Just as the advent of
containerisation turned
the freight industry on its
head, there’s a new tranche
of disruptors that is changing the
face of the industry at a
rate of knots.
Adapting and
rebooting is a nonnegotiable,
and it’s
part of the DNA
of CFR Freight,
says CEO Peter
Schmidt-Löffler.
When company
founder Uli
Hatesohl sent his
first groupage
container to
Germany in 1991,
he was charting
new territory.
Containerisation
had opened a
new window of
opportunity, and
CFR established
a lucrative niche
as a neutral
consolidator for
the freight forwarding industry.
“The introduction of containers
had a significant impact on
efficiencies when introduced 40
years ago. Reduced handling and
a significant reduction in transit
times were achieved compared
to the conventional handling
methods prior to
its introduction,”
says Schmidt-
Löffler.
“However, new
technologies
are helping
to streamline
handling and
transit even
further.”
Harnessing those technologies
and adapting to an increasingly
demanding client base has seen
the introduction of a raft of new
services that has moved the
company into a new league, he
adds.
The opening of ZacPak depots
country-wide added a packaging
and warehousing component while
domestic distribution speaks to
the need for a ‘one-stop shop’. “It’s
all about selling solutions.”
The company’s operating system
has been developed in-house and
an online platform services all
customers’ ocean freight needs.
“It is dynamic and absorbs the
changing elements of customs,
security, tracking
and the like,” says
Schmidt-Löffler.
“The global
container market
is expected to
grow by 5-7%
per annum over
the next five
years – and CFR
Freight is geared
to handle the increase in volumes
with a strategy in place to simplify
the business of moving LCL and
FCL cargo on behalf of clearing
and forwarding agents even
further.”
CFR Group of companies
employs in excess of 250 people
nationally and has moved
upwards of 200 000 TEUs in its
time.
CFR has moved upwards of
200 000 TEUs in its time.
– Peter Schmidt-Löffler
