Evonik Industries AG and Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) continue to expand their successful collaboration and are making a contribution towards strengthening the North Rhine-Westphalia industrial region. Thomas Wessel, Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Industries AG, and Erich Staake, Chief Executive Officer of Duisburger Hafen AG, signed the corresponding agreement in Essen on 25 June 2014. The objective of this strategic partnership is the development of modern logistics concepts and long-term site development. Evonik and duisport have already been sharing responsibility for operating a public combined transport terminal in the Marl chemical park - the Marl cargo terminal (UTM) - since 2006. The new cooperation will also involve a review of the collaboration regarding the storage of non-hazardous materials for Evonik chemical locations. Another focus area concerns the expansion of combined transport traffic from and to Evonik locations through the Port of Duisburg. In this way, Evonik is also strengthening its own commitment to reduce emissions during transport and also benefits from the proven competence of the Port of Duisburg as a central cargo hub for continental and intercontinental container volumes. In addition to expanding the partnership, the collaboration also aims to develop the location in the long term and to strengthen the North Rhine - Westphalia industrial region. In this context, the focus is on chemical locations with shipping piers, pipelines, connections to rail networks and other important infrastructure facilities that offer the ideal conditions for specific chemical and general logistics. Evonik and duisport want to analyze and utilize this potential. "We are pleased to expand our successful collaboration with the Port of Duisburg and strengthen it in the long term. The cooperation will allow us to improve Evonik's competitive and cost situation in logistics. Moreover, we will also make a strong contribution to the development of the North Rhine - Westphalia growth region," explains Thomas Wessel. "Evonik's trust reinforces our full-service approach of developing and jointly implementing integrated logistics solutions for the cargo industry. The expansion of our long-standing partnership is proof that industry and logistics are two sides of the same coin and that this can lead to the realization of considerable value added potentials," says Erich Staake.