Logistics and express services provider DHL Express upgraded its quality-control centre, in Johannesburg, in July; the centre proactively monitors all the company’s shipments and flight patterns, as well as natural disasters or political issues that might have an impact on its network.

DHL Express’s key focus in the mining sector is to facilitate response to emergency breakdowns, repairs, returns and the transport of mineral samples. All these services require quick turnaround times, says DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa regional customer manager Madeleen von Wielligh.

She adds that the company invested heavily in its dedicated air network and is also working with multiple commercial airlines to ensure it has rapid transit times.
“In terms of technology, we have developed several track and trace functionalities in the past five years, enabling mining companies to have full visibility of their shipment in real time,” states Von Wielligh.

In August, Engineering News reported that South African manufacturer of display technologies PVision collaborated with Johannesburg media company Shellard Media to complete the installation of display screens and supporting technology worth R738 000 at DHL’s quality-control centre in Johannesburg.

Von Wielligh highlights that DHL is using the centre for its mining customers to ensure the company overcomes any service failures in the field.
She adds that many mining companies are using DHL’s logis- tics services, as vehicle break- downs often result in losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Transit times on shipments are crucial and customers need to know exactly where their shipments are and whether their deliveries will be carried out on time,” she emphasises.
Dealing with Challenges

“The rise in operating expenses is forcing companies to be prudent in the way materials are transported, particularly in light of the decline in the value of commodities such as gold and coal,” notes Von Wielligh, who adds that this is placing increased pressure on service providers like DHL to offer competitively priced services.

Further, she comments that new mineral deposit finds are usually in remote areas, which is a challenge for service providers, as they have to create logistics infrastructure where none existed.

“We assist in offering our customers an effective and reli- able network, resulting in the fastest transit times, and, thus, benefiting customers because they do not have to carry vast amounts of stock. We are also committed to ensuring the best possible pricing for the industry,” Von Wielligh concludes.