Providing a base for growing business in the region

Logistics company Transitex, which has been operating in Mozambique since 2007, is building on the strength of its network and experience in the market to help its clients expand their operations in the region. The company is changing a perception in some parts of the market that it focuses on providing forwarding and other services for MotoEngil, a Portuguese industrial conglomerate, according to Mozambique country manager Tiago Martins. He says Transitex is an active member of the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI). One of its biggest projects is the movement of around 350 containers of chrome ore a month from Burgersfort in Limpopo to Lingwiang in China. Transitex is responsible for all the logistics operations, from the loading at the mine of ore into tilting trucks, through the consolidation in Maputo, and to the port of destination. Martins believes that Transitex can assist with the development of the Mozambican ports, with a particular emphasis on imports – where he believes there is not enough focus by the market at present. Trade needs to flow both ways, he says. “What we do well is that we understand imports. We have a strong brand and a US$3 million bond, and we are in a position to help our clients in Europe to break into the Southern African market,” he says. Transitex was founded in 2002 in the city of Badajoz, Spain, with the purpose of transforming the port of Lisbon into a harbour capable of competing against those in Iberia, Spain. Its focus is now on Southern Africa, with particular emphasis on the Portuguesespeaking countries and Latin America, where Transitex has a presence from Mexico to Argentina. “We are promoting relations between the port of Beira and exporters and importers based in Malawi,” he says. One of its biggest projects to date has been the moving of 7,200 tons of steel components to Malawi from Beira on 245 separate truckloads. There are also plans to build a Transitex warehouse facility in Malawi. CAPTION Manganese ore.