New equipment and a new facility…GM of Southway Freight Container Depot Nan Govender invested in the best to meet storage needs. KEVIN MAYHEW THE INCREASING demand for warehousing capacity in Durban has been given a boost with the opening of the Southway Freight Container Depot in Prospecton. The new 42 000 m² facility will provide 10 000 m² of paved area, 12 000 m² of hardened ground and 360 m² of bonded warehousing. Once fully established, the depot at Jeffels Road behind SABMiller will be capable of handling 1500 full container loads and 2000 empties with provision for 70 reefer plug points. Although independent, it will draw on the significant capacity of M3 Carriers, a specialist paper products handler and transporter based in Stanger on the North Coast which has an annual turnover of about R36m. It has the capacity to manage the supply chain from source to destination via partnerships with local and global service providers. “We have invested in the right location and machinery to provide a service that is needed in Durban as it expands. A 20 000 m² area within our secured site will be developed to extend stacking or as a warehouse,” general manager Nan Govender told FTW. The site adjoins a railway line and plans have been submitted for a rail siding capable of handling 24 wagons per shunt.