Efficiency drive cuts 25 days off transit time on SA-DRC route

By focusing on improving
efficiencies at every point in
the logistics chain between
Durban and the Katanga
region of the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC), Bolloré Zambia is
saving 22 to 25 days on the turnaround
time, port to port, for trucks
running between South Africa
and the DRC, according to Olivier
Terra, managing director of Bolloré
Transport & Logistics Zambia.
At the heart of the operation is a
US$10-million Chingola hub opened
in May 2014.
It is the meeting point for two
fleets of trucks – the one carrying
copper and other minerals from the
Katanga province in the DRC, and
the other bringing supplies from
South Africa.
Cargo is transferred in the
18 000-sqm secure warehouse
facility.
Terra, who was based in
Lubumbashi as
the former deputy
general manager
of Bolloré in the
DRC, says using
DRC-registered
trucks and drivers
in the Congo is
important as the
drivers speak the
language and
understand the
systems.
Similarly,
Zambian and
South African drivers are more
at home on the Durban-Chingola
route than Congolese drivers.
Bolloré is using the latest
tracking and information
technology to monitor the progress
of cargo “every step of the way”.
“Excellent rule keeping is one
of our key
performance
indicators (KPIs)
as it allows us to
identify problems
the moment they
arise and to fix
them”.
“The Bolloré
teams on both
sides of the
Zambia-DRC
border have put
their full support
behind the
initiative and I am proud of what
they have already achieved,” he says.
Most of the loads are pre-cleared,
with formalities being completed
“well before the truck is loaded. We
start four or five days before the
truck loads for both imports and
exports,” he says.
Selected and trusted third party
hauliers are used, with Bolloré
adding in its own trucks where
needed.
It was decided to focus on the
Durban-Chingola route because
it has the volumes necessary to
balance the loads.
Chingola-Walvis Bay and
Chingola-Dar es Salaam are at
present not sufficiently balanced to
ensure that trucks are not left idle
while waiting for a load, he says.
“Bolloré has offices at all 12
border posts in Zambia, all of which
are fully connected to the Bolloré
network in Lusaka and which work
with customs on a daily basis to
minimise border delays,” he adds.
INSERT & CAPTION
Bolloré is using the latest
tracking and information
technology to monitor the
progress of cargo every
step of the way.
– Olivier Terra