Growing its global footprint and expanding its service offering is of strategic importance to logistics service provider Leschaco.The company has identified key targets in its Vision 2030 strategy as it continues to add depth to its range of logistics services.Speaking to Freight News recently, shareholder and chief digital officer Constantin Conrad said this strategy included South Africa, where several opportunities had been identified in recent months.“We have an extremely aggressive growth plan in place – and growing our business in South Africa is part of that plan,” he said, indicating that the company was upbeat about the outlook for 2023. “There have been many challenges facing logistics companies on a global front. As a business, we have always had an important focus on northern Europe, but over the past few years, we have been expanding our footprint and are now represented in a variety of markets. Our projections for South Africa, in particular, are very positive and we have high ambitions for the country and reg ion.”Conrad, whose family founded Leschaco, said the goal of Vision 2030 was to build on the legacy of his father, Jorg, who passed away in October last year after serving as CEO of Leschaco up until his death."Entering the company, it was important for me to first take a step back and determine what is the driving force of the business before taking on the commitment to build on my father and grandfather’s legacy,” he explained. “The result of this was Vision 2030 – a clear vision and strategy of where we want to take the company over the next seven years.”According to Conrad, people remain the driving force at Leschaco. “Connecting people across industries and fields is at the heart of what we do. We have a strong business focus, but people motivate us to meet the challenges that we face as logistics operators. That does not just include our customers, but also our employees and our partners.”A lot of effort goes into each and every market in which the company operates. “Through our growth strategy we want to deliver substantial benefits to our existing and prospective clients worldwide as we continue to make investments in the future,” he said, adding that the commitment was the same no matter where a client was situated – enhanced control, improved service quality, and bottom-line benefits.According to South African managing director Juan Enslin, relationships with suppliers and customers remain strong and open communication with clients is important in these challenging times. “Disrupted supply chains are the reality of the times,” he said. “Now more than ever it is important to be in constant communication with one’s clients and provide a hands-on approach that is f lexible and able to meet clients’ needs.”Enslin said one of the major differentiating factors of the company was its ability to come up with bespoke solutions in difficult conditions.Christian Böttcher, regional head EMEAI, said Vision 2030 provided management in the various regions with a firm guideline for the next few years to drive growth. “The company's goals are aligned across regions. This way we can remain relevant for our customers while accelerating our growth and providing integrated logistics solutions in all the countries in which we are present.”Peter Schmidt-Löff ler, CEO of Sub-Saharan Africa, said expansion in Africa was an important goal for the next seven years – along with diversification of the product portfolio. “We want to deliver quality solutions to our customers no matter what their needs or location,” he concluded.
