Bonded warehouses help manage cash flow

Zimbabwean importers
are using bonded
warehousing to help
manage their cash flow,
according to Sheila
Mashiri, managing
director of Harare-based
Allen Wack and Shepherd
Global Freight.
The company
operates bonded
warehouses in Harare,
Bulawayo, Mutare,
Blantyre in Malawi
and Johannesburg.
Goods can be stored
for up to two years in
bonded warehouses for
Zimbabwe, but only 30
days in the 600m² store
in Malawi – which is
classified as a “Customs
Temporary Store”, she
says.
“Importers can defer
the payment of duties
by moving their freight
in bond and storing it in
bonded warehouses,” she
told FTW.
Manufacturers,
retailers and individuals
are making use of the
bonded facilities.
“Bigger items, such as
vehicles, are often taken
out of bond when the
customer has paid duty
on them instead of being
kept on the showroom
floor. However, retailers
of fast moving consumer
goods are also easing
their cash flow problems
by making use of bonded
facilities,” she adds.
The company has a
full service warehouse
in Msasa, Harare, with
general, bonded and
secure sections.
“We operate round
the clock to lodge bills
of entries and other
documentation in order
to reduce border delays
as much as possible. We
package our services
differently to find ways to
reduce the time spent at
the borders,” she says.
Air, sea, road and rail
cargo are managed and
monitored by the latest
tracking and management
systems. The company
and its clients can trace
the whereabouts and
establish the status of
shipments at any time.
Using these systems
and the company’s
warehousing facilities
and expertise, Allen
Wack and Shepherd is
developing a weekly
consolidation service
to complement its
warehousing, clearing and
forwarding, and project
management services.