JOY ORLEK SHIPPING EXPERTISE is in no short supply at Orion Freight Forwarders where the management’s combined experience totals over 100 years. Along with its status as a 100% owned and managed BEE company these credentials have earned it a number of key accounts, says managing director Pat Pillay. “Our BEE status is an added advantage, but certainly not the basis on which we attract business – service delivery is without question the key component.” Part of the company’s success relates to management’s hands-on approach, in Pillay’s view. “We have no figureheads – every manager has a wealth of diverse industry experience and is involved at an operational level.” Providing the full spectrum of import and export services by air and sea, Orion has seen particular growth in overborder traffic, with Zambia one of the prime performers. There has also been strong demand on the Far East route, says Pillay, and with agents worldwide, the company is well placed to serve its clients’ changing needs. Durban-based, Orion recently opened a Johannesburg office, and also operates from its own office in Zimbabwe. Local distribution is undertaken through an in-house transport division, Pentagon Carriers. Its ten horses and trailers are used for local and overborder distribution.
