TT Live: Award-Winning Logistics Innovations Unveiled

Welcome to TT Live, the risk management podcast from TT Club. In this episode, Josh Finch, logistics risk manager at TT Club, interviews Andre Hein Herber, the 2023 winner of the Young Logistics Professional Award. The award, sponsored by TT Club in collaboration with FIATA, recognises young talent in the transport and logistics industry.

Andre's Role at Bidvest International Logistics

Andre works as a customs compliance and audit officer at Bidvest International Logistics in South Africa. His job involves managing compliance issues, assisting with risk registers, keeping clients updated on regulatory changes, and performing internal audits on shipments.

The Winning Projects

For the award, Andre wrote about two projects:

1. Importing a 250-tonne super abnormal reactor for upgrading a refinery in Durban. The oversized cargo required extensive route planning, permits, police escorts, and even infrastructure modifications. A weight discrepancy upon arrival required contingency measures.
2. Exporting a complete sweets factory production line from Johannesburg to Angola to be repurposed. This involved carefully dismantling, packing, and shipping thousands of components in containers.

Challenges and Solutions

The reactor import faced issues like the weight discrepancy, which required reconfiguring the trailer to redistribute the load. The factory export required optimising container space and securing items like a 6-ton glucose tank. Andre used tariff classification rules to streamline the customs declaration process for the numerous goods.

Encouraging Young Talent

The Young Logistics Professional Award is open to freight forwarders under 32 years old whose company belongs to their national forwarding association. Andre thanked Bidvest, SAAFF, FIATA, and TT Club for their support and encouraged other young professionals to participate. Supporting young innovators is key to making the industry safer, more secure, and sustainable.