SAVINO DEL BENE SOUTH AFRICA

SAVINO DEL BENE SOUTH AFRICA

INTERVIEW WITH KOBUS MAREE, MANAGING DIRECTOR

Please give a brief summary of the company, its current products and/or services, and which markets it caters to.

Savino Del Bene, which bears thename of its founder, was establishedin Florence in 1899.

Savino Del Bene has built a reputation over the past 120 years as a reliable partner for businesses requiring shipping and transportation services, operating in 60 countries with facilities in America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. Founded on innovation and a determination to deliver, their business activities are focused on providing a totally integrated logistics service.

The company’s expertise extendsto the automotive and tyre industry;the fashion industry; the food andbeverage sector; fresh fruit andvegetables; marble and ceramics;pharmaceuticals and healthcare; andproject cargo.

What distinguishes you from your competitors? What do you do differently?

Our differentiator is Client Intimacy

• Developing a profound knowledgeof the client’s business.

• Analysing all the data availablefrom a client’s business processes.

• Introducing and Integrating operations to transform the client’s supply chain to realise maximum efficiencies.

• This approach enables us to offer a personalized service with the understanding of what needs to be delivered.

• Offering strategic recommendations based on data and intel gathered in the process.

In summary, our value proposition in processing and analysing data is used to create ‘Business Intelligence’. This approach allows us to implement global bestpractice as part of a truly intelligent, integrated End-to- End Supply Chain solution.

Running a company during Covid has been extremely challenging yet you have met high criteria entry level for the Top Performing Companies publication. Tell us why you think you have achieved such positive results?

Personally, there are four main characteristics that leaders should display to do this.

Agility – It is important to understand and consistently review the key performance indicators that drive your business strategy.

Leading by example – Now, more than ever, leaders must set an example and lead from the front, middle and back.

Committing to your people – A 360-degree leadership approach is a wise approach. Take personal responsibility. Actively help. Show that you're willing to make extra effort to commit to your organisation’s success.

Staying positive – Good leaders provide hope and vision, two qualities that can keep a workplace going, even during tough times.

Define your management strategy and how has it assisted in achieving your goals?

We follow a structured approach with clear key business drivers and core values to implement the SavinoDel Bene way.

The Savino Del Bene culture is described in four terms:

EXCELLENCE – We strive to be perfect and don’t accept mediocrity.

PARTNERING – Having a strategic relationship with mutual benefit for all internal and external stakeholders.

EXECUTION – Complete eachtask to the last detail. Do what yousay you will do. Don’t procrastinate.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE – We accept challenges and respond to them positively, turning challenges into opportunities.

How do you ensure sustainability in your organisation?

In the past, future-proofing an organisation seemed easier than it does now, but the key principles for doing so remain the same. One needs to be both creative and agile– creative means there is always an answer, and agile means there is always more than one answer.

To succeed we need leaders who can challenge the status quo, who are comfortable with constant iteration and committed to innovation and personal development.

Top-performing organisations know that purpose is both a differentiator and a necessity. A strongly held sense of corporate purpose is a company’s unique affirmation of its identity. Part of future-proofing your organisation means taking action to set the company’s purpose in motion and connecting your people to that purpose. The ability to be future-proof is rooted in the ability to achieve performance goals in a state of constant change.

Another important principle is to ‘sense’– this means that your organisation is always listening, inside and outside your four walls, to anticipate and drive disruption. Sense involves collecting data (internal and external)and analysing trends (market and workforce) through various lenses to understand the current context of your organisation (and all its complexities), and to evaluate where your organisation and industry are headed in the future.

It is hard enough to attract good talent, let alone retain it. Please elaborate on any strategies which have worked for your company.

Savino Del Bene is focused on the following fundamental strategies to attract and retain staff:

• Focus on employee experience and incentivise high-quality work output.

• Shifting responsibilities and increasing accountability of employees for their professional and personal development.

• Shifting ownership of engagement to leaders.

• Building competence within the workforce by implementing value-driven training, learning and development strategies.

During the last few years, we have created and implemented a substantial amount of learnership positions for young people. These learners also undergo orientation and work readiness programmes to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to successfully transition from the education system to the formal economy.

What do you see as your main growth areas for the year ahead and why?

Companies need to adapt to a post pandemic world.

The pandemic has laid bare the need to diversify amongst the multitude of industries and mitigate the risk of having all our eggs in one industry.

Hence, we will strive to diversify our client base.

