SA groupage exports close the gap

DESPITE THE stronger rand, South Africa’s groupage exports to the UK are continuing to thrive, at least for UK-based NVOCC Confreight, which predicts a 50/50 split in its import/export volumes by the middle of this year.
General manager Ian Gill forecasts that growing exports from South Africa wil,l tilt the company’s 60/40 business weighting in favour of SA exports within six months.
“We can see the trend already,” Gill told FTW in London recently. “The aggressive sales drive by our SA partner, CFR Freight, has pushed more exports to the UK than ever before which might be an indication of increased market share rather than a growth in volumes.”
South Africa is Confreight’s biggest market, with a direct weekly service operating between the UK and PE, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
“We’re now among the top three consolidators in the UK, having recorded 18% growth in 2004.”
Confreight moves a diverse range of goods on the UK – SA route, from machinery and cosmetics to chemicals and personal effects. “We’re also getting a lot more involved in inland delivery and delivery unpacks,” he said.
South African exports are also a mixed bag, from handicrafts and mining machinery spares to chemicals, wine and textiles.
The company uses conference lines exclusively, routing some 70% of its cargo with Safmarine.
“In the groupage game it’s last minute efficiency in dealing with last minute changes that makes the difference. At Safmarine they never complain about it – they expect it and deal with it.”