New Bapsfontein storage facility caters for emergencies

The unpredictability of the South African labour environment – especially on big projects – has forced freight and logistics companies to plan for any eventuality. According to Lampie Grobler, operations manager for Frits Kroon Transport, it was the recent strike at the Medupi power plant in Lephalale in Limpopo that motivated the company to transform a piece of agricultural land purchased several years ago in Bapsfontein in the north of Gauteng into an open storage facility. “One of our clients, who is heavily involved at Medupi, immediately made use of the facility by moving equipment there to store for the duration of the strike at Medupi. But since then it has proven to be a value-add to our business as we now have a facility for emergency situations and for general storage use.” He said while storage was not necessarily a problem in South Africa, it was an issue during the strike season when there was an increased need in the country. “The strikes often have significant impact on freight and logistics operations as goods and equipment are continuously coming into the country for the project sector, but then cannot be delivered. It is essential then to have a site available immediately.” He said the site in Bapsfontein comprised some 40 000 sqm of open storage and they were currently in the process of erecting an electric fence around the entire facility to improve security. A 36-ton forklift has also been purchased to allow for the easy loading and off-loading of the large pieces of equipment coming in and out of the premises. With its proximity to the East Rand, only 30km from OR Tambo Airport, and en route to Limpopo and the Beitbridge border post, it is ideally situated to serve as a storage facility. Grobler said while their company did not move containers, the facility could be used for the storage of containers as well for short periods of time. INSERT Storage is an issue during the strike season when there is an increased need in the country. – Lampie Grobler