DEREGULATION HAS forced major change in the licensed depot industry.
There's been a shift from the traditional role of packing, unpacking and staging containers to providing hub services for customers, says Thrutainers Container Depot (TCD) managing member Hugo De Oliveira. Depots have been forced to devise new concepts in the handling and movement of cargo to attract new business, he says.
But keeping focus is essential. TCD management has recognised that cargo is the customer and that it speaks through the voices of the shippers, carriers and freight forwarders. We now offer a complete integrated cargo / container service to customers performing import and export operations using modern technology and the latest methods of cargo handling, says De Oliveira.
TCD operates as an independent and impartial entity, and offers a 24-hour service for the repositioning and transfer of full containers and for the correct placing on transport rigs to avoid overloading penalties.
Information technology is also a major focus and TCD has invested heavily in its IT systems, most of which have been developed in-house.
A visit to the Thrutainers website at www.thrutainers.co.za reveals the multitude of on-line facilities available to customers, ranging from sailing schedules and container unpacks to tracking and quotation requests.
In the case of unpacks, and inter depot removals all containers are listed in alpha-numeric order which facilitates the search. In the case of a consignment unpacked in Durban or in Cape Town but manifested to another Customs regional district, the system tells you when it is due at final destination, and confirms when it has arrived. All of this is available to the customer on-line via the internet, 24 hours a day.
For overseas consolidators shipping to South and southern Africa, TCD offers competitive overborder and transhipment services, says De Oliveira, all of which means a combination of cost savings achieved through a single source provider.
In Gauteng TCD has relocated to City Deep, which is the latest addition to the company's network of depots in Durban and Cape Town.
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