Operating across ten African countries, Unitrans is reinforcing its standing as a trusted and innovative logistics partner, addressing the continent’s complex supply chain challenges with a blend of deep experience, technology, and collaboration. The company’s chief executive, Edwin Hewitt, emphasises that African logistics is rapidly evolving, requiring operators to move beyond reactive approaches and adopt strategic foresight.
Unitrans boasts over a century of operational history in southern Africa, positioning it uniquely to navigate the region’s diverse logistical hurdles. Annually, its expansive fleet covers around 300 million kilometres, transporting approximately 4.4 billion litres of fuel and chemicals. This extensive network underscores not only the scale but also the critical importance of efficient and safe logistics in supporting multiple industries, including agriculture, mining, petrochemicals, and fast-moving consumer goods.
Hewitt highlights the company’s commitment to adaptability, combining industry insights with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, telematics, and smart analytics. These tools enable Unitrans to enhance performance, safety, and sustainability across its supply chains. For example, in fuel logistics alone, Unitrans operates over 1,000 tankers equipped with advanced systems like the Bartec electric control and metering technology—an innovation designed to tackle challenges related to tank measurements, contamination risks, and regulatory compliance. This system exemplifies Unitrans’ targeted use of technology to improve last-mile delivery efficiency and reliability.
Beyond technology, Unitrans’ approach hinges on integrated partnerships that align all stakeholders—customers, suppliers, and logistics providers—in sharing risk and rewards. Such collaboration fosters agility and responsiveness, essential traits in African markets often subject to infrastructure limitations, geopolitical uncertainty, fluctuating demand, and extreme weather events. Hewitt asserts that these challenges, common across the continent, are refashioned into opportunities for innovation and improvement rather than obstacles.
The company’s footprint extends across Southern and Eastern Africa, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi. Its operations comply with ISO certifications and incorporate a Performance-Based Standards approach that prioritises safety, environmental care, and quality service delivery.
Unitrans’ dedication to safety is further reflected in its investment in in-vehicle management systems (IVMS) for the chemicals and petrochemicals sectors. With a fleet of over 700 tankers transporting fuels and various hazardous substances, compliance with strict regulatory demands is paramount. These event-based systems enhance driver safety and cargo security, underpinning Unitrans’ holistic risk management strategy.
Innovation stretches into agriculture too, where Unitrans has broken new ground with a fleet of crop-spraying drones operating in Malawi and Mozambique. These drones, costing over R400 million, have exceeded expectations by improving chemical application precision and environmental sustainability, allowing operations at night and better canopy penetration than traditional methods. This forward-looking embrace of drone technology illustrates Unitrans’ broader philosophy of leveraging smart solutions to modernise and optimise the supply chain.
Unitrans claims that its integration of technology with operational expertise is the key to measurable transformation. According to Hewitt, new systems must be fully embedded in daily operations to deliver tangible improvements in productivity, safety, and risk reduction. The company’s ongoing investments and strategic partnerships reflect a vision to build supply chains that are not only robust and efficient but also agile and sustainable—ready to meet the demands of Africa’s growing economies and increasingly complex logistics landscape.
In summary, Unitrans exemplifies a logistics company that blends a century of experience with cutting-edge technology and partnership-driven frameworks to navigate and shape the continent’s evolving supply chains. Its broad sector reach, fleet scale of over 5,000 vehicles, and commitment to innovation position it as a cornerstone player in Africa’s logistics transformation.
Source: Noah Wire Services
