Logistics

Konecranes Liftace 4532 TCE5 reach stackers. (Image source: Konecranes)

An expanding container terminal in the Republic of the Congo has placed an order for a new package of equipment from Konecranes to accommodate rising container traffic 

The order was recorded in the first quarter of 2026, with deliveries expected during the second half of the year.

Situated along the country’s western coastline, the terminal plays an important role in facilitating container movement across Central Africa. Earlier deliveries of Konecranes reach stackers and empty container handlers between 2021 and 2025 helped establish a dependable cargo-handling fleet at the facility. The latest procurement is intended to strengthen operational capacity as the terminal continues to expand.

The order includes five Konecranes Liftace 4532 TCE5 reach stackers, developed to improve the movement of containers throughout the yard, alongside six Konecranes Liftace E 6/7 ECC9 empty container handlers dedicated to stacking and repositioning empty containers. The lift trucks are designed to combine productivity with advanced safety and ergonomic features, creating a more efficient and comfortable working environment for operators.

Local delivery and long-term service support will be managed by Konecranes distributor Paterson Simons. The distributor’s technical specialists will remain on site for eight months to assist with commissioning and support the early stages of operations.

“Our long-standing cooperation with the terminal group, together with Paterson Simons’ local presence, creates the conditions for smooth commissioning and dependable lifecycle support. The result is a fleet designed to improve operational efficiency and sustain performance,” said Patrik Lundbäck, vice-president, sales & distribution, Lift Trucks, Konecranes

Supporting quay-side operations, the Konecranes Gottwald ESP.7 mobile harbour crane will enhance the loading and unloading of both containerised and general cargo. Offering a lifting capacity of up to 125 tonnes and an outreach of as much as 51 metres, the crane has been engineered to deliver reliable performance across a broad range of cargo-handling applications, including vessels in the post-Panamax category.

All 11 lift trucks, together with the mobile harbour crane, will feature TRUCONNECT Premium Remote Monitoring technology. The system provides real-time operational insights aimed at supporting preventative maintenance and increasing equipment availability.

“When customers choose Konecranes for both yard and quay equipment, they benefit from a consistent approach across the terminal. With our digital services delivering performance insights for the full fleet, operators gain the visibility to support efficiency over the longer term,” commented Antoine Bosquet, vice-president sales, Quay, Konecranes.

Konecranes continues to strengthen its position in the material handling sector through a customer-focused strategy and ongoing investment in business development and operational improvement. The company is also advancing digitalisation and new technologies while promoting more efficient material flows through solutions that contribute to decarbonisation, circularity and enhanced safety.

Ronald Mlalazi, president of the African Supply Chain Confederation (Image source: ASCON)

In an era defined by profound geopolitical volatility and persistent macroeconomic disruptions, the traditional ambit of Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been irrevocably altered – requiring it to become an inherent part of the business strategy, writes Ronald Mlalazi, president of the African Supply Chain Confederation (ASCON)

In fact, the global economic landscape of the 2020s exposed the fragility of hyper-optimised 'just-in-time' global value chains. Rising trade protectionism, localised conflicts disrupting vital maritime routes, and post-pandemic realignments forced boards of directors and national governments alike to confront the stark reality that supply chain resilience is synonymous with corporate survival and national security.

As a result, organisations have to abandon the outdated notion of SCM as a mere cost centre, instead needing to reposition it as the nucleus of corporate strategy, empowering SCM professionals to navigate these geopolitical complexities through strategic pivoting, risk mitigation, and localised capacity building.

Supply chains compete

In a stable environment, organisations may have been able to compete through product differentiation or marketing. That is no longer enough as an organisation’s market share and profitability are entirely dependent on the agility and resilience of its supply chain network.

The strategic response to geopolitical uncertainty requires moving away from sole reliance on distant, low-cost manufacturing hubs. With government and corporate backing, the modern supply chain strategy must now aggressively explore and implement sourcing strategies such as:

• Nearshoring and friendshoring: Relocating critical supply chain nodes to geographically closer or geopolitically aligned regions to mitigate risk.

• Local sourcing: Building domestic supplier capacity to buffer against international transit shocks.

When supply chain strategy is rightfully placed at the apex of the organisation and adequately resourced, it provides the agility required to manage these transitions without compromising the end consumer’s experience and brand promise.

The supply chain executive

Because supply chain leaders manage the most complex, financially consequential, and globally integrated facets of modern enterprises, they possess the holistic operational purview required to lead the entire business.

Take, for example, the Dangote Group strategy in which Aliko Dangote boldly restructured his industrial empire by repositioning the supply chain at the heart of corporate succession and strategy. Recognising that logistics and commercial operations are the lifeblood of his US$33bn conglomerate, Dangote entrusted these critical nodes to executives that understand the supply chain dynamics.

A similar move occurred in Malawi, when Feston Kaupa, former CEO at the Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply, was appointed as the Minister of Defence, proving that this is not just a private sector priority.

In South Africa, the tax authority is leveraging supply chain compliance to combat the shadow economy through integrating supply chain mapping with inter-agency collaboration including the Border Management Authority and the National Consumer Commission.

These are but a few of many examples of how SCM skills extend far beyond their conventional logistics-focused role and can be applied to areas of the business that would previously have been seen as distinct from the job of moving products from point A to point B.

