Concordia is set for paperless release era

Imports from US show massive upward spiral
JOY ORLEK
ONE OF the few forwarders authorised by Customs to transmit documents electronically on all groupage consignments moving into its Isando depot, Concordia International Forwarding is keen to move to the next level. “We’re now working towards a paperless depot and when Customs moves forward on the paperless release issue we are ready to go,” Concordia managing director Richard Rattray told FTW. Concordia has focused strictly on inbound cargo from the US by air and sea and has seen consistent growth in its 20 year history, but according to Rattray a combination of the buoyant economy and strong rand has resulted in exceptional growth. “Last year was huge for us. The increasing volume of imports – which included a lot of items like motor bikes and quad bikes – were an indication of the surfeit of disposable income in the country.” While Concordia initially specialised in airfreight shipments, seafreight has been a more recent focus, and Rattray believes the company has honed its service to provide the most favourable transit times from US ports. “We offer weekly groupages into Cape Town, the first port of call from the US, and use only roadfreight on the Gauteng leg. This ensures that cargo reaches Johannesburg 48 hours after the vessel has docked in Cape Town. Containers are unpacked at our Isando depot and deliveries to agents take less than ten minutes. “For airfreight consignments our off-airport degroupage centre gives us similar control to ensure the quickest possible turnaround, handling over 150 airfreight consolidations a month from the US.”