Air Menzies explores new revenue streams

Neutral airfreight

consolidator

Air Menzies

International

has continued its growth

spiral, albeit at a slower

rate, over the past year –

and newly appointed vice

president, Milton French,

expects more of the same

for the year ahead.

French has taken over

from Mike Todd, who has

retired but will continue

to act in a consulting

capacity.

“Since its launch 12 years

ago, the company has seen

continuous year-on-year

growth,” French told FTW.

“And while this year has

been a difficult one, we

expect the growth pattern

to continue.

“For 12 years we haven’t

missed a beat.”

But in a fairly static

market, diversification and

innovation are key – and

that’s a critical part of

AMI’s business philosophy.

“We’re constantly

looking for new avenues to

grow our business,” said

French. “We will possibly

be investing in new areas

like Windhoek where we

are considering opening an

office. We’re also looking

at the domestic market as a

new revenue stream.”

The

company

is also

pushing its

Click2Ship

product

which was

recently

launched

to the local

market after

considerable

success

in the UK ,USA and

Australia.

It’s an online express

door-to-door service for

small export shipments.

Customers can access a

quote and prepare and book

a shipment off their ipads

or PCs to anywhere in the

world within minutes.

The cargo is collected and

delivered on their behalf

without much interaction

between AMI and the

customer.

In terms

of growth,

Africa

continues to

be the focus,

says French.

“Kenya,

Nigeria,

Tanzania

and Uganda

are doing

well for us,”

he told FTW.

“A number of airlines are

f lying into those regions

which is good news in terms

of capacity but it’s also seen

rates dropping as airlines

compete for a share.”

There’s also been a

significant uptick in cargo

to the likes of Abidjan,

Bamako, Monrovia and

Freetown.

“A spike in cargo moving

to Freetown and Monrovia

cargo was related to the

Ebola virus epidemic,” said

French. “It was a challenge

getting cargo there because

some airlines had pulled

their f lights, and with

a large volume of cargo

needing to go in, space

was tight and the rates

sky high, but people were

prepared to pay.”

Services and capacity

into many African

countries are a challenge,

says French. “Situations

change on a daily

basis. There are some

destinations that are

established where you’re

always assured of capacity,

and there are others where

it is extremely difficult to

get cargo in.”

“We will continue to

focus on our airfreight

rates and service from

the USA and are working

hard to come up with

sustainable solutions

to satisfy our clients.

Airfreight imports from

the UK are our biggest

seller – bringing at least

15 consolidations a week

into South Africa at

competitive rates.

“As a wholesale

airfreight

consolidator, AMI

is able to offer

competitive rates

to smaller freight

agents through its

volume discounts

with airlines,”

said French.

It currently

employs 175 staff

countrywide

with offices in Durban,

Cape Town and

Johannesburg.

INSERT & CAPTION

Africa continues to

be the focus of AMI’s

growth strategy.

– Milton French