Icon Carriers diversifies into global forwarding

Southbound buying power ensures competitive rates JOY ORLEK KASERNE-BASED Icon Carriers has restructured and diversified to broaden its scope into global clearing and forwarding. Heading up the expansion drive is regional manager marketing and logistics, Alexia Steyn, who brings to the position some 20 years of experience across a wide spectrum of the industry. “Until now the company has concentrated on transit cargo from Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia which is warehoused in Johannesburg and transported to global markets. Capitalising on our success in this sector and with a network of agents worldwide, we are now targeting import and export business as well,” says Steyn. UK-based director David Hunt believes the company is ready to take the next step. Established 20 years ago, Icon initially served the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe and Malawi. It gradually diversified into warehousing and other agricultural products and today is one of the bigger players in the movement of cotton from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Its 22 000 m2 bonded facility at Kaserne has ample capacity for additional cargo, and Icon will be aggressively marketing to the mining and agricultural industries. “We’ve got the buying power southbound to offer very competitive rates as well as a global agency network in South America, North America, Far East and Europe and own offices in Malawi and Russia,” says Steyn. “We are already moving a fair volume of mining equipment to Russia.” Icon Carriers is headquartered in the UK and focuses on Africa and Russia.