'Transporter-friendly' depot offers quick turnaround

Francois Blignault has been appointed general manager of Jacobs Container Depot, a division of the Jacobs Group of Companies, which provides a compendium of transport-related services from its City Deep base. Blignault brings to the position more than 20 years’ experience in the container depot business, initially at CMC/ Grindrod, and more recently at the MSC container depots. According to Blignault, the Jacobs Group of Companies is an impressive success story driven by the entrepreneurial Jacobs brothers, Gys and Seun. Established 14 years ago, the company has grown in response to industry demand, and the container depot division is a part of this growth. “The 35 000-sqm depot was established two years ago to provide a complementary service to the transport division,” Blignault told FTW. “As a fairly new operation, it is in a growth phase and we already have a variety of clients on board including container operators.” The depot caters for cleared full as well as empty containers, operating on a 24/7 basis. A big advantage is the location, says Blignault. “We market it as a transporterfriendly facility. Although the it is within the 0-5 km zone, it is outside the congested part of City Deep which means no long queues and a quick turnaround transporters.” The facility’s comprehensive service offering includes container storage, repositioning and transfer of empty and full containers as well as inspections, repairs and maintenance. Reefer plug points are available on site while security also takes high priority. “State-ofthe- art computer tracking and 24/7 surveillance cameras are part of the security programme, while weighbridge facilities ensure that trucks are not overloaded.” The container depot complements Jacobs’ full suite of services which includes transport, inland logistics, rail as well as machine moving and rigging. INSERT & CAPTION The depot is outside the congested part of City Deep which means no long queues and a quick turn-around facility for transporters. – Francois Blignault