Earlier this year neutral consolidator CFR Freight unveiled its new visual identity and brand positioning. In partnership with its majority shareholder, SACO Shipping GmbH in Germany, as of January 1, 2022 the company will be known as SACO CFR. This strengthens the company’s footprint in Africa. Freight NewsFeatures caught up with joint group CEOs Martin Keck and Dave Graham to find out more.FN: You have had a long association with SACO Shipping GmbH which has been the majority shareholder of CFR since 2015. Why the decision to now bring about the change?MK: We have been on a journey with SACO for years and for some time now we have felt that it is time for a refresher, which is also why this is not a name change, but a rebrand. For us it is an acknowledgement of the long-standing relationship that CFR has with SACO. We are also, through this rebrand, putting emphasis on the fact that we are a global family and that allows us certain capabilities that will enhance our service to our customers.FN: In these current economic times, a refresher is such a nice way of putting it, it’s some positive news amidst a lot of uncertainty. How are your staff experiencing it?MK: The announcement has been very well received both internally and externally. There has been overwhelming acceptance across the board from our staff and clients, with overall agreement that this is a good move. This rebrand is a positive development. Already we have plans of expansion in place. There is benefit to our staff and there is benefit to our customers.FN: Having a partner like SACO on board must bring about some real benefit from a financial perspective. Has this been part of the decision-making process?MK: Simply put, this partnership is a long-time life insurance. In an ever-volatile and ever-changing environment, SACO is a good partner to have on your side. DG: It gives us far better opportunities as SACO’s buying power and volumes are much bigger than ours. Also, the German market is much bigger than South Africa and their global footprint is bigger than ours. Wherever possible, we will be able to leverage off their volumes when negotiating with carriers. It also improves our procurement opportunities that go beyond just cost of sales. It really speaks to the operating expenses of the business and speaks to our people. It offers us the opportunity to send our staff internationally to learn and gain valuable experience.FN: What does the rebrand mean in terms of change?DG: SACO has a global footprint that extends way beyond Germany. They are represented around the world. We have always made use of that footprint because we’ve been members of the WorldWide Alliance, but as mentioned above this rebrand gives us the option of better buying power because now we can leverage off SACO’s volumes in terms of carrier negotiations. MK: It is also important to emphasise what is not going to change. This is really a rebrand and nothing else. This is not an acquisition; CFR is not being bought out. SACO has been a shareholder for years. We are recognising the shareholder through the rebrand, but in terms of the client experience and employee experience, nothing is going to change. There is no intention to change the autonomous management of the compa ny.
