‘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.