Changes to rules, regulations and document requirements often pose some of the biggest challenges to the movement of cargo between South Africa and Europe, such as the compulsory phytosanitary certificates now required for every perishable shipment from South Africa. According to Joel Green from Go Reefers Europe, the ability to provide a seamless and effortless service has been one of the biggest advantages for the company in dealing with regulatory changes and new document requirements. “With a presence both in South Africa and in Europe, we have a collective knowledge at both borders that puts us in a strong position to accommodate changes.” It has also assisted in dealing with the delays being experienced at South African ports at present. “Through our internal systems, reports and communication, we are able to provide our clients with up-to-date information that assists them to plan in spite of very difficult circumstances.” According to Green, the integration and visibility between the Europe office and South Africa has proven to be one of the company’s greatest strengths. “It is the best way to assist our customers to ensure that the supply chain is completed in a way that affords both exporter and importer an effortless and seamless service,” he said. Several new services have been introduced on the European side, including free health checking on documentation requirements for imports into the UK and EU, daily updates on port problems, short shipments and container location, and a fully updated house bill of lading production. “We have also made major investments into our cloud services to supply our importer customers with the best market information available at all times,” said Green. The company has developed a visibility tool called Root2Go, which is a round-the-clock mobile reporting dashboard for importers to keep track of, and interact on, various levels of daily logistics along the journey of their cargo. Root2Go will soon also include copy documents and the tracking of courier parcels for the documents. Green said the changing political climate in the UK and EU offered the business the opportunity to further develop solutions that would expedite imports.