Natco SA celebrates 10 years

ALAN PEAT
THE FREIGHT forwarding operation Natco SA has just moved into a new customised logistics facility at Meadowvale Industrial Park near Johannesburg International Airport (JIA). According to MD Patrick Durig, the company now has access to a 2 000m2 warehouse premises – with a complete racking system and specialised container loading docks and ramps – and an 800m2 office building. “It’s a fully-fitted logistics facility,” he told FTW, “supported with a 24/7 security system.” Over its 10-year SA history, Natco has developed into a full-scale freight forwarder handling small-to-corporate sized importers and exporters – and a current focus on project cargo, according to Durig. Its most recent big project was the break-bulk export shipment of a 165-ton, 330-mva power transformer from ABB in Pretoria to its consignee Alstom Power in Houston, Texas in the USA. “First this machine had to be road transported on an abnormal carrier to Cape Town as the weight restrictions on the bridges leading into Durban would not allow this size of cargo to be carried over them. “As the floating crane in Richard’s Bay was also not operational, the only solution was to direct this cargo to Cape Town – a 10-day trip from Pretoria via Upington.” From there, the sea leg to the US was undertaken by Macs – which had to re-direct its vessel, the Arosia 2621, to the Cape port to collect the transformer as deck cargo. “Our Natco international head office in Switzerland co-ordinated the whole project,” said Durig, “with Natco South Africa handling the SA inland leg. “We already have a few other project cargoes on the drawing boards for the rest of this year.”