The ultimate goal of logistics is to speed up the transportation process, to maintain full control of the cargo, and to save the customer money
TAKING THE idea of a one-stop door-to-door service to the limit means embracing the concept of logistics in its entirety.
For freight agents this involves setting up a dedicated logistics department, which is what Hellmann International Forwarding has just done.
According to Cornell van Rensburg who heads up the new Hellmann division, more and more South African importers and exporters are beginning to take the approach of let's stick to what we do best and get the logistics specialists to do the rest.
A logistics specialist offers his customer a total package, from date of placing the indent, throught the ex works process to delivery to his customer. The reverse also applies, Van Rensburg explained.
A freight exporter, for example, calls on Hellmann to collect cargo from his factory and at that point transfers all responsibility for the total package to the experts. Hellmann will arrange warehousing, picking and packing, forwarding, insurance, customs clearing, costing, warehousing and local distribution of the product. Through its express division Hellmann Hot Express documents and despatched are received in time for pre-clearance in the country of destination while sophisticated EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) lines ensure that customers are kept in touch with the process at all times and have on-line information at their fingertips.
According to Van Rensburg the importer is able to maintain control of his cargo through Hellmann's advanced trading system, while the rest is left to his logistics partner.
A main ingredient for any logistics operator, he points out, is a comprehensive overseas network.
We are represented in 120 countries worldwide and can offer this facility in every country. The ultimate goal of total logistics is to speed up the entire process, to maintain full control of the cargo, and to save the customer money, says Van Rensburg, who believes that it is a practical solution for shippers of any size.
In America and Germany, where logistics is now entrenched, Hellmann's massive warehouses have been designed to handle a variety of products ranging from sporting goods to electronic equipment, coffee, personal computers and carpets.
