Comprehensive Report: Manica Group Limited, Namibia Logistics Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Manica Group Limited, Namibia, focusing on its maritime shipping and logistics services. It begins with an executive summary and an organizational structure overview, detailing its various subsidiaries and their customer and supplier relationships. The report then delves into the maritime supply chain, highlighting the technologies employed, such as intermodal transport. It identifies current and future supply chain challenges, including environmental regulations like IMO 2020 and technological advancements. The report suggests alternative strategies to mitigate these challenges, such as investing in emission-reducing technologies and adapting to changing market demands. Finally, it offers a personal perspective on how the author would approach the challenges, emphasizing the use of demand-predicting software and a strategic approach to technology upgrades. The report concludes with a summary of Manica Group's operations and the key strategies for continued success in the global shipping industry.

Running head: MANICA GROUP LIMITED, NAMIBIA 1
MANICA GROUP LIMITED, NAMIBIA
Name
Institution

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Contents
Executive Summary.............................................................................................................2
Organization Structure, Manica Group................................................................................3
Customers & Suppliers........................................................................................................3
Maritime Supply Chain........................................................................................................4
Total Maritime Supply Chain..............................................................................................4
Maritime Transport Technology’s.......................................................................................5
Supply chain challenges.......................................................................................................5
Alternative strategies to combat challenges.........................................................................6
What I would do differently in the same situation...............................................................7
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................8

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Executive Summary
This report is a logistics service analysis that explores the Manica Group Namibia that
provides maritime shipping and logistics services. The report documents an organogram for the
Manica Group Namibia, its suppliers, and customers. The report also documents the naval supply
chain and total maritime supply chain of Manica group Namibia, the technologies used by the
firm in running its logistics services. The report projects into the future to explore possible risks
that the company might come across in the future and recommends strategies that can be used to
combat the expected challenges. The report also documents a concept on what I would change if
I were in the position of Manica Group.

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Manica Group Limited, Namibia
Organization Structure, Manica Group
Customers & Suppliers
Manica group has several companies under its umbrella corporation. Some of these
companies include Woker Freight Services, Lüderitz Bay Shipping and Forwarding, Rennies
Consolidated, Rennies Transport, and Material Handling, Manica Logistics Services, Walvis Bay
Stevedoring, TransNamib Holdings Limited, Cross-country Air Freight (Pty) Limited and Trans
full Freight Cc (Africa Business pages, 2020). Their customers include oil exploring and mining
companies in the south of Africa, food-producing companies, marine, industrial, and automotive
sectors in need of lubricants and producers of large cargo products who require transportation
through sea or air transport all over the world. They also offer business training for foreign
contracted personnel in their Manica Business Centre (Brabys Online Business Directory, 2020).
Managing
Director
General Manager
Senior
Warehouse and
stock controller
Storeman
General labourer Driver General labourer
Salesman-marine Admin Supervisor
Office
Administrator
Office Assistant
Operations
Supervisor
Order Fulfillment
Clerk

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Suppliers to the company include liner ocean services that provide spare parts for ships,
repair services, and crew transfer. Another supplier is Orca Marine services who also offer ship
servicing, crane and equipment hire, and food supplies. Lubrication Specialists (Pty) limited
provide lubricating services for their trucks, rail transport facilities, and ships.
Maritime Supply Chain
Shippers Freight forwarders Cargo Port Shipping Cargo Port
Forwarders Cargo Consignees.
Total Maritime Supply Chain
Suppliers Truck Transport Shippers Freight Forwarders Cargo Port
Rail transport
Shipping Cargo Port Forwarders Cargo Consignees Truck transport
Warehouses Retailers Consumers.
Most of Manica Group Namibia’s services are logistics and freight services. The
company has close to 1000 employees who are well trained in their jobs. It has storage spaces of
about 105000m2on land, warehouses, and open storage facilities at Walvis Bay airport. Other
distribution depots and storage facilities are located in cities like Windhoek and Tsumeb. All
these sections are equipment capable of handling almost all cargo varieties. The road and rail
networks are well-maintained to enable smooth movement of cargo in the region (Namibia,
2018).
At the port in Walvis Bay, material handling is facilitated by heavy lifting equipment
such as cranes, forklifts, trailers, and side loaders. Some of the cargo handled at the port include

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chemicals, heavy equipment, vehicles, and minerals. The company offers services such as
clearing and forwarding of freight, warehousing facilities, containerization, and unpacking
(Logistics).
Maritime Transport Technology’s
Manica Group of companies use intermodal transport technology to transport freight from
the suppliers to the port. The company utilizes an excellent road network in Namibia by the use
of trucks that hold cargo containers transported from supplier points. Intermodal transport
enables smooth transfer of cargo from one mode of transportation, for example, the road to rail
or ship. Their trucks, loaders, and flatbeds are well maintained to ensure long service life
(Manica Group, 2014). The company uses state of the art cargo handling equipment that can hold
up to 45 tons. These with well-trained equipment operators facilitate fast and efficient handling
of cargo (African Advice, 2020).
Supply chain challenges
Despite their well-established business operations in Namibia and across the world,
Manica Group’s maritime supply chain is bound to face challenges in the future as supply chain
factors are dynamic. First, there are new environmental regulations such as IMO 2020, that limits
Sulphur content in marine fuel to 0.5 % (Manica Group, 2014). This poses a new challenge to the
shipping company as they have to invest in new fuel and technology solutions that reduce the
amount of Sulphur and are therefore more environmentally friendly (Andrew D. Taylor, 2019).
Secondly, technology is changing fast, and the shipping company faces the challenge of
keeping up with inventory keeping technologies, cargo security, and customer websites. It,
therefore, has to be on the lookouts for new trends in technological advancements so as not to be

