Biddulphs revamps Zimbabwe operation

Biddulphs International is probably best known for its distinctly-liveried removals trucks plying the roads in SA, but it is a considerably more diversified business than that, according to MD Peter Farmerey. “There are three main divisions,” he told FTW, “household and office moving; overseas moving to and from SA; and commercial distribution.” These require not just the transport element, but also a fully developed clearing and forwarding function for the overseas components in its product line. The company has also recently been on an expansion path, with diversification of its business in SA, and also a complete revamp of its Zimbabwe-based operation. “We offer road, sea and air transport,” Farmerey added, “have 10 branches and six sales offices throughout the Republic, three branches in Zimbabwe and one in Botswana.” The latter cross-border elements have also recently gone through a diversification process, with the long-standing Zimbabwean and Zambian routes being joined by a number of other sub- Saharan states, but not with the same frequency. “A lot of transport companies have infrastructure in SA, but many are very wary of crossborder operation,” Farmerey said. “That puts us in a very exclusive position, being able to offer both domestic and cross-border moves in either full truck loads or through consolidations.” And, to add attraction to its overseas function, Biddulphs has established a separate international division to provide all the specialist services needed when moving to or from South Africa. Biddulphs International offers a regular groupage service to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA and many other countries which are popular destinations. Its office moving division is also a very mature service, and Biddulphs has been responsible for some of the largest and most intricate office and corporate moves in the country, according to Farmerey. “One example of this was the Mpumalanga provincial government relocation,” he said. “This consisted of moving the contents of 32 buildings from five towns and from various locations across the country to Mpumalanga. The move totalled in excess of 550 000 cubic feet. The items to be moved included more than 80 safes, 2 500 computers, 20 000 boxes, and zippel filing cabinets. The programme was scheduled over a six-month period.” “In the commercial distribution section, Biddulphs offers professional logistic services, customised to a customer’s requirements and operating needs,” Farmerey said. “The company is also a shareholder in, and member wof, Unigroup Worldwide UTS, which has over 1 500 global service centres on six continents,” Farmerey added.