Growth driver

For the African continent, competent SCM is the fundamental engine for macroeconomic development. The successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) relies entirely on seamless cross-border logistics, harmonised procurement, and integrated regional value chains.

AfCFTA’s core objectives, creating a single liberalised market, boosting intra-African trade, and enhancing competitiveness, cannot be achieved without resilient supply networks. Supply chain professionals with broader strategic competencies are uniquely positioned to drive Africa’s beneficiation strategies to benefit from adding value to raw materials before they are exported.

By developing resilient, localised sourcing networks, SCM leaders can catalyse domestic manufacturing and foster job creation, an area in which ASCON is actively working to help establish standardised logistical frameworks. These are required to eliminate non-tariff barriers, ensuring that the theoretical free trade area becomes a functional reality.

Africa is at a pivotal moment. Even though the continent is young, resource-rich and filled with entrepreneurial energy, its growth depends on more than potential. Economies are built on the ability to move goods efficiently, connect markets and deliver reliably and at scale.

At its heart, that is a supply chain challenge.

Today’s supply chain leaders are doing far more than keeping shelves stocked or improving delivery times. They are helping build the foundations for African growth by developing the cross-border trade routes that could turn AfCTA into a practical reality, supporting local suppliers that strengthen domestic industry, and creating resilient networks that allow African businesses to compete globally.

The era of the supply chain CEO has arrived, and it is poised to be the catalyst for Africa’s industrial renaissance.

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Sound intermodal systems key in regional trade: Stanbic

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Zambia's infrastructure vital for economic prosperity (Image source: Adobe Stock)

As regional trade intensifies and supply chains come under increasing pressure, Stanbic Bank says the next phase of Africa’s corridor development will be defined not by infrastructure investment alone, but by how efficiently those systems convert movement into economic value

Reflecting on the recent Land‑Linked Zambia 2026, under the theme, ‘Beyond Borders: Shaping the Future of Africa’s Transport Corridors for Shared Prosperity’, Stanbic noted a decisive shift in the corridor conversation, from long‑term infrastructure ambition to the immediate economics of execution.

“What has changed is not the recognition of corridors as critical assets, but the urgency around how they perform,” said head business & commercial bank, Chanda Mwila. “The question is no longer what needs to be built, but how effectively existing systems translate activity into growth.”

As Zambia consolidates its position as a land‑linked trade hub, rising mining output, increased fuel flows and expanding regional trade are driving sustained volumes through key routes. According to Mwila, this is exposing a more complex reality: inefficiency within corridors is no longer a logistical inconvenience, but a direct economic constraint.

“Every delay, every point of friction, has a cost,” Mwila said. “It affects how quickly capital turns, how reliably businesses can operate, and ultimately how competitive entire value chains become.”

Corridor performance is increasingly shaping investment decisions, with predictability and reliability emerging as critical factors alongside physical capacity.

“Investors are not only assessing infrastructure availability, but they are also assessing system performance,” Mwila noted. “The ability to move goods consistently, manage timelines and reduce uncertainty is now central to how markets are evaluated.”

From a financial sector perspective, Stanbic emphasised that enabling trade at scale requires closer alignment between logistics systems and financial flows. While infrastructure enables movement, it is the efficiency of transactions that determines whether value is realised.

“Trade does not stall only at borders; it stalls in systems. Payment delays, constrained access to working capital and currency complexity all slow the movement of goods as much as physical bottlenecks do,” added Mwila.

As trade volumes increase, these inefficiencies compound, tying up liquidity and limiting the ability of businesses to respond to demand across markets.

“The velocity of trade is directly linked to the velocity of capital. Improving corridor performance is therefore as much a financial priority as it is an operational one.”

Stanbic reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Zambia’s trade and logistics ecosystem through solutions designed to improve capital flow, enhance transaction efficiency and enable more predictable cross‑border operations.

The recent conference highlighted a powerful, co-ordinated push to transform Zambia from a landlocked nation into a strategic land-linked hub for the African continent.

Minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali delivered the keynote address, emphasising the urgent need for Africa to prioritise internal trade.

“Africa must trade more with itself before it trades with the rest of the world,” stated Tayali. “We cannot continue to export raw materials across oceans while importing finished goods at higher cost.”

The Minister outlined infrastructure advancements aimed at restoring Zambia’s strategic advantage, including the revitalisation of TAZARA, the recapitalisation of Zambia Railways, and the ambitious Kafue-Lion’s Den railway project with Zimbabwe. The implementation of one-stop border posts at Kazungula, Chirundu, Nakonde, and Mwami is also reducing delays and improving trade efficiency.

However, Tayali stressed that infrastructure alone is insufficient. The future lies in evolving these routes into comprehensive economic corridors by establishing logistics hubs, dry ports, agro-processing zones and industrial parks to ensure local communities benefit directly from trade.

Stanbic Bank reaffirmed its commitment to enabling regional commerce by providing essential working capital to keep fleets and supply chains moving, and by facilitating the cross-border payments that underpin the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Mwila added: “Prosperity beyond borders will not be achieved by infrastructure alone, or by any single institution. It will be achieved through co-ordinated action, informed decision-making, and a shared commitment to execution.”

The Land-Linked Zambia 2026 Conference concluded with a unified call to action for deeper regional partnerships, harmonised regulations, and joint investments. By choosing collaboration over competition, Zambia and its regional partners are laying the groundwork to reduce the cost of doing business and redefine Africa’s place in the global economy.

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