SDV sets bold expansion targets

Acquisitions could be part of the mix JOY ORLEK NEWLY APPOINTED regional managing director of SDV South Africa, Philippe Deneve, has a simple mandate - to raise the profile of SDV in Southern Africa to the level of the company’s considerable reputation in West and Central Africa. It’s a challenge to which Deneve is more than equal, bringing to the position 25 years of experience with SDV in Africa where his many regional posts have taken him to Congo Brazzaville, Niger, Abidjan and most recently Dakar, Senegal. His new portfolio focuses purely on the southern region and his responsibility includes Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Reunion, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. “The challenge is to expand the network,” says Deneve. “Approximately 70% of the company’s Africa business flows from West and Central Africa. In 2006, only 10% came from the Southern African region. “That has to change,” he said. SDV operates in 88 countries, employs 30 000 people in Africa alone, including dockers and seasonal employees, and is a subsidiary of the Bollore Group, which employs over 33 000 worldwide. In West Africa the company employs more than 7 000 staff in Ivory Coast alone, and 2000 in Senegal – compared to just 120 in South Africa, where its sole focus is clearing and forwarding. Diversification is an important part of Deneve’s expansion strategy. “In West and Central Africa we’re involved in shipping, warehousing, road, rail, port handling and stevedoring, and we are determined to bring some of these skills and services to the Southern African market.” This could involve acquisitions, and will most certainly see significant investment in equipment and facilities. “In Ivory Coast, for example, we have more than 500 000m2 of warehousing and more than 2200 trucks, trailers, cranes, forklifts and vans. In South Africa the company has just doubled its warehousing capacity to 9 000m2. “Our target is to become a major player in this business, with project cargo playing a huge role in our growth strategy.”