Large volumes equal competitive rates

This year is proving to be “a year of growth for UTi Zambia”, says general manager Brian Brits. “The recovery of demand for commodities, competitive pricing strategies and stabilisation of the economies of Zambia and its neighbours have all contributed to business coming back,” he says. Road, rail, sea and airfreight volumes are all up on previous years and consolidation business has also shown signs of recovery. Much of this can be attributed to clients utilising UTi on an end-to-end basis across its international network of owned offices. “Because of our large volumes, we are able to negotiate competitive rates from preferred partners and can pass on the cost benefit to our clients. We have a healthy balance of import and export loads, which affords us strong buying power and is what all transporters aim to achieve,” he says. The Zambian company leverages off the group’s centralised freight procurement processes, which take African and global volumes into account across all transport modes. “This is one of our key strengths. We are able to drive value because we negotiate for the whole of Africa,” says Brits. Beira, Durban and Dar es Salaam are all being used by UTi, with most of the traffic between Zambia and China and India. Some of the bigger projects handled by UTi Zambia include a new mine and a shopping centre. With the growth of volumes and to meet client demands, UTi Zambia has opened a branch in Ndola, and is considering Kitwe next.