Cool Logistics Africa, the new conference for the perishable logistics industry, has confirmed that senior officials from a number of leading companies will participate as speakers at the upcoming event, which takes place in Cape Town on 24-26 April this year.
Abrie de Swardt, the recently-appointed managing director of Capespan export, is just one of the people confirmed at the event, with executives from the likes of Chiquita, Dole, FloraHolland, Sunripe, Maersk and Transnet also set to speak.
De Swardt, who took up his new post on 16 January following eight years with African logistics and supply chain specialist Imperial Logistics, will give a keynote speech in the opening session on Trade and Infrastructure, focusing on the role of intermodal logistics for the South African fruit export trade.
Providing a second keynote perspective is David Williams, head of Southern Africa cluster for Maersk Line, who will assess what South Africa needs to do to maintain its gateway status for Southern Hemisphere produce.
Also joining the opening session is Tau Morwe, chief executive, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), who will discuss the role of infrastructure in supporting an export-led economy and how to enhance regional integration.
Benchmarking Africa’s cold supply chain performance and logistics costs with other regions focusing on perishable exports will be a major theme of the conference. Ulises Carillo, vice-president global logistics at Dole Food Company; Mark Hassenkamp, GM Africa for Chiquita Brands International; Hasit Shah, director of the Sunripe Group; and Stuart Symington, CEO-designate of PPECB are among other key shippers and brand owners who will use the conference to discuss critical logistical constraints across the continent and how these can be tackled.
'We are delighted to welcome such high-calibre perishable logistics users and providers to shape the debate at this first Cool Logistics conference in Africa,' said Alex von Stempel, director, Cool Logistics Resources. 'Having already attracted the support of key players such as the umbrella association Fruit South Africa, the growing speaker list stands by the quality that attendees have learnt to expect at our events. This is a must-attend meeting for international perishable logistics professionals out of Africa.'
Cool Logistics Africa 2012 runs from 24-26 April at the VineyardHotel in Cape Town, and includes pre-conference site visits to two of South Africa’s leading packhouses, a two-day conference including networking reception hosted by Fruit South Africa, and an optional one-day post-conference operations and technology workshop.
