Logistics critical in the movement of time-sensitive breathalysers
Scalability is key for any
business to succeed –
especially in a globalising
world, says Angus
MacArthur, general manager and
owner of Alcohol Breathalysers.
A social entrepreneurship
venture that has been in existence
since 2004, the business has been
growing steadily – so much so that
it is now a definitive supplier of
breathalysers across South Africa
and the continent of Africa.
“Our business has supplied
directly to over 10 000 companies,
institutions, government
departments and consumers,
including JSE-listed corporations,”
he says. “Beyond just supplying
product, we also consult extensively
with clients, offering after-sales
service and training.”
As a road safety activist who
believes that all road users must
become road safety activists too
in order to curb the scourge of
road traffic deaths, MacArthur’s
initial focus was to make available
affordable and
reliable alcohol
testers in
South Africa. It
soon grew to a
thriving export
business in light
of the demand
for the product.
“Alcohol
tolerance in the
work place and
on the road is
a global issue. Yes, countries may
have laws and policies specific to
their environment, but to enforce,
they will always need testing
solutions like alcohol breathalysers,”
he says. “The more we reach out to
businesses across Africa and the
Middle East, the more we continue
to learn this. So the increased
demand for our products is as a
result of their utilitarian nature
– our role is to
ensure that their
utility meets the
specific client
needs, and we
are doing just
that.”
But, he says,
expansion
success is about
managing the
process well.
“We also are
very cautious in our approach,”
says MacArthur. “We are making
inroads to be in key markets across
the various trading blocs on the
African continent, in the Middle
East and Indian Ocean Islands in
particular at present.”
Logistics plays a crucial role in all
of this especially as the product is
time sensitive.
“Breathalysers have specific shelflives
which determine calibration
cycles – and because of this we opt
for consolidated airfreight as much
as possible,” says MacArthur. “Any
goods brought in by sea freight have
to exceed hundreds of thousands of
units which only occurs a few times
a year.”
For this they use the Port of
Durban, he says.
But seafreight can take as long as
45 days at a time, impacting on the
shelf life of the product.
“Ultimately for us we have to
weigh up time and volume,” he says.
It is not always about the rate.
“The logistics solution we choose
is dependent on the order volume
that we are supplying to a market
at a given time. In some cases
goods never actually come to
South Africa. For example, we sold
a container of breathalysers to a
company in Saudi Arabia and the
goods were shipped from Europe
directly to Saudi Arabia,” he says.
For his product, consolidations
remain the optimal way of
importing into South Africa and
exporting into Africa, he says.
And when it comes to shipping,
good service providers are a nonnegotiable.
Due to breathalysers
having shelf lives and calibration
periods, quick transit times
are important. Furthermore
breathalysers are fragile goods so
all cartons have to be handled with
great care and insured well.
“Pricing, reliability and careful
handling of our goods are the
greatest challenges we have had
to overcome. Even the best service
providers can let you down at
the best of times,” he says. “We
have managed to get it right by
choosing the right partners like
and ensuring that the nature of our
products are fully understood by
all our contacts in the companies
we use.”
For MacArthur and his team
it’s always been about getting
the things that matter right –
understanding what the need is,
how they can meet that need with
their product and how they can
support clients’ after sales.
“Getting that right is as essential
as it is differentiating,” he says. “We
find that this approach stands the
test of time. The rest is all about
staying relevant by evolving and
adapting in order to remain ahead
of social trends that affect
the business landscape.”
INSERT
Ultimately for us we have to
weigh up time and volume,
it is not always about the
rate.
– Angus MacArthur
CAPTION
Angus MacArthur with some of the breathalyser options on offer.
