Significant knowledge base adds value for cargo to SADC

Cost-effective freight
solutions will be a top
priority in 2016 as global
economic conditions
continue to impact on the
local economy.
Mario Nortje, director
of Container Domestic
Services Africa, said he
was optimistic the business
would meet its targets for
the year despite the current
gloomy economic outlook.
“But it will be about
offering cost-effective
freight solutions along with
transparency to customers
– especially into the SADC
countries,” he said.
“Customers increasingly
want real time accurate
information every day.
Our mandate is therefore
to tell them exactly what’s
happening with their cargo
and deliver within the
transit times quoted.”
Nortje said a solid track
record and reliability were
also becoming increasingly
important.
“We find that there
are many new businesses
wanting to export their
products from the Western
Cape into Africa but very
few have the knowledge
and experience to do so,” he
explained.
“We consult for a lot
of prospective exporters
who want to roll out their
different strategies in
Africa. We
also find
ourselves
advising on
the most
cost-effective
solutions.
Our business
is not just
about quoting
a price based
on freight
weights and
dimensions
but rather
about the significant
knowledge base and
reliability we bring long
before the shipments
actually leave the customer’s
premises.”
CDS Africa has been
moving cargo from the
Western Cape into SADC
for the last five years.
“The biggest challenge
in this region from an
operations perspective
is that containers are
not always available and the
cost to bring them back to
South Africa from crossborder
countries is high and
often therefore prohibitive,”
he said. “We have to be
extremely innovative in our
approach.”
INSERT & CAPTION
We consult for a
lot of prospective
exporters who want
to roll out their
different strategies in
Africa.
– Mario Nortje