GAC Laser celebrates official launch

SHARED STRENGTHS in a strong entrepreneurial approach are behind Gulf Agency Company Limited (GAC) and Laser Logistics entering into a new joint venture, GAC Laser International Logistics. GAC, with an annual turnover of US$1.5 billion a year, brings to Laser its global network of 250 offices in 50 countries while Laser, successor to Dock Shipping and hitherto a wholly South African operation, expects GAC’s widespread network to provide significant in and outbound volumes. At the official launch of the new enterprise in Cape Town last week, Cairo-based Erland Ebbersten, GAC’s regional director for Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa, told FTW that the joint venture was seen as a great platform to develop global business into South Africa. “The expertise Laser has here, which we have been missing, will tie in very nicely with our organisation. “We have been in South Africa for about three years with shipping and logistics but not as successfully as we would have wished.” According to Ebbersten GAC had considered other possible South African partners but opted for Laser “because we liked their corporate culture and entrepreneurial approach, which is very similar to ours.” Michael Fuller, CEO of The Laser Group, which in the days of its listing on the stock exchange owned such removal giants as Stuttafords, Pickfords and Frasers, points to Laser’s good infrastructure in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. “GAC came to South Africa, looked at the type of business they wanted to be involved in and saw a good fit in terms of people, processes, corporate culture and entrepreneurship.” Basil Hanival, originally operations manager for GAC Logistics but currently awaiting his new portfolio with GAC Laser International Logistics, believes joint ventures are often unjustifiably the subject of scepticism and negativity. The Western Cape chairman of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) who also sits on the organisation’s national board, Hanival says: “Fortunately for me, my transition into the company has been smooth sailing and we can only move forward from here.”