Fledgling forwarder explores 'wealth of untapped business’

THE WESTERN Cape is hardly lacking in freight forwarders and customs clearing competitiveness, close to 400 companies vying for a piece of the pie, but Rudi Opperman is encouraged by the numerous opportunities that still await. At 30 and with a good number of years in the industry to his credit, many in Cape Town, Opperman is operations director of a new company, Aviumkhumbi Cape. It opened in Montague Gardens six months ago, offering the full spectrum of supply chain services. The ongoing Eskom power crisis has left even the most optimistic disheartened but Opperman insists the pluses outweigh the minuses. “There is so much, as yet, untapped business to be done in the Cape that we have not even touched the tip of the iceberg so far,” he told FTW. “Businesses are really doing well, a good indication that many companies are moving their head offices here or setting up new branches servicing the coastal regions of southern and Western Cape, and as soon as there is growth in new importers and exporters, our business automatically increases.” Despite some experience of the perishables business, Opperman says that is a sector Aviumkhumbi will be giving a miss for now, as important as it is to the Western Cape economy. “From our perspective, perishables, like fruit and fish, are very much a niche market.” With a start up staff complement of five, all previously from the Johannesburg freight industry, Aviumkhumbi Cape’s main thrust is Far East import cargo but with a strategic focus on development of wine exports to Europe. The company is also intent on growing its business in Africa. As the US appears to be moving toward recession, or certainly an economic slowdown, Opperman says the spin-off from such an eventuality would most certainly have a negative effect on the clearing and forwarding industry in this country and further afield. “Whatever the case, there will always be imports and exports of some nature so unless the whole industry is hit by a global economic slump, I expect things to continue pretty much as usual, especially with opportunities like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).” Like most in his field, Opperman is heartened that the long overdue expansion of the Cape Town container terminal is finally under way and even though he believes Transnet will make every effort to minimise disruption, he is under no illusion that customers must expect delays for the duration of the project.