Shipping & General comes of age Brute determination and R1000 were founding ingredients

IT’S A milestone year for Shipping and General which this year celebrates its 21st anniversary.
From a starting capital of R1000, the company has carved out a lucrative niche in the outsourced warehousing, packaging and distribution market, numbering major clearing and forwarding agents, importers and exporters on its client list.
Founder Daya Moodley attributes the growth and success of the business to a mix of simple philosophies and brute determination, crucial ingredients to overcome the many obstacles he faced along the way.
He started his business career touting cotton thread, shoelaces and garment zippers from door to door in his home city, Durban, before relocating to Johannesburg to join SACD, ultimately overseeing its empty container park.
But driven by ambition he left SACD and with R1000 starting capital hired his first trucks on a daily basis.
“Dedication, honesty and integrity were the values fostered by my parents, and that’s what I demanded of my employees, leading by example,” Moodley told FTW.
“I lacked the support of major financial institutions or the backing of wealthy relatives, so cost-effectiveness was the key to growth. Every risk was calculated and recalculated to ensure that all commitments were met.
“We are uncompromising when it comes to service and the company maxim – ‘Service is our priority’ - is not only emblazoned on our trucks but fixed in the mindset of every employee.”
Long before legislation committed companies to training the previously disadvantaged, Moodley was fostering the concept.
“Remembering my own humble beginnings my truck assistants soon became truck drivers and then moved into clerical roles, some of them today holding management positions.”
But regardless of status, the hands-on approach with open lines of communication to all clients is a clear priority. “It’s not a strange sight to see Daya, as the CEO, at the helm of a forklift,” says his son and managing director Regan Moodley. “We oversee every transaction, and that’s how we ensure that standards are never compromised.”