Keeping ever-increasing
costs at bay while
improving delivery times
remains the challenge for
the consolidation industry
in Botswana.
According to Rudi Nagel,
business development
manager for Express
Cartage, a Gaboroneheadquartered
business
that provides consolidation
transport services to
hundreds of retailers
throughout Botswana,
competitive pricing,
on-time collections and
deliveries, documentation
management and constant
feedback are key for
customers.
“Most retailers in
Botswana source their
supplies from South
Africa and the cost of
this transportation
directly impacts the cost
of products,” said Nagel.
“Keeping these costs down
is a critical element of all
retailers’ supply chain
strategies, which is evident
from the high number
of express cross-border
transporters in Botswana.”
But reliability is the
game-changer, in his view.
“The loss of a sale could
impact revenues far more
than a cheap and nasty
rate. I believe retailers’
thinking is becoming more
focused on quality and
reliability which forces
service providers to go the
extra mile,” said Nagel.
The company has
significantly increased
capacity to handle higher
volumes from South
Africa to Botswana and
has also improved its
clearing process to reduce
unnecessary delays. “The
greatest challenge faced by
any cross-border transporter
is border delays,” says
Nagel. “With an average
of around 40% of all time
and resources consumed
by border procedures
and standing time at the
borders it’s crucial for
express service providers
to continuously streamline
operations to maintain their
competitive advantage.”
CAPTION
Most retailers in Botswana source their supplies from South Africa and the cost of this
transportation directly impacts the cost of products.
