Tailor-made security solutions are the speciality at Guardforce

Africa is a continually growing market for airfreight goods, with Johannesburg serving as an ever-expanding regional hub both in and out of the sub-Saharan region of the continent, according to Sandra Alexander, manager for business development at Guardforce International Transportation. “Transhipment cargo into Africa via OR Tambo International Airport has grown, and is continuing to grow steadily, as the demand for electronic goods, high-tech and high-value equipment escalates,” she told FTW. “The potential is for on-going export growth into this market, and the traditional imports from Africa of precious stones and metals are still moving in large volumes.” But dealing with Africa has its own special challenges, Alexander added. Amongst the challenges that Guardforce has encountered are the likes of lack of space on the smaller aircraft and equipment used on some of the routes to African destinations. “Cargo not arriving as scheduled, and missing its international connections, is another poser we’ve had to solve,” Alexander said. “Also, some customers have concerns when exporting cargo to African destinations about the security measures at the destination airports.” But facing this challenge, and finding ways to overcome it, she added, is a speciality in the Guardforce product offering. Alexander also takes an optimistic stance in her outlook for the company’s market. “As long as the international trend continues, we foresee a similar demand for Africa, and expect to see positive growth,” she said. “Guardforce has taken a very visible and customer-orientated approach in the market place – and, because our facility and service rendering is unique, we have the ability to tailor-make to the customer’s specific requirements.”