Shilo offers source to final destination service

JOY ORLEK CUSTOMER DEMAND was the motivation for the establishment one year ago of Durban-based clearing and forwarding agent Shilo. Headed up by manager Shaun Maharaj, the company has homed in on the one-stop shopping concept, and offers a source to final destination package for imports and exports. Its growth is closely linked to the development of affiliated company Image Freight & Logistics, which has carved a lucrative niche in the cross-border transport market over the past four years. “More and more of our customers were looking for a one-stop service,” Maharaj told FTW. “Management saw a gap in the market and Shilo was launched as an independent company to complement the services of Image Freight.” Maharaj brings to the business a balanced outlook, having worked as a shipping manager for several exporters, as well as within the forwarding industry. “It’s given me the know-how to identify and understand the customer’s needs from a two-way perspective.” The company’s strengths lie in seafreight and freight broking, and it will be marketing its local clearing services aggressively, he told FTW. “Once the importer has sourced his goods, we will do the rest from start to final destination, including transport and warehousing through affiliate company Image Freight, as well as clearing and forwarding. The same principle applies for exports.” Maharaj will be tying up agency agreements the company grows its international logistics base.