DSM Corridor Group

AFRICA DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

Supporting industry at the port of Dar es Salaam

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Cargo Curator DSM Corridor Group continues to provide award-winning cargo handling services at the port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s trading gateway Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Josh Mann

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AFRICA

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he port of Dar es Salaam (DSM) – on the shores of Tanzania’s capital city and conduit for 95 percent of the country’s trade.

It is among the largest ports on Africa’s east coast, owing its development to German colonialists in the second half of the 19th century, and today provides vital access to six landlocked neighbours in the form of Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Eastern DRC. This is a sizable operation, and one that requires a multitude of parties to ensure cargo is shipped in and out efficiently.

DSM Corridor Group (DCG) is one such company. Operating several facilities both portside and inland, it has won a string of awards for its cargo handling services and is recognised as a safe pair hands for traders operating through DSM port.

It was in 2013 that Jesper Sorensen, DCG’s current CEO, first came into contact with Tanzania’s trading gateway.

Having worked in the country from 2009 on natural resource and agriculture projects, he began to appreciate the importance of efficient logistics to the overall financial viability of such industrial endeavours.

“I obtained an MSc in shipping and logistics in 2013 at Southampton’s Solent University in the UK and wrote my dissertation on efficiency measures in and around the port of DSM and their cost implications,” Sorensen recalls.

“I did my research with Tanzania Ports Authority but part of it was to interview private sector shipping and logistics companies with stakes in the port. This is how I came across DCG. “The ambitions, views and vision of the company’s management with regards to logistics management coincided with my own and, combined with the potential and prospect of the port of DSM, this was a natural fit and I never looked back.”

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An industry companion

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DCG began life long before Sorensen discovered it in 2013.

The company started out in 2004 as an operation dedicated to discharging bulk vessels on the quayside of DSM port, and has since expanded its scale and scope to the betterment of many industrial players with interests in Tanzania.

The completion of a state-of-the-art, humidity-controlled and conveyordriven dry bulk terminal in 2011 was a particular turning point.

Connected to DCG’s quayside bagging facilities, it has been a game changer for the regional fertiliser industry both in terms of volume and, crucially, time. The discharge rates of a fertiliser vessel increased from around 1,500 tonnes per day (quayside bagging operation) to a guaranteed 3,000 tonnes bulk discharge operation, with lay time reduced by more than 50 percent. DCG also invested in specialist

tipper trucks to oversee transport from port to terminal.

“Today we can achieve discharge rates above 5,000 tonnes per day,” Sorensen says. “Our bagging machines produce 2,000 tonnes of bags per day in, five, 10, 25 or 50 kilo bags. We can offer our clients an end to end solution where we also transport the cargo to its final destination using both road and rail as modes of transport.”

This all-encompassing offering includes in-house cargo clearing, while the firm also has a custom bonded facility where transit cargoes are handled, strategically located close to DSM port and fitted with a TAZARA rail siding.

This ties into another key line of business for the company, namely with clients connected to the mining industry.

Export cargoes handled include copper products, cobalt, manganese and cobalt hydroxides, products which

BAGTECH

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ased in Durban, home to the busiest port in the country on the east coast of South Africa, Bagtech International is truly a South African company with a passion for Africa. At the helm is Fred Coelho who is at the centre of every project undertaken.

Bagtech International is in the unique position of running the equipment it manufactures and sells. We currently bag and blend approximately 400,000 tonnes per annum across South Africa. This mix of business allows us to understand our clients’ needs and has made us an efficient warehouse management company.

It is this background that has led to Bagtech International being a leader in fertiliser equipment in Africa. Over the past 24 months we have delivered, installed and commissioned equipment to the following countries: • Mozambique • Zimbabwe • South Africa • Kenya • Tanzania • Nigeria Manufacturing from our workshop based in the harbour complex our blenders, bagging units, screeners and coating plants are designed after extensive interaction with the client whereby we are involved in all aspects, from the warehouse design to the warehouse layout.

Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx Bagtech International consistently works on improving the speed, accuracy and efficiency of our machines for the client’s benefit.

