High hopes for growth in SE Asia imports

CFR Freight expects to see a lot of
airfreight growth from South East Asia
this year.
“It is a growing import source for
South Africa and we
have some good partners
and relationships on the
ground,” said Stephen
Bishop, airfreight
general manager for
CFR Freight, noting
that the neutral freight
operator expected
Vietnam in particular to
be a major success.
This was on the back
of a successful 2015 for
the company’s airfreight
division in general, for
both for imports and
exports, said Bishop.
“We saw some consistent inbound
cargo growth with our established
products out of the United States,
Germany and China,” he said,
pointing out that CFR’s improved
direct service from the United
Kingdom had also netted a “nice
inbound and outbound increase”.
He told FTW that the rand’s slump
and subsequent negative exchange rate
was a concern for this year. “But we are
constantly negotiating with our partners
and carriers to ensure
that we have the right
balance of price and
service to keep our
clients happy.”
Bishop added
that on the export
side there was an
ongoing price war
,with airlines, agents
and consolidators all
vying for business at
the best rate – which
constantly reduced
margins. “We are
trying to move away
from this and focus
on adding more value to our clients’
supply chain whilst still remaining
competitive,” he said.
"This will be achieved through
innovative use of technology,
experienced staff, great networks and a
value-for-money service.”
INSERT & CAPTION
We are constantly
negotiating with our
partners and carriers
to ensure the right
balance of price and
service.
– Stephen Bishop