New agency deals help to grow ILA volumes

Strong focus on exports
JOY ORLEK
IN LINE with its national focus, independent groupage operator ILA will be pushing ahead in its export drive in the Western Cape with particular emphasis on the North West Continent. “We’re confident that we can gain significant ground in our export campaign,” national sales director Raymond Cutts told FTW. To this end Gordon Mallandain has been appointed national export product manager based in Johannesburg but with regional responsibility to grow the company’s export market – and the Cape is a big part of this strategy. Traditionally strong in the Far East, India and Asia, ILA recently signed up a number of new agency deals in Germany, Belgium and Holland, offering its customers access to the growing markets in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe as well. And these agency deals have already impacted positively on its import volumes nationally and in the Cape where the company has recorded significant growth particularly from the NWC, according to Cape Town branch manager Mandy Gibson. “We’ll also be pushing our services to Singapore and Australia, traditional regions which we believe have good growth potential,” says Cutts. Upgrades in its Asian service include the introduction of direct services from Shenzhen and Guangzhuo. “We’re upbeat about growing volumes in the year ahead, particularly in view of the larger bouquet of services that we can now offer,” said Cutts.