Insights from Felipe Grijalba, Trade Lane Manager – LATAM
Latin America’s logistics landscape encompasses a diverse range of markets, communication styles, and cargo behaviors. Freight flows can change direction overnight, but customers still expect predictability. For Shipco, maintaining this balance is the responsibility of Felipe Grijalba, Trade Lane Manager for Latin America, who also oversees markets in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Competing in a fast-moving market
Latin America’s freight business is highly competitive, making every cubic meter count. Felipe emphasizes the importance of constant evaluation: of carriers, routes, and costs. “We are always evaluating the options we can offer,” he says.
The region’s communication style adds another layer of complexity. “Communication is not always through formal channels like Teams or email—many things are managed through WhatsApp. The first thing I do every morning is review the messages I received overnight to identify strategic or urgent issues,” he explains.
That informality creates speed. Within hours, the Trade Lane Management (TLM) team can align with local offices, update strategies, and adjust rates or routings. Each decision is informed by data from both origin and destination offices, enabling Shipco to maintain competitiveness in pricing, transit time, and service quality. “Data analysis helps us identify opportunities and create tailored solutions for our customers,” Felipe points out.
Expanding beyond the Miami gateway
Latin America’s link to the U.S. traditionally centers on Miami, but Felipe notes that Shipco’s expansive U.S. network means customers have multiple routing options. “The Latin American market is heavily based on cargo moving from Miami. However, one of our key strengths is that we can offer solutions that are not limited to Miami. We also have services out of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston,” he says.
By tapping into multiple gateways, customers gain versatility in their services which will prove advantageous when capacity tightens, rates fluctuate, or if disruptions occur. The approach also shortens lead times for inland U.S. shipments and expands flexibility for forwarders managing multi-origin cargo. “If we see that a customer is always sending cargo into Miami, we can ask if they need an additional service that goes to Atlanta or Chicago,” Felipe explains.
Neutrality and integration as market advantages
Trust drives every partnership in the region. “Being neutral means we are only interested in the business of freight forwarders and NVOCCs. We are not after direct shippers. This gives our customers the confidence that we will never go after their own clients,” Felipe says.
That neutrality allows transparent collaboration across offices and encourages customers to share pipeline data without hesitation. It also links directly with Shipco’s integrated structure. Through both global carrier contracts and niche agreements with carriers such as Seaboard, Crowley, and King Ocean, Shipco tailors routes to each customer’s priorities. As Felipe puts it, “This combination allows us to evaluate the best solution for each service, whether it’s based on transit time, price, or special requirements.”
The mix of neutrality and integration means forwarders gain options that larger competitors often overlook, covering everything from cross-trade to specialized FCL requirements.
Adapting to tariffs and changing demand
Like many regions, Latin America faces ongoing volatility. “This year has truly been a roller coaster. For example, when Brazil faced a 50% tariff on steel and related products, we saw a sharp increase in imports, followed by an immediate slowdown,” Felipe says.
Such fluctuations require fast tactical moves. Felipe emphasizes that not all service providers are able to offer the same level of service or solutions that Shipco can. “It’s important for our clients to understand that our structure is strong in the United States and it can help them provide better service to Latin America.”
Shipco works closely with clients to identify the right workarounds. “Solutions may include offering storage at our warehouses, since customers often push cargo forward before tariffs and may need space to hold it. Thanks to our infrastructure in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, under ICT, we can provide this type of support,” Felipe describes. That flexibility gives customers room to manage inventory surges before new tariffs take effect. It also ensures capacity remains available when demand abruptly drops.
“Our role requires integration across all products. We work hand in hand with pricing, with domestic, with sales; constantly monitoring developments on behalf of our clients.” This constant exchange keeps the Shipco team informed about market changes, from tariff announcements to regional bottlenecks, and equips everyone to act promptly.
Building long-term value through connectivity
Trade Lane Management is ultimately about creating confidence between markets. “We are the ambassadors, the link between origin and destination offices. This gives us end-to-end control over cargo and facilitates communication across both sides,” Felipe says.
In an environment where clarity and coordination are key, TLM acts as the central link, bridging operational gaps and aligning teams across borders. “We operate in a market where communication can often be challenging, despite all the tools available. Sometimes information still falls through the cracks. TLM fills that gap by being in the middle, understanding what’s happening at origin, what’s happening at destination, and ensuring the synergy works so we can deliver good service to our clients,” he explains.
That structure extends beyond Latin America. A forwarder focused on Santos or Valparaiso can instantly connect to Hamburg or Singapore via Shipco’s own offices or neutral NVOCC partners through the WorldWide Alliance, where Shipco is a founding member. Combined with digital tools that deliver instant quotes and routing options, this coverage gives customers a practical way to plan globally while staying competitive locally.
Felipe sees this coordination as Shipco’s defining strength: the ability to manage a shipment from pickup to delivery within a single accountable framework. “This reduces the number of parties involved and ensures accountability, because we take direct responsibility for the cargo and deliver a complete solution,” he concludes