Major changes in SA's freight technology landscape

The takeover by Australianbased
WiseTech Global of the
SA Core Freight Systems – soon
after its take-over of Compu-
Clearing – will provide the
industry with “the best of three
worlds”.
Referring to the latest
development, CEO and founder
of WiseTech Global, Richard
White, said the two companies
had been working together
for some time to integrate
WiseTech’s supply chain
solution, CargoWise One, with
Core Freight’s existing system
– which would be released
shortly. “In the medium term,
CargoWise One will have a
new, embedded, state-of-theart
SA-customs module for its
customers. The existing Core
Freight software will continue
to be maintained for the
foreseeable future to facilitate
the ongoing operation of its
customers’ businesses.
“Our focus and investment
in SA represents a significant
commitment to raise the
service level of our Europe-
Middle East-Africa (EMEA)
customers,” he said, “through
our commitment to SA.” And
this will include growing the
combined operation’s staff
numbers to more than 200 IT
personnel.
Also, SA will play an even
bigger role in the company’s
future plans. It divides its world
into three time zones – the
Americas, EMEA and Asia/
Oceania. “It is our plan,” White
added, “to put our SA offices at
the heart of our global support
and development strategy.”
And all this will provide a
more powerful and complete
solution to SA logistics
providers, in his view.
According to Jonathan Sims,
MD of Core Freight, the union
with WiseTech Global ensures
that Core Freight will be able
to continue providing the best
solutions for its customers.
And, he told FTW at the
Saaff conference in Durban last
week, the directors had thought
“long and hard” about it, but
had decided it would bring a
number of opportunities to the
industry as a whole, as well as
the company. He emphasised
that it could only benefit
the clearing and forwarding
industry to have a wider choice
of services that had the backing
of a major global brand.
“It is clear that the
technological demands within
the global logistics industry are
rising at a critical pace,” Sims
added. “In order for us, and our
customers, to remain worldclass,
we need to increase our
investment and deploy a wider
range of internationally leading
functionality. We came to
realise that we could do much
more for our customers and
southern Africa by joining with
WiseTech Global.”
And Arnold Garber, now
officially retired, but after 32
years at the Compu-Clearing
helm still associated in a
lot of industry minds with
the company, was equally
enthusiastic.
He pointed out that
WiseTech Global would soon
announce details of their
strategy for the new group.
“All three will continue to
work independently, but all part
of the same family.
“Also, you have to realise
that WiseTech had some great
functionalities which neither
of us had, and CargoWise has
some superb features. That’s
good for the industry because
it’s a fantastic, modern and
strong product which embraces
all the new technology and
requirements.”
Garber also told FTW that
he understood the industry’s
concerns. “Compu-Clearing
and Core Freight were very
competitive. But suddenly they
are all one, and that surprised
the industry.
“However, the industry can
look forward to a vibrant,
resourceful system, and new
and innovative management.”
And, although Garber is
a retiree, he’s actually still
working away at three new
“small” projects – designed,
he told FTW, “to offer three
much-needed benefits to the
family’s customers”.
In recognition of the
importance of staff input to the
success of the business, White
revealed that WiseTech Global
was negotiating to secure
modern premises in or around
the fast-growing Waterfall
precinct located between
Sandton and Pretoria.
“And customers who
operate both globally and/or
locally, whether big or small,
will have increased access to
automation and productivity
improvements,” White added.
“Also exposure to modern,
world-class systems, broad
comprehensive functionality
with the ability to scale and
grow into many new and
exciting logistics operations,
and sales, management and
financial capabilities – using
as much or as little as they feel
suits their needs.”
White will be in South
Africa next week to host a meet
and greet and presentation
where he will explain the
short- and long-term benefits,
expanded investments and
improvements to processing,
automation and competitive
capability that will come from
making South Africa a key
global centre for WiseTech.
He told FTW he and his
staff were in contact with
customers who had raised
concerns or wished for greater
clarity.
“Logistics is a huge,
global industry and as this
transformation continues,
driven by rapid changes in
technology, particularly
in software and database
capabilities globally, we
need increased technology
investment in order to make our
customers’ businesses sustainable
in the medium and long term.
“WiseTech has a 20-year
history of successful investment
in customs and forwarding
technology and intends to deliver
to South Africa something far
greater and better than they have
had in the past,” he said.
INSERT & CAPTION 1
The industry can
look forward to a
vibrant, resourceful
system, and new
and innovative
management.
– Arnold Garber
INSERT & CAPTION 2
Globally we need
increased technology
investment in order to
make our customers’
businesses sustainable
in the medium and
long term.
– Richard White
INSERT & CAPTION 3
It can only benefit
the clearing and
forwarding industry.
– Jonathan Sims