DHL Express Botswana last week opened a new facility worth over P8 million at its headquarters in Gaborone Block 3 industrial. The facility, which will be utilised for deliveries, sorting out and dispatching, consists of amongst other things, modern technology, metal conveyor rollers, computers, scanners and vehicles.
“This facility cost over US$800, 000 to put together. It is also part of a bigger mission of what we call ‘Lift the Platform’ in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is part of a multi-million acquisitional spend across Africa to make sure that our facilities are world class, making sure they are full of working modern and technical equipments to assist our people. You will see new vehicles that we have invested in over the last seven months,” said Oliver Facey, VP Operations, DHL Sub-Saharan Africa.
Facey spoke about their CIS initiative, the Certified International Specialist programme, saying it is all about investing in their employees to ensure that they are happy. He said investing in their facilities will motivate their employees by giving them a better working environment. “It is all about investing in a cultural change in our people and getting them excited about their work. If people are excited about their work, it has a positive impact on the traders across the country,” he said. He is confident that the facility will provide a great environment for their employees.
Previously, DHL operated manually, relying on people to move things around, but with the acquisition of the machinery, things are expected to be more modern and efficicient. “What we have seen in the last three years is re-injection into the investment in facilities in Africa, bringing them into a much better stage,” he said.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Vincent Seretse opened the facility. He noted that DHL continues to be a key contributor to the economy and a key partner in the communities of the country. “The private sector is expected to be the main driver of the national economy, hence must lead in improving the business environment and competitiveness. The ease of doing business reforms and global competitiveness are on-going to facilitate an improved business environment, an example is the National Single Window to accelerate the clearing of imports and exports. This platform will also ease logistics in the transporting of goods and services by far,” he said.
Seretse said DHL’s P2.2 million conveyor rollers, which he said form the core of the Direct Loading System, impressed him. “The Direct Loading Facility is one of the few rolled out in Sub-Saharan Africa and is currently the second after South Africa. Complimentary to the loading facility is the Retro-fitted vehicles, which we will also get a chance to see, and state of the art security which ensures that customers’ assets/shipments are protected,” he said.