Express courier reports strong growth in African trade flows

10th May 2013 By: Schalk Burger - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Express courier service TNT Express South Africa is increasingly providing services in the healthcare and industrial sectors in Africa and South Africa, says TNT Express South Africa sales director Shane de Beer.

There has been significant growth in trade flows between South Africa and other African countries; the most notable trade growth has been recorded with Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. TNT Express is in a strong position to support this growth.

Further, the company helps clients to improve portions of their supply chains through consultation, structured client feedback and long-running service for industries, mines and the healthcare sector.

TNT Express provides solutions for spe- cific industries, for example, the express supply of critical goods or medicines, and is not a full supply chain operator.

“We move surgical equipment, medicines, electronic components, core samples, medical samples, telecommunications goods and clinical trial samples throughout Africa for a large variety of private and non-profit organisations.”

“Further, to meet the requirements of world standards on the movement and security of dual-use goods, such as high- technology servers and computers, we have an Export Controls system. This system enables us to check packages noninvasively for prohibited or controlled goods and we allow these to be couriered only to unrestricted territories, organisations and persons,” says De Beer.

TNT Express South Africa has separated its large business accounts from small and medium-sized business accounts to tap into the smaller markets on the continent. However, it has divided the large accounts into four vertical sectors, namely healthcare, industry and automotive, high technology and fashion, with teams providing services to each of these large-scale sectors, he adds.

The company’s services also include the moving of parts for repair and providing forward stock locations for certain indus- tries, such as the telecommunications and information technology industries, to enable them to uphold their onerous service-level agreements.

“Our strategic services add value to customer operations. Our global network enables us to move goods rapidly where needed and quickly establish supply chains, as well as temporary supply chains, for projects,” he says.

TNT Express South Africa serves neighbouring countries and South Africa functions as one of its hubs for its services network throughout Africa.

Global parent TNT Express is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange.