‘Lower rates should reduce price of imports’

World Groupage Services is
constantly adding new routes to
its bouquet of services and has
identified several areas for development
this year.
A Cape Town-based groupage operator
specialising in the Far East, WGS is now
also offering a weekly consolidation
service ex-South East Asia and India via
its Singapore hub.
This is in addition to its usual weekly
services ex-Hong Kong, Shekou,
Shanghai, Ningbo, Taiwan and Korea.
According to sales and marketing
manager Mandy Gibson, 2009 is already
becoming a challenging year for the
industry, with a general decrease in
demand for goods worldwide. And this
impacts directly on imports into
South Africa.
“Buying rates have reduced
substantially which should, in effect,
lower the price of imported goods,” she
told FTW.
One positive aspect at least. And
Gibson also anticipates a slight turnaround
during the third quarter of this year with
the demand for imported goods
increasing again.
“Working with exclusive partners
enables WGS to offer a seamless operation
from origin to discharge – a partner
synergy achieved through sharing the
same strong service culture.”
WGS operates from the city centre and
this close proximity to its Western Cape
customer base enables the company to
respond rapidly to clients’ needs and to
make ‘on-the-spot’ decisions.
Gibson believes service and
competitive rates are WGS’s trump cards
– competitive rates due to strong buying
power with the carriers.