Wa lvis Bay-based Woker Freight Services has moved beyond traditional freight forwarding to offer coordinated clearing, warehouse and transport services.“By expanding our focus, we are meeting the client’s need for better coordination of what we have identified as the three pillars of logistics – clearing, warehousing and transport,” Philip Coetzee, executive: logistics of Woker Freight Services (WFS), told Freight News.The 100-year-old company has been refining its internal processes in order to meet the changing needs of the marketplace, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic."Covid and world events prompted us to refocus our business model. “We have the know-how, good port infrastructure, and many other positives in our favour to attract more bulk imports and exports through the Ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz," says Coetzee. WFS clearing services are geared to ensuring that the cargo is correctly classified, in order to ensure the client is paying at the correct scale and to avoid later queries.“Queries can be a significant indirect cost, particularly if there are penalties to pay," he says. A focus on bulk also led to investment in port handling equipment. In response to the global container shortage and regional economic downturn, WFS installed dual ship-to-quay hopper and bagging plants in the Port of Walvis Bay during 2021. The equipment helped attract significant sulphur imports through Wa lv i s Bay."By combining our skilled staff, equipment, facilities and partner networks, the company is well positioned and more than capable to handle more bulk cargo f lows, especially from and to corridor route countries such as DRC, Zambia, Botswana and others," says Coetzee.WFS has also managed the export of bulk copper concentrate in a bag-to-bulk transfer.The cargo included a breakbulk metal (copper) component which was loaded to customer requirements."But know-how is only one part of growing bulk exports and imports through our ports,” says Coetzee.“Relationships, reliable service and trust play a huge role in attracting more bulk cargo business. Being adaptable and offering diverse logistics solutions is critical for grow th.”
