OVERBORDER TRANSPORT specialist Ikamiji Freight has restructured and expanded in response to booming overborder business.
Charl Desmore took over as general manager this month freeing managing director Kevin Gesseau to focus on service levels, marketing and sales.
The move coincides with the Steeldale-based company's massive investment in a 13-vehicle fleet to be used principally on its lucrative Mozambique route.
Desmore is a dyed-in-the-wool transport man, with a special bent for the challenge of transport economics - balancing costs against profits while keeping the fleet moving.
A graduate of the Rand Afrikaans University diploma in road transport, Desmore joined Wheels of Africa in 1993 working his way up to operations controller. He subsequently joined the Johannesburg depot of Zimbabwe-headquartered Mangura Transport and Sales (MTS) which operates a 55-vehicle fleet into Africa.
At Ikamiji he is reponsible for fleet control, from drivers to tyres and diesel consumption, controlling all daily operations and all route controllers.
The fleet will be further expanded to better serve the Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi routes, while a depot in Malawi is on the cards for May next year. Ikamiji already operates its own depot in Maputo.
We want to build on our strength, which is brokerage, but the acquisition of the fleet adds further flexibility to our service, says Desmore, who stressed that the company would continue to subcontract some of its business to hauliers as it has done in the past.
Desmore is bullish about future prospects for over border growth. The work is out there - it's just a question of going out to get it, says Desmore.
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