Sasfin Premier Logistics is set to grow its customer base in the Western Cape as the company targets the export market as well as new emerging African markets over the coming months. This follows the appointment of Paul Beaumont Thomas as the company’s Western Cape regional manager. Beaumont Thomas told FTW that diversifying and growing the client base as well as the commodities handled by the group was high on his agenda. “Through our comprehensive start to finish foreign trade solution we have a unique offering for our clients,” he said. Beaumont Thomas said the Western Cape branch had, to date, not focused on the export market. “We have been very involved with imports but we believe there are major opportunities in the export sector. The company has advantages to offer through Sasfin Bank – which allows us to also provide trade finance, forex, incentives and short term insurance over and above traditional logistic services.” He said perishables as well as oil and gas were two definite industries the company would be targeting from a Western Cape perspective. According to CEO Peter Ehrenreich, the decision to consolidate all of the company’s non-commercial activities in Johannesburg has allowed the regions to focus on their core business and to pursue growth. “One has to be constantly looking at new vertical markets in the current economic environment,” he said. “We believe by consolidating services such as IT, accounting, finance, and HR in Johannesburg our regional teams can be far more client-centric, ultimately allowing us to grow our business and expand our offering.” Ehrenreich said services such as customs entries and other Sars compliance activities were also consolidated from Johannesburg. CAPTION Paul Beaumont Thomas, Sasfin Premier Logistics’ new Western Cape regional manager, and CEO Peter Ehrenreich.
