Strategic challenges of expansion in Central Asian land transport market: A case of CombiTrans

Abstract

Globalization is one of the main reasons behind a merging logistics market that is formed through the continuous growth in trade in Central Asia. Many opportunities exist to be explored on this potential market, to which CombiTrans, a land transport specialist company, have focused its attention. The main purpose of this thesis is to explore the land transport market with focus on high value products from Sweden to Central Asia, a market in which CombiTrans is an important player. A market research through use of Porter’s Five Forces model along with other theoretical concepts lays the foundation for a strategic design. The empirical results imply the existence of a potential market in the region and an increasing competition within the road haulage industry despite the geographical differences. The conclusion includes identification of success factors and sustainable competitive advantages and a framework based on which CombiTrans can tweak their long term strategy toward Central Asian region.