Three of the Gautengbased
original
equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) are now using
the Grindrod Maputo Car
Terminal, which has been
expanded to handle the
additional volumes.
Opened in November 2007,
with a capacity of 1ˆ455 cars,
the vehicle terminal has since
expanded to 4ˆ158 parking bays
with an annual capacity of
121ˆ000 cars a year.
It handles a combination of
imported used cars, trucks,
agricultural and mining
machinery, vehicles in transit
and the export and import of
new cars.
BMW, Nissan and Renault
have switched some of their
volumes to Maputo.
According to Grindrod’s halfyear
report, the Maputo car
terminal experienced a 91% jump
in volumes in the half-year ended
June 30, with 37ˆ155 vehicles
imported and exported through
the facility.
This was before
the completion
of the expansion,
which has been
operational since
August 2013.
The first BMW
shipments were
handled at the end
of March 2013, and the
company has plans to move
around 14ˆ000 export vehicles a
year through the terminal.
Both Durban and Maputo
will be used in order to handle
planned exports of up to 70ˆ000
vehicles a year – up from 33ˆ000.
Commenting on the decision
to use Maputo, BMW South
Africa managing director
Bodo Donauer is quoted in the
Grindrod publication “Making
Waves” as saying “the decision
to use Maputo is the first step
to ensuring the development
of a robust, well-thought-out
competitive logistics network.”
Grindrod operates the
terminal in partnership with
Höegh Autoliners.
They are working closely
together in order to develop
the terminal as a major vehicle
hub for the region, according to
Pieter Venter, general manager of
Grindrod Terminals in Maputo.
Other Grindrod companies
involved in the supply chain are
Grindrod Logistics Automotive,
which handles the transport
between Gauteng and Maputo
by road, and Röhlig-Grindrod,
which is responsible for the
clearing and forwarding.
CAPTION 1
Vehicles in the Maputo car terminal.
CAPTION 2
Aerial view of the additions to the Maputo car terminal.
