Bridgeport Durban invests R40 million in two years

There is no quick fix for the
economic downturn, says
Paul Levy, sales director for
Bridgeport Durban – and brilliant
deals that promise huge returns over
a short period of time can only appeal
for a while.
“The most recent SA Ponzi scheme
seems to be an example of this sales
strategy,” says Levy. “Similarly
some warehouses and logistics
providers offer unmatchable rates to
entice volumes during difficult times.
This appeal works for a while and
some will take advantage of these
opportunities but they must be sure
that they’re able to clear their
cargoes out of those traps in time.
One can only sell a rand for 90cents
for so long and the house of
cards collapses.”
There is no denying that times are
tough as the worldwide economic
crisis continues to impact on South
Africa. “We have been visited by
competitors who try to gain access
to our facilities to see what we are
doing and for which customers. This
practice has increased significantly
over the last period and should be
viewed as an index of how tough
things are out there,” says Levy.
“Everyone believes that someone
else has the answer, the secret
solution to surviving through what
are the most serious economic times
in recent times.”
And Durban is a tough market.
“It is not for sissies. But it remains
integral to the wider Bridge Group
and we have invested heavily in our
Durban operations. In fact, Bridgeport Durban has
seen in excess of R40 million worth
of infrastructural development in the
past two years.
With Bridgeport Durban and
Bridgeport Johannesburg uniquely
linked by rail, cargoes are
warehoused and can either be
containerised or moved breakbulk
between facilities in large quantities,
with relative ease. Similarly, empty
containers can be shuttled between
facilities whenever imbalances in
container equipment occur in
either region.
According to Levy there is a
critical shortage of containers
in Johannesburg at the moment.
“The result is that shipping lines
are turning empty containers in to
Bridgeport Durban to be emptyrailed
directly from our sidings into
our Bridgeport Johannesburg
private sidings.
“This flexibility is of interest to
the shippers as well as the shipping
lines because it alleviates the
difficulty of matching container
availability with cargoes on
the move.”
More and more containers
are being moved by rail due to
the simplicity of moving large
volumes in single shunts rather
than controlling large numbers of
individual vehicles that are subject to
road congestion.
“In terms of new developments,
our rail shuttle service between DCT
and Bridgeport Durban is high on
both our agenda as well as Transnet
Freight Rail’s,” says Levy.