Growing its African
footprint and extending
services in and out of
Africa is top priority
for independent sea and airfreight
consolidator and container freight
station operator, CFR Freight.
According to CEO Peter
Schmidt-Löffler, Zimbabwe,
Zambia and Mozambique have
recorded significant growth in the
past few months and are therefore
high priorities going forward.
“Our global network, the
WorldWideAlliance, allows
us to service the entire
continent through gateways
such as Hamburg, Antwerp
and Rotterdam,” he said. “We
currently have regular direct
services to Maputo, Dar es
Salaam, Mombasa, Luanda, Tema
and Lagos.”
Demand-driven expansion is
however always on the agenda.
Schmidt-Löffler said airfreight
volumes into Africa were also
on an upward trajectory. “We
have seen a major increase
not only in enquiries but also
in actual shipments from all
over the globe. Our network
of neutral consolidators, The
AirCargo Goup, has been a great
contributor to the success.”
Doing business in Africa is not
without challenges and risks –
and keeping track of cargo is a
vital element in the mix.
“We have to ensure the
necessary IT capabilities are
in place so that we can track
shipments not just from CFS to
CFS or airport to airport,” he told
FTW. “We have all the milestones
in place from when the shipment
is booked to the final release at
destination –
be it an import
or an export.”
Operating
in the highly
competitive
African
market, adding
value is a key
differentiator,
says Schmidt-
Löffler.
“By operating
our own depots, ZacPak, we
are able to reduce transit times
on all transhipments as well as
local deliveries within South
Africa, and next day delivery is
the norm,” he said. “Through our
networks we are able to offer our
clients, the freight forwarding
and clearing agents, a complete
package – both import and export
– whether it is ex works or DDP.
We also “freight collect” within
Africa through our trusted
partners and agents.
“The economic climate
is already tough and our
clients need to be able to
concentrate on their core business
by trusting CFR Freight to
be part of the supply chain.
Neutrality is key.”
INSERT & CAPTION
We have all the milestones
in place from when the
shipment is booked to the
final release at destination.
– Peter Schmidt-Löffler
