Company Report: Transglobal Cargo (Pty) Ltd: Cargo specialists
Cargo specialists Since June 1997, Transglobal Cargo has grown to become a specialist in its sector, dealing with ground that "other agents fear to tread," providing an end-to-end logistics solution

As a South African provider of sea freight, air freight, customs clearance, freight forwarding, specialist and consulting services, Transglobal Cargo operates from key locations across the country in Umhlanga, Gauteng, and Cape Town. Established over a decade ago, the company is wholly owned by members of previously disenfranchised groups.

"Our Business is about delivery. Our customers want reliability, predictability and communication from us on a timely basis. We focus on that and it works," says Sugie Govender, CEO.

The firm's management team, together with its service staff, are highly qualified, have experience relevant to the specialism they operate in, and continually work to polish up their skills in relation to changes in the field, as demonstrated by Operations Director, Pooven Naidu.

Naidu has 15 years experience in the logistics industry and has completed a degree in business management, in addition to several other courses, all of which work to sharpen his knowledge and skills in an ever-changing industry.

"Initially, when the organisation was started, our main objective was to compete against the logistics giants in South Africa; we wanted to be seen in the same light as them," says Naidu. That's why we've joined the World Cargo Alliance network, so that we could have a network agency with good international reach, to contend with the leaders. Basically, the benefits of being part of a network are that you have guaranteed payment and you can access a database of people in the respective countries across the world. We wanted to give our customer a one stop shop, enabling them to come to us for a wide spectrum of freight solutions.

"We are extremely selective about our agents around the world, who, together with us, take responsibility for the cargo," says Naidu, who highlights that these agents are the experts in their countries, and so clients can be safe in the knowledge that they're dealing with the best from start to finish.

Transglobal's networks make door-to-door delivery possible across six continents, and with the company's industry I.T. systems up-to-date, it is equipped with the best in computerised tracking, customs clearance, methods of invoicing, costing and the issuing of status reports - all working towards delivering an on-time service, without compromising product requirements. "Even in the sky, our men are able to keep any eye on cargo with our computerised track and trace facility, Pangaea," Naidu elaborates. As a company that represents itself as taking "business very personally," it is clear that Transglobal believes working face-to-face with its customers instils a great level of trust when it comes to handling products that are often specialist or hazardous "It's our personal touch and expertise that keeps us a leap ahead of the others - at sea and in the sky," says the company.

SPECIAL PROJECTS
"Since our founding, we've grown from strength to strength, focusing more within the specialised fields of cargo - for example, on exotic motor vehicles and hazardous products. We've thrived through providing customers with solutions to particularly difficult problems," Naidu explains. "Walking where other agents fear to tread is our forte," says the company's strapline. Handling hazardous cargo, such as explosives and cargo, classes one to eight, is an area which clearly doesn't daunt Transglobal's team, all of which are extremely safety-focused. Naidu says his people are well-informed in all Government statutory requirements, such as SAMSA, SAP Explosives Permits and Customs and Excise.

Similarly, within vehicle importation, Transglobal is somewhat of a specialist. One of the company's premium clients, Ferrari, is a key example of how the firm goes that extra mile in terms of service.

"Ferrari are most particular about allowing people to pack and ship their motor cars. Transglobal is the exclusive agent for all Ferrari related activity in South Africa for very good reasons," says Viglietti Motor Ferrari Agents South Africa. Transglobal imports numerous prestigious, high-value motor vehicles and procures IRCC's on behalf of importers, where a preferred rate of duty is levied. Naidu highlights this sector's service

offerings as a particular strength of the company: "Finding solutions to the difficult problems is something that sets us apart from the competition. We also have the highest quality of service, deliver on-time, and make sure our customers are paying what they should be paying; in essence we give them a quality service at an affordable price." Transglobal enlists the expertise of consultants to ensure that clients are not paying more than they should. These experts are tasked with carrying out studies to establish correct customs duties and freight rates.

EMPOWERMENT
The people working within a firm are widely believed to be one of the most valuable resources when it comes to the success of a business. This is something that Transglobal appears to recognise and is demonstrated through its efforts to improve both the skills and quality of life of its employees from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and those who still face difficulties in the new South Africa. "We pay particular attention to empowerment," says Naidu, explaining how he attributes Transglobal's quick response and ability to solve problems to the employees' knowledge and skills. "The way we run the business is that we always look to bring juniors into the operations and build them up with our culture and methods of operating,
training them extensively in that area," he adds.

Showing further commitment to upholding empowerment standards, Transglobal additionally seeks to work with other companies that have the same ideals.

Looking towards the future, and potential areas for expansion and improvement, Naidu says: "We're currently looking at Johannesburg and Gauteng at the moment; we've invested in Cape Town recently and that's going well, so working at Johannesburg is where we're focusing on in terms of infrastructure right now."

Concluding, Naidiu concisely sums up what he believes is the key to the company's success: "I would say the key is to keep the customers happy."

With a clear focus on its clients, Transglobal Cargo looks set to further strengthen its presence and reputation within the marketplace, continuing its success in the coming years.

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