ndependent groupage
operator CFR Freight
has continued to hone
its service offering
with the introduction of
new import
services on
the Marseille-
Durban and
Cape Town
routes and
from Karachi
to Cape Town.
A new export
option from
Durban to
Hong Kong
was also
recently
launched.
“Our
services are
very stable
and our global coverage
is comprehensive,” says
managing director
Martin Keck. “Our Africa
destinations are growing
– both from South Africa
and from the east in terms
of transhipments. On the
back of this we recently
increased our frequency to
Tema/Ghana to a weekly
service.”
But the
phenomenal
economic
growth in
Africa is
a doubleedged
sword
that has seen
the launch
of several
new direct
services
from the
Far East to
sub-Saharan
Africa –
Shanghai to
Mombasa
for example – that would
previously have been
transhipped in Durban.
CFR has recorded
significant growth in
cross-trade enquiries. “It’s
something we are well
placed to provide and this
is where our network,
the World Wide Alliance,
comes into play. We can
connect any two places in
the world no matter what
origin or destination,” said
Keck.
Future service expansion
will be
informed
by customer
demand, says
CEO Peter
Schmidt-
Löff ler.
“We’re
always
looking at
new options
to better
serve our
customers
and are
working on additional
direct services from inland
stations in China.”
The bottom line is that
CFR’s groupage services
are both mature and
ripe for expansion. It’s
the added value that the
national container freight
station, ZacPak, has to
offer that takes it to a new
level, says Schmidt-Löff ler.
“We’ve seen growth in
demand for export packing
into Africa where we
see huge
potential,”
says ZacPak
managing
director
Willie Nel.
“This is an
area which
has grown
beyond
budgeted
expectation.
The
integration
of products
and services is clearly a
huge advantage for us and
our clients,” he told FTW.
And the benefits are
tangible, said Nel.
“All our cargo from
Durban is moving by road
and by controlling the
cargo we can reduce
transit time by 50%. We
can also track transit cargo
from origin to unpack
here or delivery to final
consignee.”
“We have invested a lot
of money in improving our
IT and information portal
for our clients, ensuring
total supply chain visibility
which is a key priority,”
said Keck.
INSERT & CAPTION 1
All our cargo from
Durban is moving
by road and by
controlling the cargo
we can reduce transit
time by 50%.
– Willie Nel
INSERT & CAPTION 2
We’re working on
additional direct
services from inland
stations in China.
– Peter Schmidt-Löffler
INSERT & CAPTION 3
We can connect any
two places in the
world no matter what
origin or destination.
– Martin Keck
