2. SHIPPING & TRANSPORTATION
Marius Viljoen: UTi’s Worldwide
Transportation Strategy
20 TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2013
UTi’s CLIENTasONE Strategy Adds Value Throughout the Supply Chain
Staff Report

3. M
anufacturing and product popularity get more than
a fair share of the limelight when it comes to telling
the story of any industry, and tobacco is no excep-
tion. But tobacco professionals are just as quick as their coun-
terparts in other industries to acknowledge how critical it is to
have a good distribution system. In order to get any product
from the manufacturer to the consumer, you need great dis-
tribution. We are focusing here on the transportation and
shipping piece of the distribution network, specifically the 25-
year-old Malawi-based firm, UTi Malawi, a supply chain and
logistics company. UTi describes itself as a leading third-
party logistics provider with customized value-added trans-
portation. The firm prides itself on using cutting-edge tech-
nology and a transparent management system to serve their
clients’ transportation needs. In March 2006, the company
was acquired by UTi Worldwide, so in addition to continuing
to provide the kind of North American ground transporta-
tion solutions people have come to rely on, UTi Malawi says
it is also able to provide truly integrated global logistics sup-
port whenever and wherever they may be required. Tobacco
International asked Marius Viljoen, UTi’s Country Manager,
Malawi to share a few insights about UTi and to describe the
general scope and strategic support that UTi provides its
clients around the world.
Tobacco International: How long has your company been op-
erating?
Marius Viljoen: UTi is a global, non-asset supply chain com-
pany that started in 1976. The company has 319 offices and
240 logistics centers in 59 countries.
TI: What is your primary business and scope of operations?
Viljoen: The primary business and scope of operations for
UTi on a global scale includes both air and ocean freight for-
warding, contract logistics and distribution, customs broker-
age, managed transportation services, and supply chain analy-
sis and consultation. UTi values growth highly, and is forever
remaining on the forefront to conduct business in the most
efficient and effective manner possible. By doing this we are
adding efficiencies and cost savings to all of our clients’ sup-
ply chains. From a Malawi perspective, we are actively in-
volved in freight frowarding, air, road and ocean, as well as
supply chain services.
TI: What sort of transportation and shipping do you do your-
selves and what do you farm out or contract elsewhere?
Viljoen: UTi is a non-asset based organization and we out-
source the majority of our transportation needs to third par-
ties and subcontractors. Our dedicated ocean and air teams
work closely and seamlessly with the relevant carriers to en-
sure that an optimal and reliable service is delivered.
TI: What makes your company more competitive or reliable
than others?
Viljoen: Our global network and our presence in 319 loca-
tions, and in 59 countries, to start. That scope enables us to
handle a shipment from origin to destination, including cus-
toms clearance with live, up-to-date tracking, all of which
provides transparency to our clients. When you combine all
that with our longstanding relationships with the various
shipping lines and airlines, you begin to see the picture. But it
is also about UTi’s innovation and creating efficiencies within
our operations. All of these things enable us to provide a reli-
able service at competitive rates.
TI: Are there challenges that you deal with at all times? What
are they?
Viljoen: The challenges that we face differ from operation to
operation, and from country to country. Being based in
Africa (Malawi), one of the major challenges of doing busi-
ness in Africa is centered around the issue of road quality and
infrastructure. To a certain level, socioeconomic matters play
a role as well.
JULY/AUGUST 2013 TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL 21

4. TI: How has your business changed in the past 15-20 years and
how will it develop next?
Viljoen: UTi has moved away from being a freight-for-
warding company and more toward being a complete end-
to-end supply chain organization with the ability to offer
integrated solutions through our diverse network and
scope of services. The strategy of the company is called
CLIENTasONE, and refers to being a client-centric orga-
nization and by identifying our client’s needs and provid-
ing them with services and solutions to address those spe-
cific needs. A lot of focus and emphasis is also placed on
the continuous development of our staff and IT develop-
ment using the latest operating platforms to manage
freight effectively.
TI: What distinguishes you from your competitors?
Viljoen: Our dedicated teams have the abilities to design so-
lutions for all aspects of transportation management or con-
tract logistics, or an integration of both. Because of this, we
can deliver quantifiable efficiencies that drive effectiveness
and control throughout the client’s supply chain.
TI: Is there a sense that your company is a firm that specializes
in certain regional work or a particular industry, or do you offer
services across a wide range of clientele?
Viljoen: UTi offers services across a wide range of clientele,
across numerous industry verticals. We have developed
models that enable us to focus on the specific industry and
to become the market leader in that industry. UTi’s verti-
cals consists of automotive, pharmaceutical, aerospace &
defence, consumer & retail, fashion and apparel, industrial
& manufacturing, project mining and energy, chemical and
cruise lines. We provide a client-centric focus that delivers
an enterprising touch wherever our clients operate around
the globe. Our industry focus combined with our passion
SHIPPING AND TRANSPORTATION
TOBACCO CARE B.V.B.A.
Dorpsstraat 63
B-2070 Zwijndrecht - Belgium
Phone +32 03 250 16 30
Email: vdenie@tobaccocare.be
GSM +32 0473 86 82 35
Fax +32 03 253 07 52
Transport, Handling,
Shipping,Warehousing and
Documentation
Taking care of your tobacco
needs since 1981
22 TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2013