To be competitive in a globalize economy
one needs to be able to communicate effectively and move goods efficiently as
is evidenced by the finalists in this sector namely: Grindrod Limited, Mediterranean
Shipping Company Richards Bay Coal Terminal, Safmarine and Siemens.
This sector includes activities related to
providing passenger or freight transport, by rail, road, water or air and
includes supporting activities such as the operation of railway stations,
terminal and parking facilities, cargo handling and storage, traffic control
activities, navigation, pilotage and berthing activities etc.
The Grindrod Group is traded on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange and offers a worldwide range of high-quality
shipping and freight services by land, air, and sea.
The business is all about moving cargo
seamlessly from point of departure to final destination providing customers
with simple, convenient solutions to complex operational exercises.
The group's head office is in Durban, South
Africa and is represented by subsidiaries,
joint venture and associated companies in 24 other countries.
Grindrod employs +-6000 skilled and
dedicated people, controls assets of almost R10 billion and generates an annual
profit in excess of R1.2 billion. The group was voted the number one shipping
company in the world in 2006 and named as one of the top listed companies in South Africa
for 4 consecutive years between 2004 and 2007.
The independent
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) through its innovative, flexible and
unique approach to shipping has continued to grow during and beyond the first
decade of the new South
Africa. The company, which was founded in
1970, has become the biggest user of the South African ports and in 2003 was given
the accolade of being the second biggest container carrier in the world.
With in excess of 380 container vessels, the company provides global coverage
linking South Africa
directly with Europe, UK, USA, Asia, Middle East, Far East and Australia as well as the key ports of Africa's
West Coast, East Coast, Indian Ocean Islands, Madagascar and Mozambique.
The success of MSC is evident in its phenomenal growth over the past decade
that can only be attributed to its quality management system that aims at
consistently improving upon service levels within the shipping community and
its willingness to initiate change to meet the requirements of clients and
principals.
Safmarine, provides a wide range of
container and break-bulk shipping services. As a separately managed member of
the AP Moller Maersk Group, the largest shipping group in the world, Safmarine
provides its customers with access to the best available shipping
infrastructure - the most modern technology, including world-class and
container fleet. Safmarine combines these strengths with its most important
asset - "its people" and their philosophy of being the "people making the
difference" in shipping.
In the early 1990s Safmarine launched its
award-winning "Containers in the Community", Corporate Social Investment
Programme which involves the reuse of containers retired from the Safmarine
fleet. With the world container fleet set to grow substantially, the Company
recognized the importance of re-using a portion of its ever-growing fleet in an
innovative, environmentally-friendly and sustainable way. To date Safmarine has
deployed in excess of 8 000 retired sea freight containers representing 2 000 diverse projects in previously
disadvantaged communities throughout South Africa
Siemens Unit is pivotal in the technology
portfolio of Siemens Southern Africa and has, over the years, been instrumental
in the growth of the company through generations of traction engineering and
railway signaling technologies. Transportation Systems caters for all
conceivable rail operator requirements and delivers cost-effective and
integrated solutions for mass transit, regional and mainline railway industry.
Memorable projects include supplying an
Automatic Train Routing (ATR) system for the Durban control centre; providing
simultaneous entry facilities on the south coast railway line; installing railway signalling equipment for
the Vryheid to Richards Bay rail link; designing and installing electrical
works for the first woodchip ship loader at Richards Bay harbour; and
installing multi-section, multi-head axle counters on the KwaZulu-Natal main
line.
Winner: Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT)
Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is the single largest export coal terminal in
the world. Established in 1976 with an original capacity of 12 million tons per
annum, it has grown into an advanced 24-hour operation with a design export
capacity of 76 million tons per annum.
RBCT shares a strong co-operative
relationship with Transnet Freight Rail, which laid the 560 kilometre railway
line linking the coal mines to the port, and with Transnet National Ports
Authority, which co-ordinates the arrival and departure of more than 700 ships
a year.
Richards Bay Coal Terminal has been
awarded the SABS Presidents Award in recognition of its achievement of
multi-certification of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 as well as RBCT's drive,
innovation and excellence in establishing, implementing and maintaining such
systems.
RBCT is pleased to have been awarded the
National Business Initiative's 2007 Energy Efficiency ETA Award. This is
indicative of RBCT's commitment to energy efficiency in all aspects of its
operations, which is viewed as key to its reputation of one of the world's most
globally competitive export coal terminals.
