The mining sector is increasingly demanding agility from its service providers to solve the industry’s complex logistics challenges.According to Jonathan Middleton, group business development officer for J&J Africa, efficiencies and turnaround times are a strong focus.“The mining sector needs to be able to take advantage of sudden changes as well as find new and creative value-driven supply chain solutions,” he said.Now, more than ever before, he told FTW, logistics companies needed to ensure they were operating cost effectively. “Each day saved thanks to efficient logistics and quicker turnaround times has a huge impact on the whole mining supply chain.”Middleton said despite some headwinds such as the coronavirus which was slowing down the movement of cargo into China as well as driving some commodity prices down, the overall outlook for the mining sector in southern Africa was positive.“The recent successful trials of sulphur shipments through the Port of Beira in Mozambique have opened up more opportunities for minerals from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” he said.According to Middleton the J&J group has positioned itself to offer clients services all the way from loading point to delivery at group warehouses in Beira.Cargo tracking transparency is imperative, in his view. “This not only gives a client peace of mind, but allows for better planning of shipments – ultimately cutting down on the time cargo is sitting in warehouses in Beira.”He said it also helped save on financing costs, which remained high due to the value of the mining cargo being shipped.