Export volume growth defies the odds

Massive increase in airfreight for ZA Trans
ALAN PEAT
IN A move contrary to the market conditions of the past year, the Durban branch of forwarding specialists ZA Trans has boosted its export volumes by more than 50%, according to branch manager, Martin Schofield. “Being part of Barloworld has given us a big boost, and we have been very aggressive in our marketing activity,” he said. “This has seen particular success in developing our exports to West Africa – mainly in steels and chemicals – and in fruits and juices to the Far East and Europe.” In imports the main news is South Africa’s burgeoning trade relationship with the mighty market in China, where there has been a big increase in incoming volumes on the books of ZA Trans. Questioned about airfreight he becomes particularly voluble. “This has been an activity which we’ve never really developed in Durban,” Schofield said. “But we’ve worked hard on this recently, and we’ve succeeded in growing it by 300% in this last financial year. “That’s been especially true in the airfreight market in the US and Europe, and we’re now focusing on further development.” Track-and-trace The company now also has the highly-specialised ZAT on-line track-and-trace facility for customers, customised to each one’s particular needs – and offering full cargo status to the client base on a 24/7 basis. “We’re very pleased with our company performance in Durban,” said Schofield, “and we think this is clearly proven on our bottom line, where we’ve had growth of over 200% in the 2005/06 financial year.”