Recovery slower than anticipated - Pietersen

Despite having shaken off the worst of the economic slowdown, recovery is still painstakingly slower than anticipated, according to Basil Pietersen, chairman of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff). Speaking at the organisation’s annual conference in Johannesburg last week, Pietersen said while the past three years had been economically challenging, many of the organisation’s members had coped well. “The past three years have been all about business unusual – freight forwarders operate in an industry that is hugely dynamic and constantly undergoing changes that have a profound effect on the way that we do business.” Pietersen said it was important that the country’s forwarders remained ahead of regulatory changes and demands, while also constantly investing in technology and innovation. He said while the worst seemed to be over, the recovery process was not as fast as first anticipated. “The market is certainly much smaller and there is significantly more competition among the key role-players.” Pietersen said for this reason the Saaff conference played an important role in bringing role-players together to find collective solutions to challenges and resolve issues that would be insurmountable if tackled individually.