Route managers help grow volumes

Heeny Transportation South Africa – the local forwarding arm of the global Hecny Group which is 50% owned by Sasfin Premier Logistics – has appointed route development managers in the Brics countries as part of a strategy to grow export and import volumes between South Africa and other member countries. “The route development managers will focus on identifying value for companies trading in these respective countries,” says Ravi Pillay, new business development manager: Hecny Far East in South Africa. The Hecny Group has seen growth between the two regions over the past few years, he said. “With our continued group focus, we certainly expect this momentum to continue,” said Pillay. Tamica Ching, sales and marketing director for Sasfin Premier Logistics, told FTW that China and India in particular had shown the most potential for future growth as they were export-oriented economies. But all the countries within the Brics stable offered learning opportunities in terms of best practice across the supply chain, she added. “By continuing to work closely with our offices in these various countries we are consistently growing our understanding of the markets and their commodities. This information, coupled with our supply chain management expertise and flexibility, helps us to adapt to the continuous changes in demands,” Ching commented. In response to whether the industry is taking adequate advantage of the country’s inclusion in Brics, Ching says: “We have a long way to go, and our leaders need to urgently address inland transport efficiency as well as cost. We still have one of the most expensive global ports and the high cost of overland transport was raised at the Breakbulk Africa Congress held earlier this year.” This forces global investors to look at more costeffective countries, she said. INSERT & CAPTION All the countries within the Brics stable offer learning opportunities in terms of best practice across the supply chain. – Tamica Ching