Swift Freight International is building a new logistics centre in Jebel Ali Free Zone to provide an additional dry storage area.

The Swift 5 logistics centre will have a storage area of 5,450 sq m, with over 12,500 pallet positions and variant temperature possibilities.

Founded in Dubai, in 1989 by logistics veteran Issa Baluch, Swift is an international freight forwarder and logistics provider offering competitive options for sea freight, air freight, sea-air combined transport, overland transport, perishable transport, consolidation and multimodal transport solutions.

From 12 employees in its inception, Swift now has over 500 employees, with 40 offices in 18 countries. The group turnover in 2006 crossed over the $200-million mark.

“While the achievements in these 18 years have been tremendous in terms of growth, what has been most remarkable about our organisation is the local dominance we developed on inception with just 12 people, which was then followed by regional influence, and now a complete global impact,” said Swift group chairman and chief executive officer Issa Baluch.

“Swift is proud to have been one of the first companies to reserve space in Dubai Logistics City (totalling 28,800sq m) for a purpose built logistics centre. Swift will also have an additional 25,000sqm airside facility at the new World Central Airport to provide smooth air connectivity for shipments,” said the company in a statement.

A new two-storey office block is also being built adjacent to the warehouse expansion for the ever-growing needs of customers. The expanded warehouse will feature a wireless guided, state of the art Very Narrow Aisle system that is controlled by a base station. The racking system has been designed for maximum efficiency of movement and is also flexible enough to be configured to any customer’s requirement.

In addition to logistics, warehousing and distribution, Swift provides a variety of freight forwarding services that focus on the African trade lane.

The expansion of Swift’s network in India and the Far East, combined with the opening of more countries on the African continent and the consolidation of Swift’s infrastructure in Dubai, have positioned the organisation to create a major transshipment hub for goods from the Far East and India into Africa.

Moreover, Swift has recently implemented a new ERP system to link business functions across offices worldwide, including the UAE, Far East, India, and some parts of Africa. The same system will be fully implemented in the African continent by December 2007.

On Swift’s success over the past 18 years, Baluch said: “I always say that this is not a job of just one person, but a dedicated army of colleagues who are determined to succeed in whatever they put their hands on and this is joy in its best setting to me personally.”

Swift will soon announce the opening of new offices in Indonesia, Singapore and the US.

Swift is ISO 9001:2000 certified, has over 80 international industry awards, and enjoys continuous recognition from governments and partners. – TradeArabia News Service