TFR lands major contract for valuable electronic goods

Rail is once again becoming a viable option for the transport of containers as Transnet Freight Rail gradually builds confidence in its abilities. Having recently landed a major contract to move electronic equipment for a manufacturer from the Port of Durban to Gauteng, TFR is showing it can meet the demand of the private sector. According to Bheka Xaba, TFR’s sales and marketing executive manager for the container and automotive division, the organisation had to guarantee it could deliver within 72 hours of the vessel offloading. “And we are meeting the demand and proving that rail in South Africa can be efficient,” he said. “Speed was very important to the client as well as security as the cargo is valuable technological goods. We have so far had no incidents of theft and have greatly minimised their exposure to risk.” While many in South Africa still remain sceptical about TFR’s ability to move cargo effectively and speedily, the parastatal is going about its business making inroads quietly and with very little fuss. “It has been a very deliberate strategy not to market what we are doing,” says Ali Motala, TFR general manager. “It was important to first know, understand and align our volumes with our resource capacity. We have also designed and implemented new strategies and technology to improve our service delivery.” A standard cargo train can now move from the City Deep terminal to the Port of Durban within 72 hours. “We have also changed our export policy to five days’ free storage for exporters,” says Frans Seloane, executive manager operations in the containers and automotive division. “We are continuing to see more demand, especially on the KwaZulu Natal corridor, as we have cut out the middle man and gone directly to the shipping lines. They are bringing us more volume and the confidence levels in TFR are growing.”