CT facility saves costs thanks to proximity to terminal

C ape Town-based Edgin Logistic
Solutions recently opened new
covered storage facilities at
Culemborg adding 6 600m2 to its warehousing
portfolio.
“Situated within 2km of the container
terminal, this new warehouse is ideally
suited to the stuffing and de-stuffing of
containers and will be kept solely for the
storage and handling of clean, dust-free
cargoes,” company director Dave Johnson
told FTW.
“It is our ability to utilise dedicated
warehouse spaces for different cargoes
that allows Edgin to handle and store
just about everything – from large bulk
shipments of fertiliser or grains to smaller
containerised shipments of specialised
commodities or products.”
Focusing on the provision of a variety
of logistical and warehousing solutions,
custom-made to suit each individual client’s
needs, the company was founded in 2004.
“We realised that there was a need for
a logistics provider that served the client’s
needs in a cost-effective, professional
manner on a 24-hour basis,” says Johnson.
Since then the company has made
great strides.
And for Johnson and his team there is
much promise in 2009. “While everyone
in the industry is hurting because of the
current slump in commodity movement, we
know that the market can’t remain this way
and will improve. Rather than sit around
lamenting the slowdown, we busy ourselves
planning for the upswing,” he says.
There are many challenges already
in this industry, says Johnson, with
the biggest being the ability to deliver on
promises in a logistical chain over which
you have no practical control. “The
long queues and waiting times at the
ports and empty container depots
continue to plague the whole industry. We
combat this by extending our full storage
yard hours.” The company operates from
06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday, 07:00
to 16:30 on Saturdays, and on Sundays
based on demand.
“In this way our clients can take
advantage of quiet periods at the depots and
container terminals.”
Being close to the port is a big advantage,
in Johnson’s view. “With 24 000m2 of
covered warehousing in Cape Town, and
a 6 500m2 container yard conveniently
situated at Culemborg, 1km from the Port
of Cape Town with easy access to the N1
and N2, we can effectively see our clients’
transport costs reduced.”