Founder & Lead Analyst
Marcus A. Volz
Founder & Lead Analyst at Econosur · Economist · Based in Argentina
Quick answer: Marcus A. Volz is an economist, analyst and the founder of Econosur, an independent research and analysis platform focused on South American markets and their international business connections.
Based in Argentina since 2006, he researches how markets actually function — from companies, projects and procurement structures to suppliers, infrastructure constraints and cross-border business systems. Published Econosur Insights are built from publicly accessible evidence and journalistic research; commissioned work can go further through direct regional verification, interviews, local checks and additional data where a specific question requires them.
What This Work Is About
Marcus A. Volz focuses on the operating logic behind South American B2B and industrial markets. Through Econosur, he examines not only whether demand exists, but which companies and institutions shape a market, how projects move from announcement to execution, where purchasing decisions are made and what local capabilities matter for suppliers.
The work connects country and sector analysis with company research, supplier and distributor analysis, buyer and procurement research, project analysis and long-term regional observation. It looks at international business relationships in both directions: what international companies need to understand about South America, and which South American companies, capabilities and offers may be relevant internationally.
"Public evidence establishes what is documented. The next question is where that evidence ends — and whether deeper verification is needed to resolve the commercial issue." — Econosur research approach
Background
Born in Berlin, Marcus has lived in northwestern Argentina since 2006. This long-term regional presence adds local context, access to Spanish-language and regional sources, and the ability to compare international market narratives with how projects, institutions and companies operate in practice.
Where a research question requires deeper verification, this regional base also makes it possible to approach companies, institutions, industry associations, contractors or other relevant market actors directly. Such verification is used selectively rather than treated as an automatic part of every analysis.
His work is especially interested in the points where market structure becomes commercially relevant: industrial projects, supplier ecosystems, infrastructure corridors, resource systems, regulation, local service capacity and the organisations that control specification, qualification and procurement.
Research Method
Published Econosur Insights start with publicly accessible primary and official sources, company and project documents, public datasets, procurement sources, local reporting and journalistic research. Evidence is compared across sources and countries, and the analysis distinguishes documented facts from interpretation and unresolved questions.
Commissioned research can extend beyond the public record when the business question requires it. Depending on the evidence gap, this may include direct company or authority verification, supplier or contractor enquiries, interviews, local market checks and restricted or commercial data. These methods are used selectively when they can materially improve the answer.
Research Focus at Econosur
Econosur covers Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, with additional attention to Bolivia, Mercosur and cross-border systems. Recurring research areas include energy and industrial infrastructure, oil and gas, copper and lithium, agriculture and food systems, pharma, logistics and waterways, forestry and pulp, digital infrastructure and the supplier markets surrounding large industrial projects.
Econosur is independent and source-based. It is not affiliated with a government, investment promoter or commercial representation network. The platform distinguishes documented evidence from interpretation, project announcements from execution and visible market activity from commercially verified access.
Research & Method
External Publication
DVZ International · September 2026
Argentina’s Race for Water
Marcus A. Volz’s analysis of the planned deepening of the Paraná navigation channel was published by DVZ International on 9 September 2026. The article examines the project’s implications for freight capacity, operational reliability, export logistics and the longer-term supplier environment around one of South America’s most important trade corridors.
Selected Research
A representative example is European Suppliers in Vaca Muerta, which examines 24 European industrial suppliers through a common framework and traces recurring access models across direct project relationships, local service capacity, distributors, EPC and specification channels, and local production.
Other work includes the Taca Taca supply-chain analysis, which maps international engineering and supplier roles around a major Argentine copper project; Argentina’s lithium supplier and procurement pipeline; and analysis of the Paraná River deepening and its implications for Mercosur trade.
Other Professional Work
Outside Econosur, Marcus also works through VolzMarketing on selected international B2B positioning, professional visibility and market communication projects. Econosur remains the dedicated platform for independent South America research and analysis.