Ten million quart bottles move from Zim to SA

CLIVE EMDON MOVING 10 million quart bottles from Zimbabwe to South Africa is part and parcel of the daily challenge at Kempton Park-based AMR Logistics. It’s a project that will need six months of planning, says MD Florence Ross, calling for 285 links and triaxles from three different companies over a two month period, working on up to nine loads a day. AMR Logistics has already proved it proficiency in the field, having previously moved 2.7 million bottles in 53 loads over a three week period. “We had a strict deadline and not one bottle was broken,” says Ross. “It’s all logistics – working out the loading time and transit times and ensuring the government VAT is paid before the vehicles depart. A lot of it was fine-tuning, working out the weight and size of the bottles and returning the used pallets for re-use.” According to Ross, most of AMR’s project cargo revolves around the mining industry and involves the movement of drilling rigs and equipment to Malawi, Mozambique, the DRC and Zambia. “The planning of some of these jobs may take six months to a year. We are doing one for a Netherlands company setting up a mine in Gabon where we are procuring mining equipment as well.” Getting the transportation costs right is crucial, says Ross. “This involves finding out the road conditions, establishing accessibility to the site – especially if it is in a remote area – and with abnormal loads one needs to know the rules and regulations and restrictions for transporters as well as what licences or permits are needed.”