CFR’s warehousing plans take shape

Despite the tighter economic climate globally, CFR Freight is expanding its operations not only in South Africa, but Africa. According to director Peter Schmidt-Löffler, this forms part of the company strategy to establish CFR Freight as a world class ground handling, warehousing and transport solution business – servicing the freight forwarding and clearing industry. He said the expansion plans included some major investments in warehousing across the country. “It started in Cape Town where we are leasing our own pack/unpack depot after a joint agreement was signed with Zacpac Warehousing to form Zacpak Cape Town Depot. We had been outsourcing this specific function for years, but it made sense to bring it in-house and do it ourselves,” he explained. In Cape Town, where the company says it has seen some big successes, Zacpak now has a 2500-sqm warehouse and 2000-sqm yard. Hosting the Western Cape Exporters’ Club in Cape Town recently, Schmidt-Löffler said the concept had been taken further with agreements now also in place in Durban with the company’s latest flagship – the Zacpak Durban Depot and Container Freight Station. “Through our agreement with Zacpak CFR can extend its services in Durban. This warehouse is about 8000 sqm with a yard of 14 000 sqm and is adequate to handle our current capacity as well as any further growth. We have also just taken delivery of the first-of-its-kind straddle carrier in the country to service this warehouse.” Schmidt-Löffler said the company had also commissioned the building of new offices for its Johannesburg headquarters in Jet Park which will be completed by September next year. “A warehouse of 5200 sqm with a 5000 sqm yard plus offices in excess of 1400 sqm, to house all our divisions under one roof, will also be erected. “Ultimately the investments we are making in the company are investments in our customers,” he told the exporters. “We believe it is important to share what we are doing on a continuous basis with customers. That also allows us to get their input and feedback.” Schmidt-Löffler said by partnering with Zacpak the company was gaining expertise but it also enabled them to offer a neutral container unpack facility to the forwarding fraternity as well as handling their own import and export groupages. “Neutrality remains extremely important to CFR,” he said. According to Schmidt- Löffler, extending the company’s African footprint is just as important – having already added Mauritius in September last year to the growing list of countries it serves. “At the moment we are looking at expanding to Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania as well as Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We want to be visible and up and running in Zimbabwe within the next three months,” he said. CAPTION Exporters’ Club chairman Terry Gale with CFR director Peter Schmidt- Löffler and airfreight GM Stephen Bishop … major investments in warehousing across the country.