CHC offers forwarders outsourced warehousing option

CHC Container Depot has big plans for its Durban facility where a new sales manager has recently been appointed. Lee Viljoen, who joined the company on March 1, has vast experience in the freight industry and is planning to grow the customer base extensively in the coming months. “Having only been in the container business for about two years there are still major opportunities for CHC to grow and extend its reach,” she told FTW recently. And one of the ways of achieving this will be by raising service levels, she said. CHC is currently upgrading its Durban facility and has invested some R20 million to increase capacity ahead of demand. “Over the next six months the focus will definitely be on growing our business when it comes to customs-stopped containers,” said Viljoen. “We are also planning to grow our third party warehousing as well as expanding our bond store.” According to Viljoen, keeping close to customers and being able to address their needs is important. “One area that we are establishing ourselves in is to provide a warehousing service to clearing agents who don’t have the facilities.” She said these agents, by attaching themselves to a facility like CHC, can actually compete with the multinationals as they don’t have to invest in the infrastructure as CHC has done it for them.