ELITE CLEARING AND FORWARDING

ELITE CLEARING AND FORWARDING

Delivering personalised and professional freight expertise

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The Right

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Elite Clearing and Forwarding is driven by adding value to its clients’ products and services by offering them personalised freight movement services Writer: Phoebe Calver | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

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n 2006, South Africa’s shipping and logistics industry was in need of a dedicated, specialised freight management Company which would specifically focus on commercial imports and exports, but with a personalised approach; a need which has been filled

by Elite Clearing and Forwarding’s fresh approach and a delivery of service built upon solid, long-term relationships.

The requirement of a personalised service has been sorely lacking, with the larger companies in the sector offering a one-size-fits-all solution, bringing about inefficiencies in the resolutions the companies were providing as industries and even individual companies needs differs.

“When I started my career in this industry in 1995, when I thought about shipping, in my mind I saw as a wooden crate,” explains Ben Van Rensburg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Elite Clearing and Forwarding. “After a few years I came to the realisation that the most important factor in the shipping industry is not about the cargo or the equipment, but the people behind the scenes that moves the cargo.

“At the end of the day it is the person on the end of the phone that delivers the service clients require, tailoring the solutions specifically for each client. We go to extra lengths to determine their needs in regards to time, cost and risk, finding the perfect balance between these three factors.”

The combination of the Company’s roots as a family-owned business, with the outside ownership of a minority share holding, allows for a personal approach that is backed up by solid capital on both imports and exports.

“We see ourselves as a freight management company, therefore our main focus in all aspects of business is to manage the clients’ freight movement in an efficient effective manner,” continues Van Rensburg.

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SOUTH AFRICAN INLAND LOGISTICS CC

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outh African Inland Logistics cc is a logistics and warehousing business, with operations in Durban and Johannesburg.

The Company has a large fleet of trucks and trailers as well as forklifts and a host of ancillary vehicles, all operated and managed by an experienced team.

The Company provides comprehensive logistical services in respect of the import, export and warehousing of containerised and break-bulk cargo throughout South Africa.

Operations run 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and are always monitored, geofenced and managed by our experienced Cartage Controllers together with our Satellite Tracking’s Bureau Service.

Making sure that clients feel they are speaking to a friend that moves their cargo

“Therefore the client is able to focus on what they do best without worrying about stock levels, logistical issues, or the risk involved in getting their cargo into the country or exporting to another country.”

The personalised approach

Elite has grown exponentially in both physical size and its approach to business since it came to fruition in 2006, relying on the expertise, skills and talent of its employees and management team to provide the best possible service.

“As the Company began to mature, we realised the need for dedicated systems to support our skill-set,” Van Rensburg adds. “The systems we employed include software, procedures and structures; however, we have always been particularly careful to keep the personalised touch, making sure the client feels like they are speaking to a human being who knows exactly what they are talking about.

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...we have always been particularly careful to keep the personalised touch, making sure the client feels like they are speaking to a human being who knows exactly what they are talking about

www.sa-il.co.za “We had to strike the right balance for our clients and Elite, ensuring the proper procedures are in place which will enable us to move the right cargo in the most efficient manner, but also making sure that our clients feels that they are speaking to a friend that moves their cargo.”

Relying heavily on the people within the Company, and investing in their personal growth is something Elite strongly believes in, and has played a big role in its success during the past 10 years. A lot of time and effort goes into training and mentoring employees, focusing on every aspect ranging from basic communication to deployable life-skills.

“We would definitely define ourselves as a relationship-based Company, and over the years we have become friends with our key account clients and management teams, meaning there is always open communication regarding any problems, changes, challenges or

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Delivering transport solutions

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specialists in full logistical services

Delivering transport solutions

Specialists in full logistical services → → → → → → →

Local Cartage Long Distance Road Cross border Warehousing Breakbulk Rail LCLs

→ Local Cartage → Long Distance Road → Cross border → Warehousing → Breakbulk → Rail → LCLs T +27 462 2250/ +27 11 822 9397 +27 31 31 462 2250 E gerald@sa-il.co.za

gerald@sa-il.co.za E roland@sa-il.co.za / roland@sa-il.co.za B-BBEE Level 2 arvin@sa-il.co.za E arvine@sa-il.co.za/ denolan@sa-il.co.za

T +27 11 822 9397 www.sa-il.co.za E denolan@sa-il.co.za B-BBEE Level 2 www.sa-il.co.za

ISO 9001:2008 Certificated

FTW7876

issues,” describes Van Rensburg. “It is this approach that has enabled us to grow as our clients have grown, as well as securing new clients through both word of mouth and our own continuous marketing.”

