Industry-leading rigging capabilities, combined with a full range of services from storage to a bond facility and custom-made crating, can ensure client satisfaction, says machine movers and rigging company Lovemore Bros.

Company warehouse manager Willy Chetty emphasises that offering a one-stop-shop service is essential in the logistics chain. He points out that all the company’s warehouses have been specifically designed with effective storage and safety in mind.

“Every square metre of our warehouses is accessible by an overhead crane. Our large entrance gates, docking bays and warehouse crews experienced in the handling of heavy and awkward cargo mean our warehouses can meet clients’ materials handling and logistics requirements,” comments Chetty.

He illustrates that with 4 500 m2 of high-volume storage space, up to 16 m under hook, 12 docking bays and 12 m doorways, the Lovemore Bros warehouse, in Richards Bay, is a custom-designed facility for all handling requirements.

Moreover, Chetty points out that, with 45 t overhead cranes and a number of forklifts of various capacities, as well as a 250 t modular hydraulic gantry, the three buildings with industrial storage capabilities cater for all materials handling and logistics needs.

He asserts that the Lovemore Bros operation in Richards Bay is based on a secure industrial estate only 500 m away from the port gate of the international deep-water port.

“The open storage facilities of 20 000 m² have 24-hour security, ideal for industrial break bulk projects and general cargo, and the Richards Bay operation also offers customs-controlled bond storage facilities,” he comments.

Further, Chetty details that, in order to increase the company’s capabilities and customer satisfaction, the Lovemore Bros warehouse team also offers the specialised service of design, cost and fabrication of timber crates of any size and capacity, from crating for a fragile lightweight machine to a heavy piece of equipment.

The services offered also include cargo protection in the form of rustproofing, plastic covering, insulation or shrink wrapping, ensuring that the cargo is protected as well as registered and in compliance with the guidelines of the ISPM 15 standard for wood packaging material in international trade, says Chetty.

“Having cargo quarantined and sent back to the forwarding port is a cost an importer or exporter cannot afford. Using suppliers that are compliant with international standards ensures that this does not happen.”

Chetty concludes, suggesting that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries does an on-site inspection every six months to ensure that the international regulations and standards are being upheld.