German freight multinational Rhenus Logistics has announced that it’s significantly strengthening the country's logistics network by opening new warehouses in Pretoria and East London.
In addition, it will be modernising and extending its existing site in Port Elizabeth.
In particular, the healthcare, life sciences, retail and renewable energy sectors will benefit from the integrated coast-to-coast warehousing services.
Rhenus South Africa already has a strong presence in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
The service provider has now expanded its network of warehousing sites on the East Coast as part of its strategic expansion goals, thus closing a gap on the map for its customers.
A new 3,000 square metre (sqm) warehouse in Samrand near Pretoria and a new 2,000 sqm facility in East London were unveiled.
At the existing site in Port Elizabeth, available space have been increased to 1,100 sqm.
Rhenus said these initiatives reflect the company's commitment to providing a consistent quality of service and integrated experience across all its facilities, regardless of their size or location in South Africa.
The company is also responding to ever-increasing market demand and the needs of its customers.
"Throughout and since Covid, many customers realised that they had insufficient stock holding in the country and that a just-in-time approach doesn't always work in terms of meeting customer demand, combined with speed to market," says Cornell van Rooyen, head of Warehousing at Rhenus South Africa.
"This is especially true in these volatile times, characterised by declining transport volumes, delays at ports, poor rail infrastructure, a weakening currency and energy challenges like load shedding."
The new warehouse in Samrand provides optimum conditions for the express courier service and the contract logistics activities of Rhenus.
It also expands the range of production, industrial and commercial logistics services along the N1 motorway, which connects Gauteng with the north-south corridor.
In East London, the new warehouse plays a crucial role in simplifying import procedures and improving the competitive advantage of local businesses.
The facility features a bonded warehouse, state-of-the-art temperature-controlled cold and hot storage and a robust security infrastructure.
For customers, these improvements increase efficiency and reduce operating and maintenance costs.
"With the targeted investment in regional hubs, we are complementing our existing business and at the same time offering the opportunity to medium-sized customers who may be considering switching to a more cost-effective outsourced storage solution in the current economic climate," Van Rooyen says.
"We are optimistic that this strategic approach will lead to strong annual growth over the next three to five years."
