Airfreight specialist expands into seafreight

CRICKET BOWLING machines, ferns, flowers, mohair blankets and excess baggage are part of the export mix being handled by Port Elizabeth-based This Side Up (TSU). The company, which was established to handle exports of fresh ferns by air from the Storms River area, has steadily grown its business and is now moving into seafreight as well, says managing director Johan Gerber. Building on the expertise developed in the export and handling of perishable cargo such as ferns and flowers to Europe, it has grown into the biggest airfreight exporter in the Eastern Cape, and one of the largest in South Africa, he added. Gerber says that by routing cargo through Cape Town rather than Gauteng, TSU is able to land goods in Frankfurt within 24 hours from Port Elizabeth and in Amsterdam in 36 hours. TSU has already handled its first sea shipment of organic fertiliser, and this new specialised service is expected to expand, he says.