Vincent Magnus - off airport degroupage facility adds an extra dimension. DESPITE IMPROVED security at Johannesburg International Airport, agents involved in the handling of high value cargo are taking no chances. For Clover Cargo International, which counts among its major clients several importers of high value cargo, security is a critical issue. The company has invested heavily in additional precautions to ensure the safety of its customers’ cargo and provides a range of value-added services which have ensured a taint-free security track record, according to chief executive Vincent Magnus. These encompass the entire supply chain including on-apron security, safety in the airline warehouse, and surveillance en route from the airline bond store to the customer’s premises or to Clover Cargo’s off-airport degroupage facility. Surveillance vehicles follow the delivery vehicles every step of the way, and a state-of-the-art, internet-driven tracking system provides minute by minute access to the whereabouts of the vehicle. It’s a highly sophisticated system installed several years ago to control the customer’s cargo more effectively, says Magnus. In addition the closed circuit television system (CCTV) in Clover Cargo warehouses countrywide is a powerful tool, able to zoom down to individual boxes and identify waybill numbers. A 24-hour security guard linked to an armed response company completes the picture. “As a result of these measures, we have a very good record of delivering cargo intact to the client,” says Magnus, who believes that the off airport degroupage facility adds an extra dimension. “From the moment the aircraft arrives, the speed with which the cargo is moved into our facility and ultimately to the client cuts down the opportunity for theft.”
