Off-airport degroupage facility generates airfreight growth

a. hartrodt moves into supply chain management Joy Orlek THE OPENING of an off-airport degroupage facility at its Jet Park premises in February has added a new dimension to a. hartrodt’s airfreight offering and already generated higher than expected volumes, says general manager Herbert Müller. The facility is turning around an average of one to two pallets a day from Frankfurt alone, according to Muller, providing the service for a. hartrodt as well as the Future Group, a group of German forwarding agents established several years ago to achieve bulk buying power, of which hartrodt is a founder member. “We’ve always maintained a highly diversified client base,” says Muller, “and this has stood us in good stead, with exports continuing to grow despite the fluctuating rand. “On the import side we’ve seen a slight shift from sea to air and a major increase in airfreight imports. “Our new degroupage facility is playing a major role here, not only cutting down delivery times but also ensuring a far more secure environment. We have not had one parcel go missing since the launch and damages have been minimal,” says Muller. A sophisticated new warehouse programme, designed to facilitate interface with clients, will be implemented shortly. “We work six days a week, and the seventh on request.” In line with global trends, a. hartrodt is currently negotiating a major contract in the automotive industry which will involve a full supply chain management operation from the production facility at overseas source to distribution to the end user. “We’re looking at establishing a 2000 m2, high rack facility which will cater for the 14 000 individual parts that are anticipated,” said Muller. “There’s a worldwide trend to supply chain management and the company has already got involved in Germany and Australia. Our objective is to become a major player in the field,” he said.