Adapt or die is a given in the
logistics industry – and
for SACD it’s a mantra that has
played out many times over the
past 30 years.
Currently operating in the
supply chain logistics space where
it has gained traction in a number
of focused sectors – wine and
fruit in the Cape, Africa at City
Deep in Gauteng, and automotive
in Port Elizabeth – the company
has reinvented itself several times
since its launch in 1977 as a
customs-licensed depot operator
handling LCL, groupage and
overstay containers.
As the only customs-licensed
depot in the country at the time,
it gained a reputation for being
somewhat autocratic – and rode
the crest of a wave until the mid
80s. When the sole licensing
agreement ended and new
licences were handed out, the
company was forced to find a new
identity.
“At that stage we partnered
with the major shipping lines
to handle empty containers,”
Johannesburg director Dennis
Trotter told FTW. “But post-
1994, when our customers
became our competitors, SACD
decided it would no longer focus
on the container but rather on the
cargo. “And that strategic shift
was the most significant in terms
of our development today,” said
Trotter.
Now rebranded SACD Freight
and part of the Bidvest Group of
companies, it markets itself as
an intermodal import and export
management company.
“We have never been afraid to
change,” said Trotter, whose wish
for the future is to control the
logistics chain throughout Africa.
“We would like to be offering
similar facilities outside of our
borders with growth either
through acquisition or by
setting up new facilities.”
Watch this space!
INSERT & CAPTION
We would like to be
offering similar facilities
outside of our borders
with growth either through
acquisition or by setting up
new facilities.
– Dennis Trotter