No matter where you are, Bagtech International will provide a solution to your warehousing and equipment needs. Our mission is improving the speed, accuracy and efficiency of our machines for our clients and their clients’ benefit.

Bagtech International is your partner in the agribusiness sector.

www.bagtechint.com Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

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are stored in DCG’s 7,000 square metre warehouse facility as well as stripping, stuffing and storing containers in its yard.

Sorensen adds: “Taking the strategic location into consideration, as well as the efficiency of cargo handling and the rail siding, DCG is regarded as one of the preferred cargo handlers in Dar es Salaam for mining products and volume-wise we are one of the biggest handlers of copper.”

Award-winning team

Perhaps the greatest testament to DCG’s ongoing drive to achieve operational excellence is the string of awards it has won over recent years.

In 2016, for example, the company was recognised with a Women in Transport Award for Best Port Operator or Terminal in Africa, adding to success at the Seatrade Maritime Awards and three awards attained from the Global Ports Forum in four years.

RAIL: A NEW LINE OF BUSINESS A big focus for DSM Corridor Group has been on developing deeper ties with rail freight operators.

In Kisarawe, around 36 kilometres southwest of Dar es Salaam, the company has a 100,000 square metre terminal complete with a 4,000 square metre warehouse for bulk cargo storage, office facilities, custom offices, a truck weighbridge and other staff facilities.

“The facility is located right next to the TAZARA railway which earmarks it as a strategically important terminal for handling cargoes transported by rail,” explains Sorensen.

“It has already been used to store and handle bagged fertilisers and maize, as well as machine parts, and has the potential to serve as an inland cargo hub helping to alleviate traffic in the very busy city centre of Dar es Salaam. It is a very important terminal in terms of our growth prospects.”

In another rail-related development, DCG, through its partner company Central African Corridor Company Ltd. (CACC), signed a build-lease-transfer contract with TAZARA in September 2018 on a public-private partnership basis.

“What it means in practise is that DCG’s successful cargo handling methods have been replicated by CACC and applied in Kapiri Mposhi,” Sorensen says. “Kapiri Mposhi dry port is a logistics hub for both Zambian and DRC cargoes imported and exported via the port of Dar es Salaam, as the dry port and sea port are directly connected by the TAZARA railway.”

DCG expects this to generate cargo output volumes in excess of 500,000 tonnes over the next five years, signifying TAZARA’s vision of promoting rail as a major mode of freight transport and deepening logistics ties between Zambia and Tanzania.

MANCHINCHI MARINE MOVERS LTD

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anchinchi Marine Movers Ltd was incorporated in 1991 and has since then marched on and excelled within East and Central Africa, priding itself with a trustworthy, dedicated, creative and innovative workforce.

Combined with an extensive business network and good relationships with our customers and regulatory authorities, we have excelled and prevailed to be one of the best freight forwarder and transport companies in East Africa.

Our mission is to provide world class services to our customers, and our in-depth knowledge of the supply chain industry requirements gives leverage to serving our clients better.

We have branch offices in all border frontier offices and have partnered with other foreign freight players like Latex Clearing Company of Rwanda and Fortis Freight Forwarder of Rwanda.

Our Services • Clearing and Forwarding - We offer clearing services within borders of Tanzania from ports to destinations, and we also provide consultation and advice to importers/exporters.

• Door to Door Delivery - International standard packing of house and office removals and delivery to site.

Forwarding to overseas, rearranging of utilities at site office or residence.

• Port Captaincy - With several years of experience, our team prepares stowage plans,xxxxxxxxxxx sharing loading Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx sequence with terminal /port, supervising stowage and securing of cargo.

• Transport - We have world class standard trucks equipped with 24hour tracking technology and access to cargo insurance coverage to destination.

• Export Shipments - One of our main services is clearing of export goods.

We receive cargo and shipping instructions from the exporter (shipper), arranging booking with respective shipping line, stuffing and exporting.

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Timely Freight Solution Clearing and Forwarding Agency Shipping Agency Port Captaincy Door to Door Services Transport Logistics Transit

www.manchinchimovers.co.tz

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“The Global Ports Forum Award for Terminal of the Year 2019 was special in the sense that it was awarded on the basis of our recent involvement in transporting cargo via the TAZARA railway from Dar es Salaam to KapiriMposhi in Zambia, and vice versa,” adds Sorenson, who is quick to praise his team of dedicated employees.

