There is a notable increase in demand for consolidated cross-border services for all types of cargo, according to Simon Chalker, Leschaco regional manager KZN and Eastern Cape.This is in addition to steady growth in the South African market. The demand is for both standard cargo and hazardous goods, which is a Leschaco speciality.“We are the only forwarder in South Africa with a dedicated weekly hazardous consolidation service direct from Germany.“Ex Bremen, Leschaco serves up to 35 direct consol destinations, and more than 60 transhipment destinations,” he told Freight News.“Our team of specialists optimises the utilisation of containers as part of our consolidation services.“Hazardous goods are shipped directly from Leschaco’s facility in Bremen, Germany, to Durban.“Cargo is consolidated in Durban and distributed through a combination of short-sea shipping and road.”Leschaco is also experiencing greater demand for buyer’s consolidation services of hazardous and other cargo bound for South Africa, and from South Africa into the rest of Africa, according to Peter Schmidt-Löffler, Leschaco Sub-Saharan Africa CEO.Buyer's consolidation services combine less than container load (LCL) shipments from different suppliers that share a common consignee.“We basically turn multiple LCL shipments into full container load shipments. “Dedicated containers are packed and sealed for final delivery at the customer's premises or straight to the end users. “Customers enjoy greater reliability, reduced cargo handling, and fewer units to handle at their end destination,” he told Freight News. There is also growth in demand for consolidated airfreight.Leschaco is on a global drive to promote LCL. “In South Africa we are working on including a direct LCL service from Asia to complement our European connection,” Schmidt-Löff ler told Freight News.On April 2, Leschaco opened a 29 000-square-metre chemical logistics centre in the Netherlands municipality of Moerdijk, which is located between the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.It has multimodal transport connections to other major seaports, including Bremerhaven.Speaking at the opening, Sebastian Haebler, head of global contract logistics, said: “This strategically located warehouse enables us to provide customised support to our global customers across multiple sectors, including chemicals, healthcare, automotive, industrial materials and consumer goods.”
