‘Well placed to take advantage of BRICS developments’

After a “very good” financial year that saw business growth in the region of 15%, independent sea and airfreight consolidator CFR Freight is braced for more of the same – although the extremely volatile global financial and political environment makes accurate predictions difficult. “We’ve always focused on both imports and exports but the strong rand is not helping exports and our business is following this natural trend,” says managing director Martin Keck. This is particularly relevant in CFR’s airfreight division where imports are a key focus. The company has entered into block space agreements (BSAs) from the US, Europe and China in order to guarantee space to its clients. “We have contracted BSAs out of Amsterdam and our AirCargo Group partner, Groupair, has put in place a whole trucking network throughout Western Europe supported by offices in Amsterdam and Brussels. It’s not purely an Amsterdam product but rather a Western Europe product offering a named-day service from Amsterdam into South Africa,” CFR’s airfreight general manager Dave Graham told FTW. Positive market response has seen significant growth in volumes, he added. In terms of its seafreight product, CFR’s global coverage is extensive. “We’re coming from nine ports in China, we offer an import service from Argentina that is unique in the industry, and our service out of India covers Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. We even offer an import service from Thailand, and Europe is traditionally comprehensively covered. In addition our services go to all ports in South Africa,” said marketing director Peter Schmidt- Löffler. Africa is also a big focus. “In conjunction with our partners, the WorldWide Alliance, we have very good representation in all of the important markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi,” said Keck. “We’re also opening more and more offices worldwide – from Eastern Europe to South America and South East Asia. And with the BRICS agreement in place, the company is well placed to take advantage of any trade growth from these regions. “India, Brazil and China are covered – and we’re very well set up in Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States, Slovenia and the Czech Republic,” says Keck. With cheaper taxes and labour encouraging a number of manufacturers to set up shop in Eastern Europe, CFR is looking forward to trade growth from these new areas. Cautious optimism is how Keck describes his outlook for the year ahead. “The days where you could predict even your own business outlook are over. The current business environment demands flexibility – and CFR is up for the challenge.”