26 February 2009

A fresh approach by Elliott International in Botswana has shaved four weeks off the time that deliveries from southern Africa usually take to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It also saved the client a considerable amount in accommodation costs, demurrage and sheer frustration!

After considering the request to do a removal from Harare in Zimbabwe to Dar es Salaam on Africa’s east coast, Aubrey Bowles, who is Sales Director of Elliott Botswana, decided that the timing and cost requirements could best be met by a road delivery. 

“It turned out to be a ground breaking event as deliveries from southern Africa to Dar es Salaam normally go by sea,” says Bowles. However, congestion at the port causes ships to wait for 30 days to enter the harbour. It then takes a further 10 days to clear goods with an added complication that in trying to ease the one month’s back log, officials often move containers to private depots. Chaotic administration frequently results in no one being able to follow the paper trail to where the containers have been moved. “You can spend days looking for your container!” says Bowles.

The collapse of the Kenyan rail infrastructure also supported the decision to pioneer an Elliott International route by road. Intensive planning and liaison with supply structures followed and on 27 September 2008 a 60 cubic metre Elliott truck left its depot in Gaborone, Botswana for Harare in Zimbabwe. There it loaded the client’s goods before heading north-west to cross the mighty Zambesi river into Zambia at Chirundu. The truck then swung north-east to travel through Zambia to a border crossing into Tanzania at Tunduma. Passing through Mbeya and Iringa the truck arrived in Dar es Salaam a mere nine days after leaving Gaborone.

The client was delighted to find that everything had arrived in excellent condition with nothing lost or damaged. The speedy delivery meant that he could start using his household goods almost immediately without the cost of a long hotel stay in Dar es Salaam and demurrage.

“Road conditions were good because the seasonal heavy rains hadn’t started yet and we used local clearing agents at the three borders. Our driver, Richard Nfandiso, covered more than 7 700 kms over the round trip and is justifiably proud of having entered the Elliott International history book,” says Bowles.

Following this successful venture, Rudi Nagel, the Elliott Regional Director for Africa who is based in Botswana, will be exploring other opportunities for expansion into Africa.  “We believe that there is a future in Africa and we are looking forward to pioneering new routes, including Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria,” says Nagel. “At present Elliott Botswana provides a very efficient road service to and from the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia, southern Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” he says.

 Elliott Botswana is FIDI-FAIM accredited and also holds ISO certification, the only removal company based in Botswana to have these achievements.