Depot facilities to be developed

Shipping & General Transport, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has acquired 50 000 sqm of land in Germiston to develop its depot facilities. Managing director Regan Moodley says it has also added five reefer plug points at its Johannesburg facility and now offers a fleet of 10 generator set equipped trailers which cater for the temperaturecontrol needs of importers and exporters. Moodley believes that Shipping & General’s ability to transport containers to licensed depots and undertake the management and handling of these containers, and thus offer what he terms a ‘one-callservice’, gives it the edge in a highly competitive industry. “By offering a comprehensive service we also address a major challenge – keeping the costs of transporting goods down,” he said. The government’s road to rail migration agenda will also eventually result in a decrease of overall logistics costs and Moodley says efforts by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) to sign multimodal collaboration agreements with a number of listed transport players will push the agenda further. He told FTW that the company’s 125 load-bearing vehicle combinations and its ability to collect railed shipments out of City Deep had made it adaptable to the impending modal shifts. “There will always be a place for road transport and we just have to ensure that we are constantly innovative in our approach,” noted Moodley. Top Logistics challenges 1 Delays at ports of entry – “Profitable transportation is only possible when run against a strict timetable.” 2 Bribery and corruption – “Officials find creative ways to dish out fines in order to obtain a hand-out. Our policy is quite simple, we won’t submit to bribery.” 3 Rate-slashing and under-cutting of rates – “While we welcome the opportunity to operate within a competitive space, it is important that we are up against competitors who have a real sense of cost and are committed to running the full race on equal terms.” 4 Running costs, including fuel, tolls, maintenance and labour – “Reputable operators who are in it for the long-haul would agree that these costs just keep climbing.” INSERT & CAPTION By offering a comprehensive service we also address a major challenge – keeping costs down. – Reagan Moodley