It is widely understood that a company’s success and customer satisfaction relies heavily on an effective supply chain. As the industry continues to evolve with technology, and consumers seeking sustainable solutions, it is important to harness young people’s minds and inventiveness to meet the needs that come with the demanding industry. Barloworld Logistics is committed to empowering young people and affording them opportunities through well-established graduate programmes, learnerships, and development programmes.

The role of supply chains is rapidly changing, driven by a global business movement towards digitisation.  Most companies regardless of size are seeking to transform their supply chain functions, with varying degrees of success, as they struggle to keep astride with an onslaught of digital trends that are disrupting traditional supply chain management.

South African ports saw over 3 million tonnes of breakbulk goods in 2018, and reports show that this growth trend is indeed projected to continue increasing well into the future. Moving over-dimensional or heavy-lift cargo is no small feat, whether it is massive earth moving yellow equipment bound for copper mines in Zambia or turbine components for a Northern Cape wind farm, transportation and logistics demands are considerably greater as they are unique to each situation.

Cash flow allows an organisation to pursue opportunities that enhance value. This may indeed become tricky when importing the goods required to run a business becomes an expensive and complex process, including costs associated with moving the goods, as well as duties and taxes requiring payment once the goods have arrived and clearing required before collection. These activities can result in tied up cash leading to reduced efficiency.

From shoes made in China to crude oil from India, the ability for businesses to ship goods by sea has brought about global economic benefit. Every year billions of tonnes of goods are shipped along major trade routes, in South Africa alone over R133 billion worth of goods were shipped around the world in 2018.