Partnership opens up UK trade opportunities

Logistics majors FS Mackenzie and World Cargo Services (WCS) have signed a partnership agreement on the South Africa-United Kingdom route which will give both companies increased exposure to the two markets. The agreement was cemented at a High Tea function with clients at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg last week where WCS managing director, Colin Atkins, told FTW that groupage trade between the UK and SA had increased significantly over the past few years despite the strength of the UK pound. “This partnership will increase our exposure to the key UK market,” he said, adding that WCS would now be moving weekly groupages to Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. FS Mackenzie director John Smith-Allen said that the beauty of the partnership was that both companies were like-minded from a service and operational perspective. “For both parties, it’s less about the bottom line than it is about making sure we assist our clients in meeting their delivery deadlines,” said Smith-Allen. CAPTION Meeting of minds … Colin Atkins (right) and John Smith-Allen.