Growing OEL moves into bigger Durban offices

GET YOUR hands dirty on the packing floor. That's the way to satisfy the customer, says Dawid Raath, m.d. Ocean Express Lines.
We observe that in every instance where necessary, he says from his City Deep base. Everyone, from the tea lady upwards gets down and helps in a crisis.
I've been there with them late into the night restoring packages that have come adrift on their way to us. A cargo load can shift on a pallet, or the wooden slats can cave in. We roll up our sleeves and repair them on site to ensure they get away without delay.
As a company OEL has deliberately remained more modest in size to be more specialised in close relationships with what Raath terms a relatively small portfolio of blue chip clients.
Raath's current delight is the performance of his Durban branch, under the management of Andrew Creba. It was started a year ago and has already had to make a move to larger premises to meet increasing volumes of business.
Our hands-on service has been duplicated in Durban and has found strong favour with shippers, he says.
Located near the Maydon Wharf area in Congella at a fully equipped cargo facility, the branch operates every freight handling, measuring, storing, wrapping, crating, palletising and repair capability under one roof.
By Leonard Neill