Railway siding facilitates seamless transhipment

Kevin Mayhew FOR MITCHELL Cotts in Ndola it’s a case of what a difference a border makes, according to its managing director Alex Mashano. The company’s premises at the Copperbelt town – which he believes is set to develop very fast in the wake of an overall positive economic climate in the region – positions him directly on a railway line siding that enables him to establish a transhipment facility with the added bonus of an existing gantry. “It is the only such facility in the town which is next to Railway Systems of Zambia Ndola station, and we believe that it will give us an edge in the growing local freight sector as it will enable us to tranship seamlessly,” he explains. Mitchell Cotts has a long history with Ndola and the Copperbelt. It has maintained a presence in the copper rich region since the early 1930s when it project managed for the mining sector. In 1992, Mashano decided that it was time the well known Mitchell Cotts brand began to strengthen its presence as more of a fully fledged logistics service provider. It opened offices in Chirundu, Livingstone, Lusaka, Kitwe and Kasumbalesa on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border. It also began warehousing for supplies to mines in both Zambia and Zimbabwe. “More recently we have undertaken logistics support for European countries and documentation for cargo into and out of the DRC. Our services also include transhipment – hence the new facility – which means handling, packaging, unloading and the like,” he concludes.