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Wednesday 02 November 2016
As a leading black-owned freight forwarding partner, Röhlig-Grindrod prides itself on building solid relationships, creating chains of trust and ensuring that the group’s global expertise and footprint serve to develop and bolster the South African economy. And as a Level Two B-BBEE contributor, with a B-BBEE procurement recognition level of 125 percent, the company is proud of its 57.5 percent B-BBEE ownership credentials and the transformation it has achieved in both its own business and in the industry over the years. It is thus “delighted” at the news that Röhlig-Grindrod’s Durban team has been recognised for keeping this spirit of empowerment alive by winning the BBBEE Exporter of the Year Award at the 16th KZN Exporter of the Year Awards 2016. The awards pay tribute to KwaZulu-Natal companies in the broader export business by highlighting and celebrating their successes over the past year in an effort to drive and promote economic growth in Durban and the province. The export manager, Nadeera Sewlall and the Durban Branch manager, Donovan Phillips received the award on behalf of Röhlig Grindrod Durban.
The team was also named as finalists in the Service Provider category, testament to the fact that Röhlig-Grindrod has four branches in the province: Durban, King Shaka International Airport, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay, ensuring the team remains close to customers and pivotal business hubs. Commenting after receiving the honour, Phillips praised “every single member of the Durban family and the Exco team for their commitment, tenacity and continuous efforts to ensure that they are the benchmark freight service provider in KwaZulu-Natal”. Over and above the doors and opportunities which are undoubtedly opened by such accolades, Röhlig-Grindrod values the deeper implications of the awards and the focus placed on the role of transformation in the local transport and logistics sector. Being a proudly South African company, Röhlig-Grindrod is very aware of the advantages it enjoys as a result of its global heritage. Röhlig-Grindrod was formed in 2000 following the merger of German-based freight forwarder Röhlig & Co with the home-grown logistics management group Grindrod Limited, and as a result, has an international outlook coupled with a local flavour. The group is firmly invested in the development of the South Africa market and to opening up the rest of the continent. The company knows that to achieve this, it is essential to develop and deepen the South African economy.
This is one reason why RöhligGrindrod continues to focus on the development of skills in the sector through an extensive learnership programme. Recognising the skills shortage in the industry and the vital need to developing the youth, Röhlig-Grindrod has spent some R15 million on training in recent years and has incubated 104 learnerships. More than half of former learnership beneficiaries have joined the Röhlig-Grindrod family on a permanent basis, with others finding jobs in the freight and logistics industry. While the company is hungry to identify and develop external talent, it is also deeply committed to existing staff and has developed a successful in-house initiative, the Khula Nathi Talent Development Programme, providing a pipeline for talent and addressing key issues of succession planning within the organisation.
Khula Nathi underlines that, once part of Röhlig-Grindrod, learning and development does not stop. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative, for example, creates the opportunity to undertake various freight forwarding and customs compliance certificates, culminating in an internationally-recognised freight forwarding (FIATA) diploma. The purpose of RPL is to help staff members who, despite a number of years’ work experience, have yet to gain a formal qualification. Further, Röhlig-Grindrod continues to work on the development of black skills within the sector through enterprise development efforts which focus on both new black entrants as well as employee ownership schemes. This approach goes hand-in-hand with Röhlig’s global Blue Future strategy, which aims to improve efficiencies by harnessing the power of regionalisation, process streamlining and standardisation. As a company which prides itself on creating global chains of trust, Röhlig-Grindrod recognises that honesty, fairness and commitment start at home.
These values are instilled in the organisation, and the company actively reinforces the importance of connections, networks and collaborations, in addition to the promise of delivering quality service. Regardless of the destination or cargo, Röhlig-Grindrod leverages the negotiating power of a multinational organisation with an on-the-ground African footprint. As well as having offices in Namibia and Mozambique, the group works with a solid network of partner companies across Africa to offer the following core services: out-ofgauge project cargo; conventional or containerised sea freight; vessel charters; airfreight; overland cargo as well as customs clearance procedures. And as part of RöhligGrindrod’s commitment to ensuring a streamlined service from start to finish, a range of additional services are also on offer, including: warehousing; logistic services; freight-forwarding; contract logistics; customs facilities; domestic transfers; strategic planning; auditing services; marine insurance; stock control; bondstore management; international regulations; overseas payments; customs tariff consulting and logistical support.
