Sail explores cross-border expansion

SA Inland Logistics is exploring the option of expanding outside of South Africa’s borders, Sail’s Gerald Naidu told FTW. It’s part and parcel of a general growth and expansion strategy that will see the company increasing its asset base, designing an in-house computer system and possibly expanding its warehouse. “There are a lot of opportunities for growth and development and we have been fortunate to grow and retain our strong customer base. However, in today’s uncertain economic climate, we are taking our expansion plans one step at a time as the need arises,” said Naidu. “The past year has been a good one for us and we’re currently running a 24-hour operation, which has led us to begin working with a company in India to design our own computer system. It allows us to continually track and trace the movement of goods from the time they leave our warehouses in Durban or Johannesburg until they arrive at their destination,” said Naidu. He said that in time the company would look at enabling the system to interface with other stakeholders. “Opening up our branch in City Deep, Johannesburg has paid off for us, especially with the warehouse attached and using the company’s own fleet of vehicles there. It has brought in more business and we are looking at adding a further three trucks soon to meet increased demand.” He said that SA Inland Logistics now had two permits for operations in City Deep, mostly for bringing in consolidated cargo from Johannesburg to Durban. He also believes that there are opportunities for doing business in Africa and the company is looking to take advantage of the current developments on the continent, particularly in the sub-Saharan region. Along with the rest of the industry, Naidu faces the challenges of port and rail backlogs. “But we regularly engage with the port and rail authorities and keep the communication channels open to try to work with them to find solutions,” he said. “The additional trains and added systems have made a difference and we are now able to give our customers the option of road or rail transport, highlighting the pros and cons of each and allowing them to make an informed choice based on their business priorities.” SA Inland Logistics has also been working with the Transnet Ports Authority (TNPA) on the pilot project for the planned Truck Appointment System at the Durban Container Terminal at Pier 2. Naidu said that since using the system, the company had not had any staged trucks unless there was a technical issue. CAPTION Gerald Naidu… on the expansion track.