Jo'burg warehouse facilities consolidation business

Breaking out of its traditional mould as a cross-border roadfreight specialist, Sibronov has unveiled plans that will see the company moving in a new strategic direction. “In the past Sibronov has been perceived as a transporter. But we are a lot more than that – we’re a logistics management company that offers freight forwarding,” director Marcel Nowak told FTW. The company has set up three separate modal divisions – road and air which will be handled in-house, and seafreight which will be outsourced. Progress Chabuda has been appointed business development manager in the roadfreight division, concentrating on road haulage into Africa. Zimbabwe-born, Chabuda previously ran his own overborder road transport business. As part of the Sibronov team, he will be focusing on full and LCL (less than container load) cargo into the Sadec region using Sibronov’s newly acquired 8- and 12-ton vehicles for consolidations and dedicated loads. Transport will be outsourced where required. Consolidations will be a major focus of the revamped operation and Sibronov has converted its Kya Sands warehouse in Johannesburg into a 24-hour consolidation and distribution centre. The roadfreight groupage service will cover Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia. The company has already established a firm footprint in the DRC which it markets as an express service, offering a three- to four-day transit time. Using its own dedicated clearing agent helps streamline the service, says Nowak. While Johannesburg is currently the company’s central hub for all over-border cargo, Sibronov will later this year be opening an office in Walvis Bay which will be set up as a complementary hub for overborder cargo. The company will stuff and destuff containers in Walvis Bay which is strategically best situated for cargo from the Americas, parts of Europe and the UK, says Nowak. “Anything from the Eastern side will come through Durban.” Congestion at the Port of Durban has been part of the motivation for the Walvis Bay office, according to Nowak, who says the customer-focused approach of the Namibian Port Authorities has also played a role in his decision. “The new port is expected to be completed by 2017 and we believe that now is the right time to establish our presence in the region.” In the past the mining industry has been a major focus for the company. But the downturn in the industry’s fortunes has seen a slowdown in business which Nowak believes has had a positive spin-off. “It’s given me time to re-evaluate the market and think more strategically in terms of future growth. We will now be targeting all cargo types – from the hospitality industry to communications and construction and anything in between, using all modes of transport,” he said. INSERT & CAPTION Sibronov director Marcel Nowak (right) and newly appointed roadfreight business development manager, Progress Chabuda.