Growing demand for specialist packaging services

Demand for specialised dangerous
goods packaging and transportation is
growing – and mining operations on the
continent are fuelling the market.
Anushka van der Merwe, operations
manager of SA based Hexagon
Packaging, which specialises in packing
solutions for dangerous goods as well
as crating, palletising and container
packing, said business was growing.
“Our business has seen enormous
growth in demand for the storing and
packaging of dangerous goods. The
greatest demand at the moment is in
supplying the mines in Africa.”
Van der Merwe said stringent
regulations meant many shippers and
suppliers were no longer prepared
to take chances storing dangerous
goods in their warehouses or to
risk transportation without correct
packaging and declaration.
She added that demand for the
transportation of large amounts
of cargo, both hazardous and nonhazardous,
had grown in recent
months to destinations such as Luanda,
Mozambique, Lagos, USA, Nigeria,
Tanzania, Muscat and Helsinki.
“Projects are no longer a once-in-sixmonths
occurrence. The demand will
only get bigger judging from the last
couple of months,” she said.
To keep up with demand the
company recently added to its fleet
a truck that can carry 14 tonnes of
dangerous goods, and it has invested in
a decanting station at its warehouse.
“We have many clients who prefer
us to come and pack their containers,
especially when it contains dangerous
goods, because we know how it needs
to be packed and the regulations
surrounding this,” she said.
Van der Merwe added that the
greatest risk was undeclared dangerous
goods.
Hexagon Packaging offers a complete
logistics solution, ranging from
collecting goods from the manufacturer
and product and container packing
to documentation preparation
and delivery to the airport for
shipping.