Information technology investment

Improving and defining itself as a relationship-based Company

These efforts have cumulated in Elite’s ability to open a branch in Cape Town and Durban in the last three years, which is no mean feat when taking into account the economic downturn which has plagued South Africa during this period.

“In our Cape Town branch we are now in the process of employing more people and our operations - although centralised - are also distributed throughout South Africa,” affirms Van Rensburg. “We have seen a migration in corporate businesses, relocating their head offices and decision-making processes to the Western Cape and believe that this is a key area for our future growth.

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Aiming high despite economic challenges

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“Our plan for 2017 is to focus more on the Cape Town branch which we believe will grow the Company’s already existing market share in this area. The movement of a top manager as well as the employment of several new operational and sales people in this branch means that they will be able to lead this focus as we go through the year.”

In order to facilitate these massive Company changes, Elite has also needed to continuously evolve its software. Having invested heavily in software and computerised systems, in recent times it has become one of the first freight forwarding companies in Africa to be completely paperless.

“In doing this, we have enabled ourselves to distribute our operations Elite has stood strong and bucked the trend throughout the country without many others in its industry experienced, showing losing any efficiencies,” explains Van Rensburg. “It means that all of excellent growth year-on-year... our employees work on the same mainframe server, simplifying the process; with information technology investment being at the forefront of what we do. This has been a big step for us and allows our operation team Moving forward and in order to is its focus on people, ensuring that to be distributed nationally.” maintain its success rate, the main the business not only negotiates aspect of the market that Elite is challenging economic times, but that Positive growth trend closely monitoring is the rand rate of it can continue to move forward in the It is hard to ignore the difficult exchange, which is also linked to the process. economic times that South Africa political situation in South Africa, which Van Rensburg concludes: “Our has been facing in recent years, with has a large impact on its clients both focus is to make sure that our clients a recent report emerging showing on the import and export side. continue to be successful.If we a negative growth trend for the “We believe that at current currency manage to achieve that, they will keep past three years consecutively. Elite levels there is a good balance at present on coming back and using our service has stood strong and bucked the between the needs of the export as clients easily picks up whether trend many others in its industry market and the importers of South you are interested in helping them to experienced, showing excellent Africa, but this is something that we are achieve success. But most importantly, growth year-on-year, around 20 monitoring closely as it is influenced by it starts with your staff. When they feel percent a year over the past three both global factors as well as the current valued appreciated, it spill over in their years. economic situation in South Africa,” communication and service delivery Van Rensburg describes: “We adds Van Rensburg. “At present, it with our clients.” believe we have attained such looks like the market is undeterred “Continuing with this focus over the success in these testing and difficult by the current political upheaval we coming years, I believe that we will see are experiencing, which potentially the Company grow exponentially, not times through our people and their continued focus to ensure that our is related to the fact that the rest of only in market share and profitability, service isn’t just about making money, the western world is facing similar but also customer and employee but also the needs of the person at the upheavals on the political front.” satisfaction, helping us to remain at end of the phone.”

A defining attribute of the Company the top in the industry when it comes

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Gauteng Office: Zimbali, The Greens Office Park, Charles De Gaulle Cres, Highveld, Centurion, 0157Gauteng Durban office: Suite 409 & 411, 4th Floor PX Building, 151 South Coast Road, Durban Cape Town office: Unit 2, Concorde Park, 33 Concorde Crescent, Airport City, Cape Town National tel: +27 (0) 871 507 474 ecf@elitecf.co.za

www.eliteclearing.co.za

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