Congratulations to Dachser South Africa (SA) which last month celebrated its 40th anniversary of being in business.
Under the leadership of managing director Detlev Duve, Dachser SA has established itself as the gateway to Africa, dealing with diverse logistics needs across the various trade lanes and growing the team and the business in the face of a challenging economic environment.
In 2011, global logistics provider Dachser acquired Jonen Freight, a local company formed in 1979 and owned by the Duve family. Through this deal, not only did the newly created Dachser SA strengthen its global network but it also brought 30 years of established expertise in Africa to the Dachser Group.
Today, moving medical equipment, mega-mining components to remote locations or fresh food products to Zambia and Zimbabwe by road freight – or Mauritius, Madagascar and Mayotte by sea – are all in a day’s work for the Dachser SA team.
“We are specialists in moving products through Africa, from oversized capital equipment to urgent samples to general cargo,” says Duve. “Our colleagues across the world trust our local teams to complete the job into Africa as we have an in-depth understanding of the complexities of supply chain management and logistics in the African continent, such as customs, inspections, infrastructure challenges and delays at border crossings.”
Dachser SA further offers value-added warehousing solutions from its large warehousing space in Johannesburg. Globally, Dachser now has more employees than at any other point in its history: some 30 603 people around the world are employed by the family-owned company based in Kempten, Germany.
Dachser SA is home to 240 of these employees working across four branches, involved at any given time in connecting the flow of commodities, information, and transport companies with each other. The company has invested heavily in skills development, taking on 15 interns per year and employing many of them.
“We’re proud of the strong relationships we’ve built, the experience we’ve gained and the milestones we’ve achieved over 40 years of operating in Africa. It’s incredible that a family business started by my father, Hartmut Duve, now adds value to the incredible global network Dachser offers – itself also a family business. We’ll strive to continue the legacy as we play a vital role in helping clients harness business opportunities in Africa,” says a proud Duve.
