News & snippets Industry insights from the past quarter Rapid growth and big strides DSC Logistics has been making large strides in the industry since its incorporation in 2018. Founder and CEO Sumehn Sewraj (LLB) started the company soon after finishing his law degree by transporting local commodities in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2020, he moved to Cape Town to open another branch to expand his clientele and pursue long-distance transportation across South Africa. A year later, DSC Logistics continued its rapid growth by successfully integrating cross-border logistics into its services, from South Africa. By 2022, DSC Logistics had expanded to the extent that it is transporting to and from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The company has recently opened a new depot in Johannesburg. "I am very proud of the growth of my company in such a short space of time”, says Sumehn. “Hard work, compliance on every level and ensuring that our clients are given the highest priority has gone a long way Sumehn Sewraj in ensuring client satisfaction,” he concluded. Interwaste is driving innovation Waste management company Interwaste supplies holistic waste solutions to a variety of industries, including the mining sector. The company deals with general waste and hazardous waste and has introduced innovative technology in the field of waste to energy. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is a boundary-pushing waste-to-energy technology that is unique to Interwaste and a South African first. Interwaste’s blending platform in Johannesburg produces, through a process developed by Interwaste’s Research and Development team, an alternative liquid fuel that is suitable for co-combustion with traditional fuels such as coal. Through this process, industrial waste such as hydrocarbon sludges, oils and greases are diverted from landfill. This repurposing of waste to fuel reduces both the volume of non-recyclable waste to landfill and the consumption of conventional fuels that are non-renewable and potentially environmentally harmful. CREATING A PATH TO THE US MARKET The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) has partnered with Aid To Artisans (ATA) to bring their e-Market Readiness Programme (eMRP) to South African creative businesses. This initiative has been made possible thanks to the support of the USA’s diplomatic mission to South Africa. In October 2021, over 80 Western and Eastern Cape businesses benefitted through a week of dynamic learning, information sharing, inspiration and networking. The next phase of the programme is one-on-one coaching and intensive support to 10 local small businesses. The strategic partnership between CDI and ATA is focused on knowledge exchange and US market access. Eastern Cape-based ceramist Lookout Sibanda, whose bowls are pictured, says it helped him to understand some of the key areas to start with. “The programme brought attention to the things I need to do first, such as the importance of excellent images. And the need for a high-quality website.” JAN/FEB/MARCH 2022 • ISSUE 100
