Intermodal Cargo Solutions
(ICS) has speeded up
turnaround and improved
efficiencies at its new
20 000 sqm A-Grade
warehouse facility in
Prospecton, Durban as it
targets business growth.
A strategic move, huge
capital expenditure into the
larger warehousing capacity,
software and hardware
for improved warehouse
management control,
investment into state-ofthe-
art cargo handling
equipment, and a larger
fleet of trucks for local and
national distribution are all
the latest developments that
ICS will leverage to target
new business and retain its
current customer base.
Speaking to FTW from
the new warehouse facility
opposite the old airport
recently, group chairman
Andre De Oliveira said the
new facility had the added
ability to manage and store
the full spectrum of wares.
“We experienced positive
growth last year, with a
significant increase in
volumes, and one of the
reasons for the move was
to meet increased demand,”
said De Oliveira. This new
hi-tech facility allows for
an increase in handling
volumes to between 150 and
200 container units on a
daily basis.
De Oliveira said the
company also saw the
move as an opportunity to
invest in new equipment
and improve the workflow
process, with renewed
focus on “execution and
excellence” providing
measurable results across all
spheres of warehousing and
distribution. “We’ve invested
in a sophisticated warehouse
management system that
offers core warehouse
management tools as well
as enhanced connectivity,
providing fast and accurate
data to our customers locally
and abroad.
“We have a large
customer base that requires
more than just warehousing
of general cargo. We want
to grow organically within
these entities in order to
provide an all-encompassing
service from high-value
products to FMCG and
hazardous goods. Our
new system provides the
type of data analysis that
allows us to correctly
place, store, dispatch and
report according to several
specifications,” De Oliveira
explained.
ICS offers a full terminal
to container freight station
(cfs) service at its Durban
and Cape Town branches,
providing transport of
freight into other parts of
the country via its own fleet
of trucks. “Port congestion
is an ongoing challenge but
having our own fleet is a
major strength, as is having
a container yard facility.
This allows us to pre-plan
and bring containers in and
load cargo earlier,” said De
Oliveira.
A new Cape Town
warehousing facility, which
meets the same exacting
standards as the Durban
facility, is currently being
planned for completion in
2014.
CAPTION
The new Prospecton facility ... speedier turnaround.
