This year’s SAAFF annual congress, themed New Frontiers, will take place from 14-16 October 2015 at the Durban International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.

Commenting on the state of the freight forwarding industry, South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) CEO Dave Logan said: “The freight forwarding industry is facing major changes as it fights to stay viable in a changing global environment. For freight forwarders to survive – and thrive – a major paradigm shift is needed,” he added.

Logan says that freight forwarding has become a progressively complex and specialised service in the current context of globalisation, tight security regulations and skills shortages. “We are operating in a turbulent environment. Freight forwarders face numerous challenges: volatile fuel prices, rising toll costs, restrictive carbon requirements and many others. Maintaining a competitive advantage under these conditions requires strategic planning and decisive action. Business is becoming more and more challenging as complexity increases.”

That said, the industry’s outlook is fairly positive, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasting a compound annual growth rate of 4.1% over the next four years. Even better news is that Africa is the second fastest growing market, with a CAGR of 4.4%.