Independent sea and air groupage operator CFR Freight is always looking at extending its service portfolio, and the Durban branch is no different, says marketing director Peter Schmidt-Löffler. “The recent introduction of cross-border trucking as well as local collections and deliveries for any import or export LCL is part and parcel of this philosophy,” he told FTW. And the cross-border service has been well received by the company’s forwarding clients. “Our inter-Africa service was primarily introduced to serve our transhipment cargo but we are now offering the service locally to forwarders who can co-load with CFR to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland,” says Durban branch manager Clive Nel. “It also made sense for us to offer local transport as an extension of our service. We carry LCL cargo on behalf of forwarders from anywhere in the world into SA and unpack it – now we can deliver it to the consignee. A similar export option is available where we collect cargo from shippers and freight it in our LCL containers to any destination in the world,” said Nel. Ensuring a streamlined supply chain is key to CFR’s business philosophy and that means coping with the many challenges that logistics operators face on a daily basis. “Border police stops are increasingly challenging,” says Nel. “We are however working closely with them to reduce delays – for regular importers it is recommended that they register as known consignees with border police to help reduce the risk of the cargo and container being stopped.” And while CFR’s business is LCL-focused the company is able to offer competitive FCL rates on import and export routes – as always on a neutral basis catering exclusively for freight forwarders.
