ON THE MOVE: Barloworld ships heavy machinery worldwide as part of their logistics operation (COURTESY OF BARLOWORLD LOGISTICS)

As logistics manager Lucy Wang flicked through photos taken in Botswana, she picked one up. "Look," she said in a joyful voice, "one month ago, there was a shabby house there. In a few more months, a new office building will have been established. That's an infrastructure project involving a Chinese private enterprise, and I provided full-service logistical support to facilitate the progress."

After five years in enterprise purchasing, Wang quit her successful career at a Germany manufacturing company and threw herself into the Sino-African logistics sector.

The relaxed, easy-going woman said her former job targeted a relatively narrow client base, but the logistics industry is totally different. "It requires a variety of solutions to satisfy a variety of customer needs, because the goods being delivered are so diversified, such as agricultural products, perishable goods and even dangerous goods. That sounds more challenging for me."

Home ground advantages

Wang changed her careers and chose Barloworld Logistics, a leading South Africa-based logistics provider, where she is now branch manager at the company's Beijing office. The 108-year-old company already has high network coverage and density in the African continent and more than 60 agencies in 42 countries, spanning the United States, Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Its China business consists of logistics centers located in such big cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenyang, and in major trade center Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, with logistics sites totaling over 100,000 square meters.

"In terms of business networks and contacts in China, Barloworld Logistics may not compete with large domestic shipping conglomerates in China like COSCO and Sinotrans," Wang told ChinAfrica. "But it can provide a number of innovative freight logistics solutions specific to the African market, due to its deep understanding of the African business environment and well-established transportation resources there."

Moving into logistics seems to have been a smart career choice for Wang. The year 2008 saw trade between China and Africa reach a record $106.8 billion, roughly a 10-fold increase in 10 years. Industry insiders noted that the increasing bilateral trade is the best guarantee for growth in the logistics sector.

"As an increasing number of Africans are now doing business in China, moving cargo quickly and safely to Africa becomes their major concern. Barloworld offers what they need," she added.

Barloworld Logistics' sales, which account for about 10 percent of parent company Barloworld Group's total business, have enjoyed a healthy annual growth of over 20 percent as its network continues to expand in China.

Wang attributes Barloworld's growth to its dedication to setting the higher standard of service. "We lead the African [market] in providing specific and standardized logistics solutions to facilitate international trade," she said.