The Independent Beira L o g i s t i c s Te r m i n a l and Services (IBLT&S) has increased capacity significantly with the company having built two new warehouses – with a third in the process of being extended. According to general manager Neil Stals, the two new warehouses have given the company an additional 2340 square metres.“We are in the process of extending one of our existing warehouses by another 1200sqm. We have purchased additional equipment to allow us to pack bulk cargo seamlessly and more efficiently. We have also partnered with our sister company to provide bulk vessel exports, providing an additional leg of the supply chain to our valued clients.”
He said there was no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic had put a strain on operations due to the need to reduce the number of employees on site to allow for social distancing. “There have also been delays to vessels both inbound and outbound, an issue which has put pressure on warehouse operations. This has required out-of-the-box solutions that are very different from the usual norms of stor ing cargo.”Container availability was an ongoing issue, said Stals.
“The drop in the general global commodity pricing has put pressure on the sellers/traders, who in turn look to reduce costs where possible. Margins are continually under pressure as new competitors eagerly try to do what we do.”Despite the challenges, Stals said he was very optimistic.“If one gets the balance right there will always be expansion through the Beira corridor as it makes financial and operational sense to send cargo from the hinterland along this route.
There has been a significant effort to promote the corridor and utilise the shorter distances for that added advantage. IBLT&S has bought more land, and the project plan is to have an additional 11 000sqm of warehouse space available by the fourth quarter of 2021.”On the downside the pandemic had resulted in the closure of smaller warehousing businesses where the feasibility or cargo mix was not diverse enough, he added.“There is a strong move to niche market warehousing where specialised equipment and services are differentiators in the business.