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left behind, and in the process keep up with the stiff competition from other accomplished
companies (Bushra Khan, 2018; Pearless-Media, 2017).
Thirdly, with the leveling of economic growth in developing countries like China, the
demand for shipping goods may stagnate. As demand remains constant and competition with
other companies rising, the capacity of the ports may be underutilized, which may lead to fewer
profits. The development of a global pandemic such as the most recent Corona Virus leads to a
reduction in demand for cargo products (Industry-News, 2020).
Alternative strategies to combat challenges
The challenges above can lead to the loss of vast amounts of profits if not mitigate. The
company, therefore, has a role to play in foreseeing these imminent risks and finding control
measures. For instance, in the case of reducing Sulphur emissions, the company can invest in
new technologies that minimize Sulphur emissions by fuels such as scrubbers. These scrubbers
are incorporated int the ships' system to aid in filtering fuel exhausts to prevent Sulphur emission
into ocean water.
The company has been replacing old machinery with new technologies. This trend in
improvement should be maintained by continually getting rid of obsolete equipment. The
company should also make use of flexible manufacturing systems to automate their processes,
which makes it easier, safer, and faster. Another point is dealing with cargo security. Well
established systems like Big data are used to track during transit to their destinations to avoid
piracy.
For the same demand certainty, the shipping company should incorporate inventory
dynamics tools that help optimize the supply chain by predicting demand in consumer zones.

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Manica Group Namibia should also ensure that their advertising sites are coping with the
changes in communication technology to ensure that they are not missing out on any group of
customers.
What I would do differently in the same situation
The IMO Sulphur content regulations in fuels have led to an increasing cost of fuel in the
world. The price of purchasing ad installation of scrubber systems is, therefore, on the rise. I
would use demand predicting software, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, to predict future
demand, for example, in the next two years (Microsoft, 2020). The demand would enable me to
obtain the required ship capacity. I would then go ahead to retrofit these ships with scrubber
systems, while the rest lie out of service for a while.
The price for Sulphur free fuel and installation of scrubber systems is bound to reduce in
the future. This time will be the right moment to upgrade the other ships (Muenster, 2020). In
this case, I would have reduced losses from overpricing and also manage to stay in business.
Conclusion
Manica Group Namibia is a big company with a vast supply chain that covers most of
Namibia and the rest of the world. It is a global shipping business giant that has been doing well
since 1924. It is, however, facing current challenges like the IMO 2020 for Sulphur content in
fuels. The company can combat these challenges by adjusting their ships to accommodate
scrubber systems and improving their technology in terms of equipment and transport.

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References
Africa Business pages. (2020). MANICA GROUP NAMIBIA. Retrieved from Africa Business
Directory » Freight & Logistics:
https://directory.africa-business.com/business/e17aec2dfd/Manica-Group-Namibia
African Advice. (2020). Manica Group Namibia. Retrieved from Freight Services &
Warehousing:
https://www.africanadvice.com/1273145/Freight_Services_And_Warehousing/
Namibia/Manica_Group_Namibia/
Andrew D. Taylor, S. A. (2019). Is the Shipping Industry embracing the digital age? Retrieved
from reedsmith.com.
Brabys Online Business Directory. (2020). MANICA GROUP NAMIBIA. Retrieved from
Services Provided: https://www.brabys.com/na/walvis-bay/freight-services/manica-
group-namibia
Bushra Khan, M. Y. (2018). an operational risk analysis tool to analyze marine transportation in
Arctic Waters. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 485-502.
Industry-News. (2020, March 13). Industry News: Coronavirus Outbreak- Impact on Shipping.
Retrieved from www.nepia.com: https://www.nepia.com/industry_news
Logistics, O.-s.-s. (n.d.). Manica Group Namibia. Retrieved from www.ols.com:
https://www.ols.com.na/docs/Manica_Flyer.pdf
Manica Group. (2014). Business Units. Retrieved from Manica.com:
http://www.manica.com.na/?page_id=11

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Manica Group. (2014). Service Portfolio. Retrieved from Manica. Com:
http://www.manica.com.na/?page_id=13
Microsoft. (2020, January 7). Demand forecasting overview. Retrieved from Microsoft Website:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/supply-chain/master-planning/
introduction-demand-forecasting
Muenster, M. (2020, February 14). IMO 2020 Impact on Diesel Prices. Retrieved from
Breakthrough: https://www.breakthroughfuel.com/blogs/sulfur-2020-diesel-prices/
Namibia, B. (2018). Manica Overview Booklet 2018. Retrieved from www. bidvestnamibia.com:
www.bidvestnamibi.com.manica_group_namibia_2018
Pearless-Media. (2017, November 1). Top 8 Logistics Challenges Facing the Industry. Retrieved
from Logistics Management:
https//:logisticsmgmt.com/article/top_8_logistics_challenges_facing_the_industry