‘When times are tough innovation is the name of the game’

Just over a year ago trucks to Zambia could not keep up – in fact, the backlog in cargo was becoming problematic. But the global economic meltdown saw the scenario change overnight. According to Celtic Freight managing director Adrian Friend, people could not move cargo fast enough. “Things changed dramatically. Obviously the volumes came down, but also price become a major factor. “ In many cases price became the determining factor with many not too worried about when cargo would arrive, but rather how much it would cost. “While it is tough going at the moment, there is opportunity in these times. Having the infrastructure in place and sitting on the ground, we at Celtic Freight realised we could try our hand at business we would otherwise never have taken on.” Friend says there is no doubt that now is the time for innovation in one’s business models. It is also about finding ways of standing out in a crowd. “There is a lot of competition for business and one must always be one step ahead,” says Friend. “We increased our yard operations, updated our systems and extended our reach by being willing to do a variety of work and not just specialising in one or two things.” While Zambia still has some major issues to overcome such as infrastructure upgrades there is much happening to ensure this. “Roads are being repaired and communications and electricity are being addressed. Add to that the fact that it is a safe country to travel in and politically stable – there is much opportunity here.”