I
t is a long held wisdom that any company that remains static is in fact in decline. And during times of global economic uncertainty, it’s even more important to be flexible, alive to opportunity—and above all, creative. “We believe that our marketplace is right for a step change,” explains Gavin Wilson, managing director of Imperial Logistics Refrigerated Services. “And not only a change in mindset: the global economic situation is forcing a lot of organisations to rethink their company focus and to reassess exactly what constitutes their core business.” Imperial Logistics Refrigerated Services (ILRS), part of the Imperial Logistics division of one of South Africa’s largest companies the Imperial Group, was formed in July 2010 through the merger of four companies within the group. Fast ‘n Fresh—originally headed up by Wilson—and Liebentrans were leaders in their field in the transport of refrigerated produce, one transporting perishable food predominantly for the retailer Woolworths, the other transporting fresh meat between abattoir, wholesaler and retailer. The third company in the mix was a smaller family owned fruit transport business located in the north of the country, in which Imperial is now a majority shareholder. The three were obviously complementary to each other: “Our aim in coming together is to achieve economies of scale and to provide a better offering across the marketplace,” Wilson says.
96
Transport & logistics