Independent groupage
operator International
Liner Agencies has
up-scaled its Far East
services adding new ports
and additional frequencies.
“We’ve seen what’s
happening in the SA
market,” says national
sales and marketing
director Raymond Cutts.
“With freight volumes at
their current levels a lot
of shippers are looking
at bringing in smaller
volumes more frequently
– a trend which we
believe will continue.
Remaining in tune with
our customers’ needs,
in conjunction with our
partner Vanguard, we have
been able to grow the trades
and add value.
“We’ve
introduced
dual
sailings
(twice
weekly)
out of
certain ports, and with
Vanguard’s established
network of 17 own offices
in key strategic locations,
we believe we have a strong
value proposition to sell,”
said Kevin Taylor, ILA Far
East trade manager.
ILA currently offers
direct sailings out of Hong
Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen,
Xingdao and Ningbo with
Xiamen-Durban a recent
addition to
its service
offering.
The
Ningbo
service
was
recently upgraded to two
sailings a week to Durban,
and one weekly direct
option to Cape Town.
Taiwan has also been a
strong focus
of growth for
ILA. “Our
partners,
Oriental
Vanguard
Logistics,
are a wellrespected
NVOCC
operating
within the
Taiwan
market.
With ILA
trade
manager Lee Horrocks
having recently visited OVL
Taiwan, ILA and OVL have
committed to a weekly
service from Keelung,
Kaohsiung and Taichung
to main South African
ports,” said Taylor.
And despite the fairly
conservative economic
outlook, ILA is upbeat
about prospects on the
Far East trade for the year
ahead.
“We’ve
exceeded
our targets
and budget
this year and
expect more
of the same
in 2014,”
said Cutts.
“The
growth
has been a
combination
of our
partnership
with Vanguard and
aggressive sales and
marketing of our services.
Vanguard is a household
name throughout China
which we believe gives
us a strong competitive
advantage.”
INSERT & CAPTION 1
ILA and OVL OVL have
committed to a
weekly service from
Keelung, Kaohsiung
and Taichung to main
South African ports.
– Kevin Taylor
INSERT & CAPTION 2
We’ve exceeded our
targets and budget
this year and expect
more of the same in
2014.
– Raymond Cutts
