A unique & compelling value proposition

EIT boasts a unique logistics value proposition when compared to the 2 existing solutions, outlined below:

EXISTING TRANSPORTING SCENARIOS

Scenario 1

Products such as minerals (coal, manganese and fluorspar) are exported in bulk for smaller global customers. Typically, a bulk carrier (side tipper) will collect the product directly from the mine. It will then travel to one of the two stuffing facilities in Johannesburg, before going to City Deep, and being transported to Durban Harbour via rail.

Scenario 2

Product is transported by road to Bayhead in Durban where there are three stuffing facilities, and once stuffed into TEUs, the product is then transported to the harbour via a shuttle truck. The side tipper then returns to Johannesburg empty.

 Issues that are encountered in both of these scenarios:

  • Estcourt is 176km from Durban – representing nearly 30% of the total 624km to Gauteng – yet the elevation from Durban to Estcourt is ⅔ of the total elevation to Gauteng.
  • Transporting freight from Durban to Estcourt by rail is cheaper than by road. Transporting freight from Estcourt to Johannesburg by road is cheaper than rail.
  • Current stuffing services offered in both Gauteng and Durban remain under continued pressure. This pressure often results in trucks returning from the Port with empty containers.

 The EIT offers solutions to these issues through:

  • The establishment of a multi-mode freight terminal and logistics park situated on the N3/Container Corridor junction in Estcourt, delivering a flexible, highly cost-effective transport solution.
  • Offering a cost-effective solution to both warehousing and other related infrastructure costs.
  • Time efficiencies associated with the use of an existing and refurbished rail link in Estcourt.

A unique location for competitive, cost-effective transport & logistics solutions

Positioned in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, EIT is understood as standing at the most ideal location for an intermodal terminal along the entire Johannesburg-to-Durban corridor (NATCOR).

Estcourt is 176km from Durban, representing nearly 30% of the total 624km to Gauteng, yet the elevation from Durban to Estcourt is ⅔ of the total elevation to Gauteng.

Transporting freight from Durban to Estcourt by rail is cheaper than transporting by road, while transporting freight from Estcourt to Johannesburg by road is cheaper than rail. There are limited stuffing service providers in both Gauteng and Durban, and trucks often return from Durban Port with no freight.

Warehousing and other infrastructure in Estcourt is available at a fraction of the cost when compared to main city centres, and the required rail link already exists and has been completely refurbished.

The geographic location is key to the strategic value offered by the EIT.

The development of the Estcourt Intermodal Terminal was made after extensive research into solutions that were required by the
transport and logistic industry in South Africa, the need to upgrade and get better utilisation out of existing infrastructure, and the need for job creation. The research identified Estcourt as the ideal town for the development and the recently closed timber processing plant as the perfect site.

The town and the site offer the following:

  • Abundant space
  • Existing infrastructure allowing for rapid, cost-effective development of the hub
  • Immediate and quick access to the N3
  • Great location between Johannesburg and Durban
  • Economic development and job creation

Due to the fact that there has not previously been a terminal that facilitates transshipment, stuffing and de-stuffing, storage and warehousing, packing and unpacking, and clearing and forwarding, it has not been possible to take advantage of a combination of rail and road to deliver optimal cost efficiencies – until now.

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