Connecting the African continent
“We don’t look at ourselves as simply a transporter or a logistics firm, we are a complete service provider,” says Transtech Logistics’ business manager, Chokani Mhango, describing the company’s philosophy – and one of the biggest factors behind its success.
Founded in 1997 in Malawi, Transtech Logistics is a freight specialist, offering comprehensive and integrated solutions throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and, of course, Malawi. The company operates a fleet of just under 100 Freightliner trucks, employing the same number of drivers and 40 additional staff at its offices in Lilongwe (Malawi), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Johannesburg (South Africa).
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The South African office – which is now also the head office – is a relatively recent addition, opening in 2013. He explains: “I am an economics scholar and started my career in banking. But after six years I was ready for a new challenge and Transtech’s managing director approached me with his plans to open an independent office in South Africa. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Transtech’s vision is to facilitate its customers’ entire supply chain, meeting the demand for both manufactured products from South Africa and beyond and various raw materials and agricultural products from southern Africa. Mhango says: “We are positioning ourselves in this very exciting space, being able to connect our southern African clientèle, with both SA and international manufacturers, and at the same time connecting agricultural exporters in Malawi, Zimbabwe and so on with our international customers. That’s why our slogan is ‘Connecting the African Continent’.”
And as the South African office starts its third year, it’s an exciting time for the company. “While the business as a whole has been operating for 18 years, this office is the ‘newbie’, so the first three years have been very important in the getting the right personnel in, getting the right structures in place and getting the right client base - building a structure for business,” says Mhango.
Attracting the right personnel is a key element of the company’s strategy, particularly as the logistics industry is very labour intensive. People are the heart and soul of Transtech and all our personnel are critical to the vision of the organization in order to cohesively run . . . click here to read the rest of this report at Supply Chain Digital!
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