Regular block trains would give Eastern Cape the edge

Transnet and national government have to create “an edge” for Eastern Cape-based businesses which are constrained by the relatively small size of the local market, says Bruce Thoresson, director dedicated solutions at Bidvest Panalpina Logistics. Regular block trains are needed between Port Elizabeth and Gauteng, and East London and Gauteng to allow both business and the three ports in the province to realise their potential. “Business in the province has so many impediments,” says the Port Elizabeth-based director. Bidvest Panalpina Logistics has first-hand experience of the logistics challenges facing business in the province. It has dedicated in-house teams operating in a number of large companies in the province and elsewhere in South Africa. They are able to offer a full in-house service covering all aspects of logistics, including warehousing and transport. Many Eastern Cape companies are finding ways of overcoming the many challenges of doing business in the province, and demand for quality warehousing and other logistics services from Bidvest Panalpina Logistics is growing. More businesses would be attracted to the province, he believes, if government acted. This could be done through pressuring Transnet to provide more regular trains at competitive rates, or by offering regional incentives. INSERT ‘Demand for quality warehousing and other logistics services from Bidvest Panalpina Logistics is growing.’