The usage of the Internet by importers and exporters is soon to receive a major boost as local forwarders encourage their clients to plug in.
In addition to the marketing opportunities, forwarders are shortly to begin introducing tracking and tracing systems that will allow clients access to their own operational systems to give them the most reliable information available about the status of their cargo.
Forwarders such as Hellmann and Safcor are close to releasing such sites for their South African clients.
Federal Express pioneered tracking and tracing in the freight industry 18 months ago and it has reported massive savings in labour and costs involved in handling telephonic inquiries.
In June 370 000 FedEx customers traced their consignments over the Internet.
