Grindrod Press Release
29 June 2015
Grindrod Intermodal officially opens its flagship facility in Denver Gauteng
Grindrod Intermodal celebrated the completion of its biggest facility to date at a grand official opening on the 25 June 2015.
The speakers included the newly appointed CEO of Grindrod Intermodal, Kees Anton Van Welie, as well as the Deputy Director-General of Industrial Policy Development at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Mr. Garth Strachan and strategic economic advisor to the MEC for Economic Development, Ms. Phelisa Nkomo. The formalities ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
According to Van Welie, what was once a mine dump at Denver in Johannesburg, has over the last 10 years been flattened and converted into a 130 000m² industrial development. A total investment of about R200 million was invested in this state of the art facility. Grindrod consolidated its existing intermodal facilities in the area and developed owned land with the objective of creating a transport hub connecting markets from as far as Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, DRC and closer to home Maputo, Richard Bay and Durban. Kees said that their objectives is to simplify the supply chain, to cut costs and grow the business.
Strachan said that the government’s Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) aims, amongst others to set out a roadmap for the re-industrialization of South Africa. At the heart of this plan is the principle of a close working collaborative mutually beneficial relationship between business and government. He added that one of the constraints that inhibits industrial development is the efficiency of South Africa’s road, rail, port and Freight Logistics and that this problem cannot be solved by the public sector alone. Providing an enabling environment for private sector investment in transport & logistics in an important consideration for government. Strachan congratulated Grindrod for its vision and commitment to the common vision: to make south Africa work; to grow our exports; to increase trade; to work towards trade and industrial integration and to underpin all these efforts with an efficient and cost effective intermodal freight transport and logistics system.
The Gauteng Provincial Government represented by the strategic economic advisor to the MEC for Economic Development, Ms. Phelisa Nkomo, also welcomed this development. Nkomo said that a major economic infrastructure project such as the Grindrod Gauteng Intermodal Terminal is a direct response to their three -pronged policy vision of Transformation, Modernization and Re-Industrialization.
More about Grindrod Intermodal’s flagship facility:
• 18,000 m² undercover warehouse
• 35,000 m² mining mineral yards
• 27,000 m² full container stacking area
• 35,000 m² empty container stacking and maintenance yard
• 15,000 m² transport facilities
· 1 500 m² office facilities
Specific consideration was given to environmental issues to ensure electricity savings and to ensure sustainability.
With fluctuating commodity prices, reducing costs in the supply chain and creating efficiencies is imperative to promoting trade.
Over-border customers now have the option of delivering goods destined for foreign markets to Gauteng. This allows for a quicker turn-around of trucks, saving time and increasing efficiency. Commodities are then stored at these facilities before being packed in containers and delivered to Durban for shipment.
For commodities destined for cross-border, the bonded facilities allows for Vat and Duties to be deferred.
A further R12 million will be invested to develop the rail siding, capable of accommodating daily block trains. This will provide the opportunity of converting container volumes from road to rail, while at the same time reducing costs in the logistics supply chain. This development is expected to be complete by December 2015.
In summary, the Gauteng Grindrod Intermodal Terminal will provide the following consolidated services to the freight Industry:
• Rail and road transport
• Warehousing & distribution of various general and bonded commodities
• Packing/unpacking of containers
• Storage, handling and packing of mining minerals
• Full container storage and handling
• Refrigerated container depot services including maintenance and repair
The facility provides employment for over 100 people, it will handle 1 million tons of containerised cargo and in excess of 100,000 containers per annum.
Grindrod Intermodal is one of the largest intermodal operators in Southern Africa, has infrastructure in excess of 500 000m², assets exceeding R700 million and a team of over 630 dedicated employees. We provide integrated supply chain solutions for the containerisation and transportation of various commodities by road and rail to and from various destinations in Southern Africa.