Export drive pays off best ever month in August

RAY SMUTS IT’s PERFECTLY clear why the folk are crowing at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ Durban office. August was the best month ever, with the promise of more to come. The Durban branch, established in 1998 to predominantly serve the reefer trade which was identified as a niche market, has gone from strength to strength. “It has also made huge inroads into other sectors such as the automotive industry, perishables, textiles and chemicals,” says Port Elizabeth-based Keith Domoney, general manager for national sales and marketing: automotive logistics. Hellmann Durban is not alone in taking an export knock due to the strong rand, but Domoney insists there are “some exciting prospects ahead” that could change all that. Significantly, the Johannesburg export department of HWL has been relocated to Durban which now drives all exports. Hellmann believes great opportunities still await South African exporters, which explains its total focus on this sector, in which perishables play an important part. It would be fair to say the Hellmann Durban team under the leadership of former financial manager (now GM) Prem Ramlal is culturally representative of the country’s demographics. “It is the challenge and diversity of the different types of cargo we are faced with every day that keeps the company motto ‘Thinking Ahead and Moving Forward’, alive,” he says. Hellmann’s international network comprises 341 offices in 134 countries and this network fulfils a vital role in Durban’s day to day operation, which calls for regular visits from overseas partners. Due to the ever-increasing volume of automotive customers, Bernd Oevermann, director of Hellmann’s automotive logistics division in Germany, visited Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg earlier this year, as did Mario Luigi Lauria, MD of the Switzerland office, and Jost Hellmann, managing partner of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics in Germany, who takes a very special interest in the company’s South African operation.