Growing its Western Cape
footprint in 2013 is high on
the agenda of International
Liner Agencies (ILA) which is
working on several strategies to up
its game in the province.
While most of the organisation’s
business focus has been on Durban
and Johannesburg, its Cape Town
branch has been making inroads –
adding more than its fair share to
the total revenue pool.
According to Cape Town branch
manager Gary Bedser, in the six
years since he took over the branch
it has more than doubled its staff
complement.
“Our exports have grown by
30-40% in the past two years,” he
said. “The Western Cape plays a
major role in our industry as it is
a gateway to both East and West
Africa where major developments
are under way. A lot of our retail
distribution centres are also based
in the Cape – along with the bulk
of the food and beverage industry.
The opportunities are endless.”
For Bedser a major challenge,
however, remains the undercutting
of rates, something he says
continues to hamper the industry.
“We need to get to the stage where
clients understand the value of
service in relation to rate. Offering
a rate structure that is below
cost does not equate with great
customer service,” he said.
ILA has put together a customer
service team that works with
both sales and operations teams
ensuring the customer is kept
informed of what is happening all
the time.
“We have also worked extremely
hard at selecting a well-established
overseas agency network,” he said.
“Our agents regularly visit the
country to meet with clients and
gain a clearer understanding of the
local market and the challenges it
faces.”
CAPTION
Gary Bedser … ‘rate under-cutting a
major problem.’
