GROUPAGE OPERATOR Ecu Line, which recently opened its doors in South Africa, plans to capture the African groupage market, says m.d. Peter Sands.
The Belgium-basedgroupage company intends to use South Africa as a springboard for African exports as well as developing its local market share.
Sands says exporters into Africa need no longer carry the burden of small, uneconomical shipments. The cost of moving small cargo loads into Africa has been a barrier to trade in some regions. Sands says Johannesburg is already established as a gateway to Africa and should be exploited by exporters who want to target the rest of the continent.
Johannesburg could fulfil a similar role to that of Singapore and Antwerp, which Ecu Line uses as distribution points into Asia and Europe.
Sands is confident that Ecu Line's established track record will help it win a substantial share of intra-African trade.
Our emphasis is on service. All of us have worked in the freight industry for many years and know what is expected of us, he says.
Ecu Line South Africa has offices in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.
