‘Skilled staff make the difference’

Service delivery is the key element that makes or breaks a logistics management company, according to Deon Botha of Stellenbosch-based Globogistics and Services. As a one-year-old newcomer to the trade – the company was founded when a global blue-chip major decided to outsource its in-house logistics department to a specialist company – the operation has its own immediate experience of the do’s and don’ts of the business. “Right from the start,” Botha told FTW, “we recognised that only highly-skilled, professional and passionate employees should be employed. This would be key to delivering service.” In targeting the right staff Globogistics conducted a detailed skills assessment programme. “Successful appointees had to clearly live and demonstrate that they had what it takes,” said Botha, “not only in terms of technical expertise but also in terms of passion and attention to detail. “Needless to say, this results in numerous benefits for customers – such as the avoidance of unnecessary logistics costs, and increased performance in ontime delivery.” A basic company philosophy is to take ownership of all the customers’ logisticsrelated activities – from order placement up to final delivery, and even beyond. “At the end of the day it is all about service!”