Perish the thought

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Mwaura's team handles the entire process.

Jack Mwaura, general manager of Swift Perishable Logistics discusses Africa's growing trade with international markets.

The logistical headaches involved in the transportation of perishable goods have often proved troublesome for the freight forwarding community, which has traditionally grappled with the movement of highly sensitive products, such as flowers, fruit and vegetables, in a timely and cost effective manner.

However, despite the unfortunate clash in supply chain demands, the situation has experienced a dramatic turnaround in recent years, with progress being heavily pushed by greater efficiencies in technology and material handling equipment, together with a better understanding about the nuances of perishable transportation within the logistics industry.

"By its very nature, the shelf life for perishable products in very limited, especially in the Middle East, where the products are faced with extreme temperatures and humidity," explains Jack Mwaura, general manager of Swift Perishable Logistics (SPL).

"Ensuring a smooth supply chain, where the product reaches its final destination on time and in perfect condition, is therefore quite a complex affair and requires very specialist knowledge," he warns.

SPL, which was launched by the Dubai-based logistics player Swift Freight International, has successfully tapped into the niche market for perishable logistics, utilising the growing status of Dubai as a transit hub to move a diverse variety of perishable products from Africa to key markets throughout the world.

"We have a dedicated team with years of experience in this field and can handle the entire process, from start to finish, taking care of the storage and cool chain transportation, in addition to value-added services such as the assembly, packaging, labelling and price tagging of bouquets," he says.

"We have also established a trusted network of airline partners that we use for the transportation of perishables and we can rely on them to match the same level of quality service that customers receive from the Swift Freight family of companies," Mwaura adds.

One of the biggest challenges involved in the transportation of perishables is keeping the product safe from damage or spoilage throughout the supply chain.

According to industry standards, approximately 20% of the product's value is lost during the distribution process and a range of protective measures are enforced to keep these statistics as low as possible.

In particular, the use of temperature-controlled containers has become commonplace and can be supported by sturdy cardboard packaging, insulated blankets and specially designed gel packs.

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