Empowerment hauliers promise new brand of service

Ray Smuts BUSINESS AT Cape Town-based Tri Link Logistics is more liquid than ever following a significant agreement with fellow black empowerment organisaton Sebenza Clearing and Forwarding. Liquid, because the deal involves transporting by road a veritable ocean of SAB product to the Port of Cape Town, much of it for export to African destinations. Just three years old, Tri Link Logistics specialises in road cartage. It was formed by former Spoornet marketing managers Melanie Daniels, Zea Fredericks and Stan Meiring, with a clear mission from the outset to provide clients with the most personalised service imaginable. That they must be doing something right is evident from a small but impressive client list which aside from Sebenza and SAB, includes Anlin, Lona Trading, Go Reefers, Polaris Shipping and Seven Eleven Convenience Stores. "Our primary role is to facilitate the tendering and ordering process taking place between load owners and road hauliers which could also include rail transportation," says Daniels. Adds Fredericks: "We are not just like a broker, we do not merely pass the rate on and let the customer go with it. We actually look at overall logistics from the moment the order is placed to when the container moves onto the vessel." Tri Link promises a much improved delivery service while also able to advise on such facets as full load and breakbulk requirements, cartage of containers and import and export consignments. The Sebenza beer export cartage deal will involve at least 80, 20-foot, containers a week but volumes could increase significantly in the year ahead - possibly up to 4 200 containers.