Riaan van Wyk is enthusiastic about his work at Hillebrand Gori, one of the premier freight-forwarding providers for South Africa. Its services include not only standardised transportation, but also multimodal and sector-specific solutions as well as storage, warehousing, and customs brokerage. WineLand asked Riaan about this important link in the global supply chain.
Hillebrand Gori sales executive Riaan van Wyk, with his family.
Who is Hillebrand GORI South Africa?
Hillebrand Gori is a DHL company with about 120 employees in our office in Stellenbosch. Our warehouse in Durbanville is home to 20 employees, who handle the storage and the consolidation of cargo and flexi fitments.
As part of DHL Global Forwarding, the leading international provider of air, ocean and road freight service, we can build on an extensive global network, complemented by the profound expertise of its specialists across nearly all regions.
The business model is based on the brokerage of transport services between customers and freight carriers. We have true global footprint with profound subject matter experts in the specific regions.
Through enduring and reliable partnerships with major ocean carriers, we are able to offer our customers ample ocean freight capacity at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, we provide a range of value-added services, encompassing track and trace solutions, consolidation, and deconsolidation services, as well as customs, pickup, and delivery services for both the initial and final stages of transportation.
What’s your role within the company?
I’ve been working in the logistics industry for the last 16 years – three of these years in freight forwarding within the wine industry, which I’m very passionate about.
I’m one of four sales executives at Hillebrand Gori, where we look after various wineries, building customer relationships and making sure they get the best possible service while shipping their wines all over the world. We love to ship what we sip!
I also enjoy meeting new people and therefore I have a passion for securing and developing new business for our company.
What are the major challenges facing global logistics currently?
Supply chain Instability during the Coronavirus pandemic changed the way how and when customers order wine and this has had a big impact on producers. The time for production is short and the lead time for shipping has become longer.
Pre-COVID it was rather common to hold less on stock and ship just-in-time. However, tight capacity and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic changed this and customers rather preferred to build up their inventories to avoid supplying chain bottlenecks. High stock levels became the new normal. Since beginning of 2023 the logistics supply chain has changed again with more capacity in the market which has led to a slight decrease in shipping rates.
In addition, bad weather in Cape Town from January till early April has caused major delays with vessels not serving the port of Cape town. Softer ocean freight volumes in the first half of 2023 led to an increase in space and capacity, making it easier to plan and ship in a timely manner.
How can wine producers and exporters mitigate these challenges?
Planning for production and timely shipping remains key to getting products on the shelves on time and in a cost-efficient manner. The shipping market has stabilised, so proper planning makes it easier to manage stock levels at both origin and destination.
What are your personal interests/hobbies and favourite pastimes?
I have a HUGE love and passion for sports, so anything outdoors works for me: from cycling, running, hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, just to name a few. I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends around the fire sharing special moments that will last a lifetime … and of course with a glass of wine!
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WATCH: The Hillebrand Gori warehouse in Cape Town
Get in touchÂ
Hillebrand Gori invites everyone in the industry to join their export workshops. Contact Colleen Alford at colleen.alford@hillebrandgori.com for more information.
For sales-related queries, contact zac-sales@hillebrandgori.com or call 021Â 809 2000.
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