Woods focuses on specialised warehousing

Responding to changing market conditions, Woods Warehousing – which offers 30 000 sqm of storage space – is repositioning its service offering to focus on specialised warehousing services. “In these difficult economic times, many of our freight industry partners have taken the decision to establish their own general warehousing and storage facilities in order to offer their clients a comprehensive end-toend service,” said director Pieter Joubert. He told FTW that he had decided to invest further in the specialised 10 000-sqm bond facility. “We are also equipped to do the complicated and high-risk work which includes rigging and heavy lifting, packing and unpacking, as well as transloading shipments,” he said, adding that the company’s heavy lifting capacity was up to 50 tonnes. “Our 30-tonne and 10-tonne overhead cranes are under cover and can operate across the entire length of our bond facility,” said Joubert. Investment in rigging and heavy lifting equipment is extremely costly, which is why clearing and forwarding agents that need to offer their customers specialised handling in addition to general warehousing refer their business to Woods. “We are strategically located within Zone 1 of City Deep in Johannesburg and offer very easy access from the highways. This, coupled with our large capacity cranes and heavy-duty forklifts, means a quick turnaround time even on major projects,” he noted. A challenge Woods has faced recently is that a number of customs duties on foreign imports has dropped, eliminating the need for a large bonded facility. “We have addressed that by bringing f lexibility into the space with cages that can be expanded or decreased and mobile racking that can easily be added to the facility as the need arises,” said Joubert. He told FTW that the f lexible solution and the large warehousing capacity allowed the company to cater to a wide variety of storage needs, from small powdered drinks to heavy machinery or motor vehicles. “We have had exclusive sports cars such as Lamborghinis in our bond warehouse,” Joubert noted, adding that the only thing Woods Warehousing could not store was chemicals and perishables. “As part of our growth strategy, we are intensifying our marketing efforts and strengthening relationships with importers and clearing and forwarding agents. We are hoping to establish ourselves as the first port of call for specialised warehousing services in Gauteng,” he said. INSERT & CAPTION We are also equipped to do the complicated and highrisk work, which includes rigging and heavy lifting. – Pieter joubert CAPTION The 30-tonne overhead crane, situated under cover, lifts a container of heavy machinery. Photo: Shannon Van Zyl