As essential service providers, cold chain logistics companies must maintain business continuity and operational efficiency while finding sustainable rate solutions. And that was no easy undertaking in the unfavourable trading conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Juan Swanepoel, customer and transport manager for CCS Logistics.He told Freight News that product categories had been affected in different ways – in both the import and export environment, locally and internationally.“There are different trading conditions and different storage requirements,” he said. “In the short term sales are under pressure as a result of trading constraints under lockdown regulations where restaurants and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) aren’t necessarily realising the expected sales, requiring their lines to be kept in storage. At the same time, disposable income has come under pressure resulting in some categories becoming strained. Longer-term economic pressures may also affect production and/or import volumes, which in turn will affect the need for cold storage.”He said the situation was further exacerbated by increased cargo and airfreight export costs because of the higher demand for frozen rather than fresh product at present. “There are also shifts in international trading conditions to contend with which have resulted in unfavourable product costs and availability to the South African market.”He said strong partnerships with customers and an understanding of their trading environments and specific requirements was critical in the current operational environment. “The ability to supply storage capacity to consolidate their volumes from a regional or national perspective and provide operational excellence at sustainable rates are key components of achieving and maintaining volumes for our customers.”He said looking after staff was equally important.“We are providing transport for our operations staff to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 while assisting with hand sanitisers, food parcels and education on the virus. This spreads into the various communities where they live.”