Kenyan flowers are making an impact at the newly opened multi-million dollars Dubai Flower Centre (DFC) as Swift Perishable Logistics (SPL) Company based in Dubai recently shipped its first two consignments from Nairobi to Rome and Japan via the DFC.

These two consignments were also among the first to be trans shipped through the new complex, which became operational last month.

The US$70 million infrastructure operating as a free zone is fast becoming a perishables traffic hub, for plants and cut flowers serving the Middle East and Africa regions.

SPL is an arm of Swift Freight International’s, temperature-sensitive cargo division.

Swift Freight International has been on the cutting edge of freight logistics, for the last 16 years, offering logical solutions to meet its customers global needs.

SPL operates weekly charter flights and has belly load capacity from Africa to its Flower Centre headquarters in Dubai.

The company offers value-added services such as pick and pack, labelling, consolidation and splitting and trans shipping loads in Dubai to various destinations.

During the entire operations from Nairobi to Japan, SPL maintained the complete cool chain circle, throughout the flight, ensuring that the flowers reached their destinations on schedule, while still fresh, hence proving its reputation for excellent service.

“These successful shipments have led SPL’s first two customers to affirm their faith in the quality and reliability of our service.

“SPL provides a complete range of airfreight options for dispatching perishable goods within time and handling constraints,” said Jack Mwaura, SPL’s General Manager in Dubai.

He went on to explain that SPL’s comprehensive services ensures an unbroken cool chain for the transport and distribution of perishable goods, such as cut flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables, chilled and frozen fish, and live fish.

The state of the art, complex in Dubai, can handle a total volume of 3,475 tonnes of perishables. It has the capacity to handle 180,000 tonnes of perishable products a year.

Mwaura said that most of the horticulture farmers in Africa, especially Kenya prefer to route their produce through Dubai because of its tax-free status.

He added that shippers will also be able save time and money in the delivery chain, connecting more than 15 flower-producing countries with markets in Asia, Africa and Middle East and thus makes the new complex popular.

Swift Group, an ISO 9001:2000 certified company has weekly groupage services to East Africa, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia.

The company operates on a network of 35 offices in 17 countries worldwide, and was one of the key players to start an office at the Eldoret International Airport, when the facility first started.

“Our logistics network, combined with our in-depth understanding of customer needs, ensures that Swift Group delivers unparalleled logistics solutions and visibility of their cargo,” says Issa Baluch, chairman and CEO of Swift Freight International.

Last year Swift received awards from Emirates Airlines (Top Cargo Agent), United Arab Shipping Company, and Maersk.

Swift’s Dubai Cargo Village office received an award for its commitment to environmental awareness.

Swift has also been recognised because of its chairman, Baluch a well known personality in the freight logistics industry.

He recently launched his book “Transport Logistics: Past, Present and Predictions.”

The book has garnered praise from international industry leaders, and its publication is an important step for both Swift and the Gulf region, and this has made him even more popular globally.

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