Saf’s ‘Mr Auto’ hits the brakes

After 41 years, Safmarine’s ‘Mr Auto’, Rob Lord, has hit the brakes on his shipping career and embarked on a retirement journey which includes golfing, home renovation and family vacations. Regarded by many OEMs and OEM sub-suppliers as their ‘global shipping adviser and partner’, Lord is credited with spearheading a number of ‘beyond the port’ OEM cargo delivery initiatives at Safmarine. His ability to think out of the box on service also led to the on-site appointment of Safmariners at OEM plants, not only to provide hands-on logistics support but also to manage import and export shipments and billing. “One of Rob’s particular strength’s was his ability to provide door-to-door transport solutions for OEMs by encouraging closer cooperation between the different stakeholders in the supply chain,” said Safmarine’s Dave Everett. “Many of the initiatives introduced by Rob during the past decade have not only been copied by other shipping lines, but have become the industry standard.” Lord, who took particular pride in the local auto industry’s many successes, including its ability to compete globally on quality, believes the new Automotive Production & Development Programme (APDP) will help grow the industry even further by providing additional opportunities for OEMs to increase volumes and achieve greater economies of scale. “OEMs need to make the most of the opportunities presented by the APDP. They need to work closely with shipping lines to identify possible markets where they can benefit from export opportunities on ‘back haul’ routes, equipment cabotage or repositioning options. In so doing they will grow their volumes and leverage the APDP’s economy-of-scale benefits even further,” says Lord. The new generation of Safmariners who continue to build on the foundations set by the likes of Lord are Craig McCarthy, Dave Everett and Dieter Veening who are, respectively, responsible for the GM, Ford and Daimler accounts.