Express service makes inroads into airfreight business

LEONARD NEILL EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS with customs at Nakop and Ariamsvlei at the South African and Namibian borders enables Namibia Express to expedite cross-border deliveries through preclearance at Upington. This cuts waiting times at the border posts, says Gauteng-based chief Richard Briel. “The main core of Namibia Express is the overnight service we offer. Whatever gets collected today in Johannesburg is delivered in Windhoek the next working day. We run two dedicated overnight vehicles daily. The first reaches our Windhoek operation at 10:00 the next day, which means consignments are delivered by 12:00. “These fast delivery times have helped to take a load of business from couriers who fly consignments into Windhoek,” he says. “The business has swung our way because the price we charge is far below that of airfreight and our delivery times are directly competitive with those of the airfreight couriers.” Namibia Express also offers a budget service with delivery to Windhoek in two to three working days. Due to the volume of budget cargo, consignments are normally delivered on the second working day. A consolidation service is also available for non-urgent consignments with a guaranteed delivery time of five working days. The reason for this, says Briel, is that some clients have insisted on a reliable non-urgent service. The same service range – express, consolidation and budget – is also offered to the rest of Namibia. “There has been a steady increase in cargo volumes to Namibia during the last few years due to Namibia’s growth and the fact that the goods come from South Africa,” says Briel