ILA links up with Brazil NVOCC

ALAN PEAT IN AN agency agreement with Brazil’s Craft Multimodal, the SA consolidator, International Liner Agencies (ILA), has established a strong link-up with that South American non-vessel owning common carrier (NVOCC) market, according to ILA sales director Raymond Cutts. With its headquarters in Santos, Craft has an eight-office network around Brazil, offering us coverage of all that country’s major industrial areas. “Currently, our business is mostly less-than container loads (LCL), although we are noticing an increasing number of full container loads (FCLs) as well.” Craft has had a lengthy history in SA, but has now decided to sign up with ILA as its local partner, with the intention of growing this new combined business. Although there is already a significant volume moving into SA – about two 40-foot (12-metre) and one 20-ft (6-m) containers a week – ILA has its eyes set on expanding its market share on the South America leg. Effectively, imports to SA are the focus at the moment – with ILA bedding down this service and growing it, according to Cutts. “But we are also looking at developing the westbound leg.” In its product list, this adds another string to the ILA bow. Said Cutts: “It widens our spectrum of routes, and allows us to offer more to our customers.” ILA currently has particular strength out of the Far East – predominantly China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore – Italy and the north-west continent (NWC) of Europe. “Our NWC business has been another area of concentration this year,” Cutts said, “with exclusive representation in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands being new business developed in 2006. “We have now added South America to our list, and this leaves North America as the only area in which we are not involved.”