The plethora of black swan events that took place in coalition with the covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of the current global supply chain, accentuated by globalisation. Therefore, we must ensure that our very own supply chain is versatile and flexible enough to mitigate such future disruptions.

What are your key social responsibility initiatives?

Savino Del Bene has achieved B-BBEE level 2 status with 125% preferential procurement recognition. Our commitment to diversity in the supply chain and logistics industry incorporates 26% black women equity.

Savino Del Bene contributes social responsibility to the EDI Trust which develops disadvantaged communities. Savino Del Bene SA, as a successful, growing business, contributes to wealth creation in South Africa, provides jobs and assists to raise the standard of living for all in SouthAfrica through trade facilitation.The process of building world-class facilities and providing skills upgrading our employees so they can contribute within their communities.

What message do you have for potential overseas investors looking to invest in South Africa?

Due to the Strategic Geo Location of South Africa and our excellent infrastructure it is for sure the gateway into Africa. It is a strategic Trade Route that connects China, India, and Europe with Africa.

Africa is the continent of the future i.e. it is the biggest continent and we have the knowledge, skills and political will to make it happen.

To prove this point Savino Del Bene has built a state-of–the-art facility of 24000m² on the R21 between ORT and Pretoria to facilitate the future.

Savino Del Bene has built a reputation over the past 120 years as a reliable partner for businesses requiring shipping and transportation services, operating in 60 countries with facilities in America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

With a network of more than 289 offices in over 60 countries across the five continents, Savino Del Bene manages air, sea, and land transport services through established relationships with the best carriers. We offer tailor-made logistics solutions for the shipment and distribution of any type of merchandise.

Customer satisfaction is at the very foundation of Savino Del Bene’smission and has been since its inception. Consistent with its QHSEPolicy (Quality, Health, Safety and environment), Savino Del Bene is committed to training and updating its staff in every department, with the belief that this business attitude is the main reason behind its customers’ loyalty.

Savino Del Bene’s organization invertical markets demonstrates all the specializations the company has developed over the years in the automotive and tyre industry, fashion industry; food and beverage; fresh fruit and vegetables; pharmaceuticals and healthcare; and project cargo industries. For each of these, the company offers personalised and dedicated logistics solutions and services.

To support the shipping and logistics process, the internal company SDBInformation Technology develops and proposes a myriad of solutions that minimize risks, costs, and distribution times. Operating in complete transparency and with secure data and transactions, the traceability of flows and the exchange of information with the customer and its information systems are guaranteed.

COMPANY STATISTICS /HISTORY

South African offices opened: 1996

Employees: 318

Branches: Johannesburg, Cape Town,Durban and Port Elizabeth

Trade affiliations: The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), International Air Transport Association (IATA)

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Financial year-end: December

TRAINING & CSI

• Training programmes: Learnership programme, mandatory training such as firefighting, first aid, forklift and reach operator, CRM, business intelligence

• Employee incentive schemes: Commission-based incentives for Sales and KAM staff. Recruitment finder and performance-based incentives for all staff.

• Empowerment initiatives: EDI empowerment trust

• CSI initiatives: SA Cares for Life – Nutribands, Project Flamingo, OperationHealing Hands, Karos and Kambro and Men’s Ministries in Eersterust

MANAGEMENT

Managing Director: Kobus Maree

Human Resources Director: Elvera Pitt

Chief Financial Officer: Ockert Pienaar

Chief Operating Officer:Patrick Jansen van Rensburg

National Sales Manager:Munesh Maharaj

National Key Account Manager:Desire Gourdain

CONTACT DETAILS

Physical address: Eastport LogisticsPark, Cnr R21 Expressway and R25,Witfontein Ext. 75, Glen Marais,Kempton ParkTelephone: +27(0)11 437 3000Email address:headoffice.jhb@savinodelbene.comWebsite: https://southafrica.savinodelbene.com/

EMPOWERMENT STATUS

Empowerment rating: Level 2

Black women equity: 26%

Preferential procurement recognition: 125%

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• PMR Golden Arrow 2021 & 2020

• Top 500 Best Managed Companies 2020 & 2015

• Top Performing Icon Award 2019

• Transport & Logistics Award 2018

• Top Performing Company Recognition 2018

• Freight & Logistics Company Award 2017

• Institute for Quality: ETD Recognition Award 2016

• Logistics Achiever Silver Award 2015

• Logistics Achiever Platinum Award 2013