Bridgewater Logistics is strategically positioned to continue providing an unrivalled transport logistics solution to businesses of all sizes, despite an extremely challenging economic environment in which the entire road-transport logistics industry and its customers are currently operating.
Seven of the 10 manufacturing sectors reported negative growth rates in the first quarter of this year, while the mining and quarrying industry contracted by more than 10% and contributed -0,8 of a percentage point to gross-domestic product growth. Some experts have even cautioned that South Africa’s economy may be heading for a recession this year.
These extremely challenging conditions are compounded by rising input costs in the road transport logistics sector. They include, among others, an additional carbon tax, fuel price hikes and more toll fees, over-and-above soaring maintenance and labour costs.
“A major focus for businesses at this point in time is to reduce the cost of moving their goods – an emphasis spans the entire supply chain. Remaining relevant in the increasingly competitive road-transport logistics industry, thus, entails having the ability to constantly innovate to provide customers with the best possible transport solutions,” Quinton de Villiers, Managing Director of Bridgewater Logistics, says.
Finding new and innovative ways of transporting and storing customers’ products is a responsibility that rests almost solely on the shoulders of Bridgewater Logistics’ project-management team, comprising experienced and skilled logisticians.
Their focus also includes harnessing technologies that are already revolutionising the global supply-chain.
A sound example is the use of telematics to better monitor driver performance, which has helped reduce transport costs and, just as importantly, road safety. This is in addition to the role that the technology is playing in other more advanced applications, such as predicting future events.
Bridgewater Logistics’ focus on constant improvement spans the company’s line- and short-haul operations all the way through to its cutting-edge warehousing and cross-docking solutions, both critical pillars of any efficient supply chain.
However, the increasing digitisation of the supply chain has introduced another real threat to the industry, and cybersecurity has, therefore, also become a major component of 3PL’s risk-management procedures. This focus is expected to grow in prominence as South Africa advances towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a major component of policymakers’ economic turnaround strategy.
Importantly, Bridgewater Logistics is financially robust and has sufficient capital to survive in this challenging economic climate.
“This is due to the sound management of cash flow,” De Villiers says.
“It can be expected that the time-frame in which customers settle invoices and the rate in which a business is able to process services while maintaining operations will become increasingly important for road-transport logistics operators moving forward.”
Bridgewater Logistics is one of the country’s foremost 3PLs, offering a diversified, full service trucking, distribution, warehousing and shipping solution.
