Working more closely with logistics providers TEAMING UP with customers and suppliers to increase shipping volumes and logistics efficiencies from the Gauteng region is the recipe at Safmarine, says Gauteng area manager Colin Lambourne. “Not only has Safmarine restructured its staff into customer-focused teams, but we’ve also introduced initiatives that allow us to work more closely with logistics providers, Safmarine associate companies and our customers. “Teaming up has given us more control over shipments from port of discharge to final place of delivery – or from point of packing to port of loading,” says Lambourne. Safmarine, as part of its promise of being more accessible to customers, recently established an additional branch office at Pretcon in Pretoria, headed up by branch manager and experienced Safmariner Dave Everett. This is in addition to the on-site Safmarine office at Ford Motor Company of South Africa’s manufacturing plant in Silverton. Lambourne believes Safmarine’s business with Ford offers significant opportunities to other companies in the Pretoria region. “Ford imports a large number of containers from the Far East and Safmarine sees significant opportunities to use these empty containers to grow exports from the Pretoria and Rosslyn areas. The Ford volumes are sufficient to meet exporter requirements,” says Lambourne. Safmarine Pretoria recently set up a dedicated team to market the many export opportunities to Pretoria-based industries. To date, much of Safmarine’s activity in Pretoria has been focused on providing efficient delivery of containers to meet Ford’s stringent production schedules. “We’ve concentrated on providing ‘value-added’ services such as managing the Ford container yard through our associate company SATi and working with Ford to effectively triangulate containers,” says Lambourne. He says Gauteng manufacturers should focus particularly on increasing exports to the Far East. “Safmarine’s new vessels on the improved Safari service offer increased capacity and four weekly calls to China, one of South Africa’s fastest growing trading partners.”
