Rhenus South Africa has expanded its warehousing capacities in South Africa with the opening of new warehouses in Pretoria and East London and modernising and extending its existing site in Port Elizabeth.
The company already has a strong presence in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban and has now expanded its network of warehousing sites on the east coast as part of its expansion goals thus closing a gap on the map for its customers.
A new 3 000 square metre warehouse in Samrand near Pretoria and a new 2 000 square metre facility in East London have been unveiled and the facilities at the existing site in Port Elizabeth underwent modernisation, increasing the available space to 1 100 square metres.
“Throughout and since Covid, many customers realised they had insufficient stock holding and that a just-in-time approach doesn’t always work in terms of meeting customer demand, combined with speed to market,” says Cornell van Rooyen, Head of Warehousing at Rhenus South Africa.
“This is especially true in these volatile times characterized by declining transport volumes, delays at ports, poor rail infrastructure, a weakening currency and energy challenges like load shedding.”
According to Van Rooyen, the new warehouse in Samrand provides optimum conditions for the express courier service and the contract logistics activities of Rhenus. It also expands the range of production, industrial and commercial logistics services along the N1 motorway, which connects Gauteng with the north-south corridor.
In East London, the new warehouse plays a crucial role in simplifying import procedures and improving the competitive advantage of local businesses. The facility features a bonded warehouse, state-of-the-art temperature-controlled cold and hot storage and a robust security infrastructure. For customers, these improvements increase efficiency and reduce operating and maintenance costs.
“With the targeted investment in regional hubs, we are complementing our existing business and at the same time offering the opportunity to medium-sized customers who may be considering switching to a more cost-effective outsourced storage solution in the current economic climate,” says van Rooyen. “We are optimistic that this strategic approach will lead to strong annual growth over the next three to five years.”