Railways and harbours are still the only way to move substantial freight volumes from the coast to the hinterland and back. And, at present, these volumes have to travel through one or other of South Africa’s ports.

No one can be unaware of the fuel crisis that is upon us. The cost of oil will become increasingly unstable, with its price graph reaching successively higher peaks.

People will need to adapt, as they have already. One has simply to look at the number of small cars on the roads for evidence of the changes. One of the greatest changes will be the re-emerging of rail as the major mover of freight and passengers.

Fortunately, Southern Africa still has good coal reserves to serve us for many decades to come.

With the increased stability of the Southern African region, increased foreign investment will be evident to ensure the region has the infrastructure to deliver.

The question is: how to make the most of the opportunities in rail and ports?

The answer to this question lies in Cape Town in 2009 at the all new Railways and Harbours Conference & Exhibition 2009.

The two industries realized the pressing need to have a forum where all players in the industry could meet. It was at the request of the industries that the Railways and Harbours Conference & Exhibition 2009 was launched this year. At this event, buyers and suppliers from both industries, and any number of related and dependent industries, will meet to exchange experience and expertise and to market their goods and services. For people in harbours and rail it will also be an excellent opportunity to network with experts and officials in these areas.

Igor Ansoff was known as the father of Strategic management. Marketing and MBA students are usually familiar with his Product-Market Growth Matrix, a tool he created to plot generic strategies for growing a business via existing or new products, in existing or new markets. Market penetration is one of the four growth strategies of Ansoff’s Matrix. Market penetration occurs when a company enters/penetrates a market with current products. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors’ market share. So don’t let your competition leave you standing, a trip to the beautiful Cape to take part in the Railways and Harbours Conference & Exhibition 2009 will see you consolidating existing markets while expanding into new business areas.

Bimodal and intermodal integration are to feature prominently, both on the exhibition floor and at the conference, as will rail passenger travel – in the intercity as well as the critically important commuter areas of operation. While, in South Africa, the topicality of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup will be approaching a climax in 2009, transport interests both here and in the rest of the continent will necessarily be looking further ahead – to the second decade of the new century, and all the forethought and planning this implies and needs.

The re-emergence of railways as the overall transporter of choice will require that their organisation infrastructure operates to world-class standards. At the Railways and Harbours Conference & Exhibition 2009, the best expertise and intellects will be making their knowledge available to all. The event is an excellent chance to take part in the debate that is always present in railways and harbours forums. The emphasis will be on probing problems and finding solutions.

The Railways and Harbours Conference is an opportunity to benefit from the wisdom of expert speakers such Jack van der Merwe (Gautrain), Danie Barnard (Transnet Freight Rail), Dieter Fritz (Voest Alpine) and Piet Dorfling (Productivity SA).

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