Speedy documentation as important as speedy transit

There’s little point in getting cargo to its destination on time if it’s held up by tardy documentation. Which is why groupage operator Ferguson International – with local agents Seacargo and WGS (Cape) – has devised a system where shipping documentation is processed at origin immediately the vessel has sailed. “From that time the documentation is emailed to destination and handled by the local office for on-forwarding to each individual customer in South Africa,” says WGS Cape sales manager Mandy Gibson. Ferguson International has been operating on the SA route for more than 12 years, providing direct weekly consolidations from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai to Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town The privately-owned company has nine owned offices in Hong Kong and Mainland China and is committed to the wholesale market, said Gibson. “In order to realise our objective of offering the fastest transit time on direct services – avoiding transhipments – we constantly assess market conditions and services offered by the various shipping lines, which do change from time to time,” she added. “It is not only the transit time that is important. Just as crucial is the speed at which documentation is handled to ensure our customers receive their arrival notifications and freight invoices on time.”