supply chain network. Design of its logistics network and advisory services for the company’s intermodal transportation system.
• Various 3PL, Transport providers and  companies: Develop their growth strategy to penetrate new market segments and expand beyond borders, and led the transformatio0n of their Operating Models in order to optimize performance and support future growth. Led their operational improvement, focusing on operational excellence
• Logistics Engineering projects for over 80 entities: Analysis of product characteristics in terms of logistics and definition of unit loads, Design of alternative layouts and selection of optimum one, Detailed internal layout design (primary and secondary areas), Development of warehouse equipment (racks, trucks, automation systems, conveyor belts and sorters) specifications and assessment of proposals, Analysis of operating processes, RFP development and support on procurement process, technical evaluation of solutions that meet requirements, SKUs segmentation based on logistics characteristics and demand profile, define picking area, Organizational Design of the new Warehouse and Distribution Center and development of a Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Major Retail Chain Groups - SMART – Sklavenitis / Marinopoulos Achieving  Retail Transformation: Support after acquisition among 2 biggest retailers in order to align the Groups Logistics Strategy for the future. EY aim was to assess the above areas and design the Logistics Strategy and network by optimize cost and service level. To approach the objective, we follow explore each area: Supply Chain Strategy, Logistics Network, Transport and Delivery Model, Warehouse infrastructure and DC Operations. The value delivered: Integrated Logistics Operating Model, Cost to Serve deep dive analysis, Transportation model to serve integrated network, Warehouse operating models, Logistics engineering for all warehouses, Formulation of 3PL