Cross-border project transport
specialist Image Freight is set
to grow its Gauteng customer base
with the opening this month of a
turnaround depot in
Roodekop.
It adds significant
muscle to the
company’s service
offering, says
director Anthony
Sivalingam, and is
an essential element
of its cross-border
armoury.
“When you’re
based in Durban,
running a crossborder
operation, it’s
essential to have a
Johannesburg depot. We’ll bring in
imports from Durban, stage them in
our yard and clear them and then the
truck will go back.”
The Johannesburg depot is very
similar to the Durban facility, with
a workshop, operational facility,
training facility and management
and driver accommodation. A
warehouse is on the planning boards
for later development.
Without doubt 2015 has been a
tough year, says Sivalingam, but next
year will be better, he told FTW.
Economic peaks
and troughs are part
and parcel of the
business landscape.
“There are cycles
of good and bad –
and during the bad
times you need to
consolidate.”
It’s a philosophy
that’s worked well
during the company’s
15-year history which
has seen the fleet
grow from one-truck
and one-trailer when
it started in 2001 to 60 trucks and
140 trailers today.
Its one-stop operation includes
not only transport but clearing and
forwarding and bonded warehousing
facilities at its Durban base. Daily
services cover Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Botswana and Mozambique for
project and general cargo.
“What makes us different is
our all-encompassing service. For
example, if there’s a new mine being
set up, we can do the whole turnkey
operation from A to Z.
“We can clear the cargo, get it
out of the port, stage it and arrange
the transport. Transport is just one
element of the comprehensive
service we offer.”
Operating crossborder
is not without its
challenges, and policy
changes and labour issues
related to customs and
drivers require constant
attention.
“We have
runners in
Zambia and
Zimbabwe
and our own
office at the
Beitbridge
border in
order to facilitate swift processing of
customs documentation.”
For Sivalingam it’s about having
the right structures in place,
manned by competent staff. The
Johannesburg depot adds a key
component to the company’s
comprehensive service portfolio
and it will be marketing the
new facility aggressively as it
vies for a greater share of the
Gauteng market.
INSERT & CAPTION
What makes us different
is our all-encompassing
service. For example,
if there’s a new mine
being set up, we can
do the whole turnkey
operation from A to Z.
– Anthony Sivalingam
New turnaround depot set to rev up Gauteng business
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