CROSS-POLLINATION of staff and skills is the thinking behind a multi-skilling exchange programme undertaken by Hellmann Worldwide Logistics South Africa and its colleagues in the UK, says Keith Domoney, GM for national sales and marketing, automotive logistics. “Our production logistics partners Hellmann Rudolph have 600 employees based at BMW’s Mini plant in Oxford handling the logistics functions for the plant, including line side deliveries. Similar functions are being undertaken with Rolls Royce and Bentley in the UK,” said Domoney. “Hellmann Rudolph recently secured the VW parts distribution centre in Dubai where we will be receiving and distributing all VW parts and accessories within the United Arab Emirates and surrounding areas.” Maintaining a uniform procedure is crucial for any global company, and in South Africa HWL has geared its operational departments to handle automotive business in such a way that they comply with global automotive standards, says Domoney. The group’s annual turnover in Africa is US$1.5 billion (R10.8bn), with the South African operations generating revenues of about US$150 million (R1.08bn) a year. According to Domoney, dynamic changes in the industry have seen a shift of focus with costs no longer the overriding factor. Many manufacturers now understand the importance of balancing lower shipping costs against lead times and service levels. HWL recently secured the global traffic for Federal Mogul, and that includes the company’s five sites in South Africa that produce sealing systems, friction products, ignition systems and after-market products. HWL’s offices in Mexico have focused their production departments on automotive logistics and have secured a range of multi-national accounts for the likes of Johnson Controls, TRW Automotive and SAS-Faurecia. “We are finding that the Mexican route is becoming more predominant. However the service offered by the carriers between Mexico and South Africa is not that efficient.” HWL’s networks operate from 341 cities in 134 countries with a staff of more than 15 000 people. In South Africa the company employs 240 people at five offices.
