From Celine Dion to Mighty Men

To be a success in project freight you have to get the planning right, according to Warren Sievwright, operations director of Silic Logistics. “It is one of those areas of the industry that takes an immense amount of planning,” he told FTW. “For example, many man-hours go into breaking down the packing list; creating trailer-sized parcels; doing route inspections; and scheduling departures and arrivals according to the construction plans.” It is apparent that – with Silic Logistics being the preferred logistics contractor on major live event tours such as World Summit; Celine Dion; 46664; and Mighty Men – the company has the implicit knowledge required to handle some of the strictest budgets and schedules possible, Siewright added. “It all comes down to commongoal focus, transparent planning, and continual communication,” he said. “For such events we handle the entire logistics programme – organising up to 100 movements of staging, lighting, sound and audio-visual equipment to the respective venue in time for the event. It is a matter of hours-and-minutes.” And, with such a time-sensitive product, the logistics company has to get the information early, according to Silic marketing director, Angus Dustan. “This has to be long before the vessel or plane arrives,” he said, “often consulting the principals on their planning so that our side runs as smoothly as possible.” Silic’s location on Maydon Wharf at Durban harbour also plays an important role. “We are ideally placed for handling seafreight projects arriving or departing from SA,” Dustan said. “It means we have hands-on management as soon the cargo arrives – and the ability to have men immediately on the ground to ensure safe and effective handling makes all the difference.” Financial director Nick Fountain stressed that, through hard work on the event side, it was inevitable that Silic's reputation would grow in the project freight industry – with word now filtering through to the industry in China, Southern and Central Africa. “For example,” said Fountain, “we have just quoted on the handling of seven vessels arriving intermittently over this year with cargo to be delivered in parts from China to Maydon Wharf, and finally destined for a power plant in Africa. “We have already done all the route surveys and scheduled the trucks – and that for a project that only looks set to begin around August.” This project function is part of Silic’s four operational divisions – domestic and cross-border transport; warehousing; international freight; and live-event and project logistics. “Our service commitment to our clients is based directly on their requirements,” Dustan said, “where we like to think outside the box. “By assessing their current systems, we aim to provide them with cost-effective and hands-free solutions, allowing the respective company to continue the business of doing business.” The company is also busy developing its other logistics services, and acquiring extensive premises in and around Durban. “We now have warehousing and container-handling capabilities in the busiest break-bulk metropolis in Africa,” Dustan added. “Which – together with what we call a ‘virtual fleet’ of over 800 vehicles all over sub-Saharan Africa – allows us the flexibility our clients require, and to operate on short-notice at competitive prices.”