Savino Del Bene South Africa (Pty) Ltd, (SAVINO), global specialist in third party logistics solutions, was nominated by the Italian-South African Chamber of Trade and Industries FNB Business Excellence Awards 2009 as one of the top five finalists in the category, Business Enterprise of the Year. The annual Awards ‘highlight, recognise and promote the Italian-South African business community’s contribution to the economic growth and development of South Africa’. “While we don’t wake up each morning thinking about winning awards, I must acknowledge a significant sense of pride when such a moment arises. It is a huge affirmation then to be told we have been selected as one of the top five finalists in the Business Enterprise of the Year category”, says Kobus Maree, Managing Director, Savino Del Bene (SAVINO) South Africa. “I believe that we achieved this accolade not only because of our strong business relationships with numerous Italian companies, but also because we identified and competently filled the gap in the market for a holistic approach to logistics services – to move from transactions into partnerships.” “This award milestone is of even greater significance due to the fact that we started the company only thirteen years ago under the name SLA (Strategic Logistical Alliance) and only nine months ago, the remaining 50% shareholding was purchased by the worldwide corporate network, Savino Del Bene”. “When my wife Juanita and I established SLA in 1996, our first objective was to become the number one third-party logistics service provider. To reach this goal, we aimed to work with the tyre industry to eventually handle the largest volume of imported tyres in South Africa. This we achieved, currently partnering with all the leading imported tyre companies in South Africa”. SAVINO also achieved their objectives of offering customers an end-to-end third party logistics service and becoming a major player in the automotive industry, handling exports and clearing into South Africa for a number of major vehicle manufacturers. “With all these objectives securely under our belt, I am confident we have proved our capabilities to the local market – we have the established infrastructure, expertise and knowledge to offer an all inclusive end to end logistics shop!”, remarks Kobus. “When we commenced a 50% partnership with SAVINO in 1999, we worked closely with their team from the start. Therefore very little changed when the remaining equity was sold to SAVINO nine months ago. The few changes that have been introduced are only positive and I can confidently assure all our customers that it’s business as usual at SAVINO”. Kobus explains: “We are in an even stronger position to take advantage of future opportunities; with 37 countries now officially ours, this expanded infrastructure gives us a substantially larger global footprint. Experience, know-how and our worldwide network of over 170 offices mean that we are as powerful as the biggest industry player while still maintaining the flexibility of the smallest player. In addition, we have established a significantly stronger presence in the freight-forwarding competencies of our logistics service, and have already begun making elaborate inroads to unrivalled mastery in this area”. “We remain customer driven, continuing to offer tailor-made packages. Our motto ‘customer success’ will never change and we remain committed to ensuring value added services and increasing our customers’ success. It has always been my belief that listening to and understanding the customer’s requirements is the route to building successful long term relationships” SAVINO, founded by Mr. Savino Del Bene in Florence in the 20th century, is today a specialist in global logistics, air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, clearing, supply chain management and logistical support services. Moving to local matters, Kobus says that SAVINO has, over the past 12 years, created jobs and opportunities for many South African citizens throughout the country’s cultural spectrum. SAVINO also contributes a percentage of profits to the development of African leaders in previously disadvantaged communities.
