CFR achieves success with full loads and groupage

Independent groupage operator CFR Freight has recorded steady growth on the US route – not only for LCL but for FCL cargo as well. “It’s still a growing route for us, in both directions, and our FCL product, which is also offered on a neutral basis, is gaining traction in the market,” managing director Martin Keck told FTW. The company offers direct services from New York, Chicago and Atlanta into Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. “By routing west coast cargo on the new Atlanta-SA service, transit times have been drastically reduced,” he said. “We’ve achieved similar success with exports, running services from all SA ports into New York which is the hub for all the east and central regions.” The west coast is served via Singapore. There’s a strong correlation between the strength of the route and the agency partnership that supports it. “Our World Wide Alliance partner Shipco is well entrenched – and that’s a key element of the success of our US operation,” said Keck. “After 15 years, we’ve taken that partnership to a new level through the integration of our IT systems which means we can provide our clients with door-to-door estimates and pricing within minutes on air and ocean,” said CEO Peter Schmidt- Löffler. On the South American route, Brazil and Argentina continue to provide stable results with Brazil having achieved satisfactory growth on both east- and westbound trades, said Keck. The performance of CFR’s airfreight division largely mirrors that of seafreight. “The US is one of our ‘Rolls Royce’ products,” says general manager airfreight, Stephen Bishop, “with established hubs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. Thanks in part to our strong partnership with our agent Shipco we’ve been able to grow what is a mature market. “We are currently working on increasing our allotment and service levels out of the US by negotiating more blocked space agreements with the airlines which will enable us to guarantee capacity at competitive rates on most routes.” INSERT & CAPTION By routing west coast cargo on the new Atlanta-SA service, transit times have been drastically reduced. – Martin Keck