“In our quality statement it mentions that staff are our most important asset,” he continues, “and we can confidently say that our employees are the main reason for the success that we have achieved over the years.”

Sorenson also describes how DCG adopts practices to ensure its people remain motivated and happy, thus making them more likely to deliver a quality service.

“We are interested in developing and furthering their careers with us and provide various internal and external training to support that, including promoting awareness of

workplace harassment through our Yellow Card initiative,” he says.

“We have also implemented systems such as grievance forms and suggestion boxes to ensure that any concerns are addressed and attended to immediately, while our open-door policy means that there are no barriers for staff to communicate at all levels.”

Health and safety is another central element to staff wellbeing. This is evidenced at DCG through initiatives to comply with the international standards for occupational health and safety (ISO 45001:2018) and the environment (ISO 14001:2015).

The firm is further implementing 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption under the UN Global Compact framework for businesses.

Social events like football tournaments are also supported, the company’s team bringing back numerous trophies from its endeavours.

The company’s award winning management team

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Overseas projects are particularly popular

The Global Ports Forum Award for Terminal of the Year 2019 for the company’s involvement in cargo transportation on the Tazara railway

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Power your growth!

SGR PETROPOWER ENGINEERING LIMITED, is a leading Top Class 1 specialist mechanical engineering contractor in Tanzania, East Africa.

Specialising in steel fabrication & steel structure erection, bulk steel storage tank and pipeline construction, fire fighting systems, gas turbine and power station engine & power plant mechanical installations, the company is a major service provider to the petroleum, power generation and mining industries in Tanzania and the East Africa region.

Together, we enhance Tanzania’s industrialisation development, transferring technology, improving lives, and empowering growth!

Plot 13A, Potwe Street Nyerere Road, P.O.Box: 12927 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

T 00255 789 451 899, 00255 783 099377, 00255 784 498077 E enquiry@petropowerengineering.com www.sgrpetropower.co.tz

Looking ahead

This all adds up to a loyal cohort of workers, many of them enjoying an ongoing service of 10 or more years and building up a formidable pool of industry knowledge in the process.

Such experience will no doubt serve DCG well as it looks to build on its first 15 years of successful operation. With an eye on the future, Sorensen outlines several priorities in terms of laying the foundations for the company’s next growth phase, which is expected to see a doubling of revenue inside four years.

“We are building further capacity in CACC, increasing efficiencies on the turnaround time of the trains, adding trains and also expanding the capacity of our DCG terminals,” he says.

“Another major priority is to add to our existing ISO certifications of 9001 and 14001 by obtaining the 45001 in 2019.

“In order to successfully cope with the growth, we will increasingly

become a more process driven company governed by our integrated management system. We will, via that system, ensure better internal communication and more efficient operating procedures which again will enable us to create tools to react better to dynamics in both the internal and external environments.”

The end result will be a superior service for customers. This in turn will encourage more business through the port of Dar es Salaam, which itself is also undergoing something of a growth phase thanks to a World Banksponsored project to deepen seven

dredging births to 14.5 metres.

“This will enable larger vessels to call the port,” Sorensen adds, “and the government is also keen on utilising the rail to a greater extent.”

And it is this mode of transport which the CEO believes will form a central part of Tanzania’s freight future.

He concludes: “This goes hand in hand with DCG’s strategy of shifting cargo transport from road to rail. Rail transport is traditionally a more reliable, secure and efficient way of transferring cargoes across hinterlands, and our ultimate purpose of opting for rail is to significantly reduce the logistics costs which are traditionally high in this part of the world.”

DSM Corridor Group Tel: +255 (0) 22 2127190 dcg@dsmcorridor.co.tz www.dsmcorridor.com

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DSM Corridor Group Ltd Bandari Road, Plot #2, Opposite TPA Gate No. 3 1st Floor Mission to Seafarers Office Buildings, Kurasini, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: +255 (0) 22 2127190 dcg@dsmcorridor.co.tz www.dsmcorridor.com

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