In this issueFrom the Editor

An internal publication keeping the team informed, involved and updated.

Spring 2011

The Laser GroupLevel 2, Dean Street Arcade, Dean Street, Newlands

Cape Town, South Africa

Telephone: +27 21 659 4000 Facsimile: +27 21 659 4090

Email: info@laserserv.co.za Web: laser.co.za

As we welcome the sunnier skies and freshbeginnings that Spring brings, we also welcomethe dawn of the last quarter of the year whichis always Laser’s busiest period.

In the previous issue of inside Laser, a lot waswritten about the expansion of some of thefacilities, and the progress made at others. Inthis issue we show you just how the focus onexpansion of Laser’s infrastructure has benefittedthe business by putting all the divisions in aposition to best serve our customer needs andcontinue to provide them with excellent logisticsand warehousing service.

As we focus our energies and work toward theend of 2011, may we all remain inspired anddriven to achieve our goals and be proud ofbeing a part of this fine South African logisticsgroup.

Feroza PetersenEditor

Message from the Centre

Springtime

Dawn Wing

Medipost Expands

Time Freight

The Buck stops here!

GAC Laser

Yacht Logistics

Laser Logistics

Warehouse filled to Capacity

Partner Activity

DPD expands Services & Operations

GAC is China's Best Automotive Logistics Provider

Corporate Social Responsibility

Street Soccer

National Motorbike Sponsorship

Industry News

The impact of social media

Sustainable Development is...“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising theability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Laser’s highlights.

Message from the Centre

As always, it is with great pleasure that we have another opportunity to communicate and to share a few of our thoughtsabout the prospects for the year ahead.

02

Springtime

Springtime! Or said another way, winter is

now over and we can look forward to the

sunny months ahead of us.

The greatest surprises have been

global in nature

Actually we were reflecting the other day

on the remarkable year of 2011 thus far.

In many ways we have had a remarkable

year domestically in South Africa, at work

in Laser. But the greatest surprises have

been global in nature.

Who would have anticipated the extent of

uprising in the Arab world. The first ‘popular’

revolt in Tunisia resulted in the toppling of

its head of state. Shortly thereafter

Mubarak was ousted in Egypt. Then Yemen,

Syria and more recently Libya and the

demise of Ghadaffi. Of course this had

consequences for the rest of the world as

rising oil prices fuelled inflation and this in

turn constrained consumer spending.

The Greek sovereign debt crisis hasn’t

abated this year and of course with it the

uncertainty that it has created within and

outside of the world’s banking businesses.

And now similar risks and action are being

predicted for Italy, maybe Spain. The

European Union is under economic siege

– and this has political consequences too.

We won’t hear the last of it in 2011.

The catastrophe of the Japanese tsunami

which caused a huge death toll, in excess

of 20 000 lives. And this more recently

followed by devastating floods in Thailand.

Politics, economics and ‘acts of God’. Much

of it completely out of our control. Much

of it impacting on South Africa (like every

other country) and not particularly ‘sunny’!

And yet despite this we can consider

ourselves to be more fortunate than many.

Of course we have our own real challenges

on the political, economic and social front.

The latter providing for the biggest

challenges as we seek as a nation to bring

all of our people closer together, enhancing

the lives of every South African.

One way of dealing with these challenges

is to work harder at working through them.

Harvest time

Fortunately, whilst the environment in

which we operate may not be as sunny as

we would like it to be – springtime is a

time when we at Laser start preparing

ourselves for ‘real’ activity – as the busy

season falls upon us! Of course this is a

time when we become stretched. The

increased activity requires more of our

resources, more of our time and more

endurance. Inevitably we find ourselves

with ‘more balls in the air’, often greater

customer expectation and definitely greater

commitment and co-ordination is required

on the part of everyone.

But these are good times for us and we

should make the best of them. We are

through the quieter winter months and

eagerly anticipating ‘harvest time’. The

preparation that has been done should

bear fruit. The opportunities that were

identified and sourced will now reveal the

true prospects.

In the last edition of inside Laser we alluded

to the quieter trading conditions in 2011

as ‘not the best that we can remember’.

But we are delighted to say that despite

this, we have had a number of significant

new business successes. Some of these

are featured in this issue, others will become

apparent and communicated in future

issues.

Advertising Laser

A critical part of sustaining our growth

and enhancing our operating brand equity

is advertising. Whilst this has historically

not been an area of our business that we

have spent large sums of money, it is one

which we have given much greater attention

to over the last couple of years. And we

are sensing that it is having the desired

impact and outcomes. The collage included

in this edition talks to some of our key

messages to our broadening customer base

• Linking Africa to the World

• Driven to deliver

• Your business our top priority

• Service solutions that deliver

• Global excellence

• Wherever you go – celebrating success

Thank you

In anticipation of harvest time, our busy

months – thank you for your commitment,

endurance and contribution in the months

ahead.

Regards

Michael Fuller and Philip Hayes

Organisational Structure

03

“Our vision is for Laser

and all of its operating

businesses and brands

to be recognisable,

influential, successful and

sustainable in the market

that they operate

whilst providing an

environment for our people

that is co-operative,

stimulating, rewarding

and proudly

South African.”

VISION

“Our mission is to continually

evolve and grow our

organisation and services to

enable us to provide our

customers with multiple

specialised logistics services

and in a manner which

• develops strong

partnership relationships

• ensures technological

excellence

• allows for innovative

solutions

• provides fulfilment visibility

• embraces sustainable

development.”

MISSION

Sustainable Development is...“Development that meets the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their own needs.”

VALUESUnderpinning our fulfilment aspirations are our values that form the foundation of our business and enableus to best serve our customers:

• Accountability and transparency• Growth and development

• Honesty, integrity and respect• Pushing beyond boundaries

The Laser Group

Corporate Information

75%

74.9%

25.1%

tbi

25%

Value Proposition

04

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

THE BUCK STOPS HERECharging antelope gives mountain biker a true off-road experience

Young cyclists are always warned to wear helmetswhen pedalling around on their bikes. But amountain biker taking part in the Time FreightMultisport Festival at Albert’s Fall Dam had reasonto be doubly thankful for his after he was sentflying… by a charging antelope.

Wipe out: The male Red Hartbeest gets closer tothe cyclist, but instead of swerving round him leapsinto the air at him!

Evan van der Spuy was thrown clear of his bike andlanded in a crumpled heap as the buck ran off. Theamazing collision was captured by fellow mountainbiker Travis Walker, who has a camera strapped tohis bike as he was working for a marketing companysponsoring the event. He told ABC news: "It wasfreaky. I saw it coming closer so I braked, thought itwould go in between the gap. It hit Evan, lifted himoff the ground and landed in the grass.”Evan was thrown clear of his bike and landed in acrumpled heap as the buck ran off. Evan’s helmetwas destroyed in the impact with the animal, whichcan weigh up to 31 stone. He only suffered minorconcussion and whiplash, and was discharged fromhospital the following morning.

And to illustrate the power of socialmedia, the event, captured by Travis, was postedon YouTube and received in excess of 5,472,941 hits.Visit Time Freight’s web site (timefreight.co.za) toview the incident.

Crashed out: Both the cyclist and the antelope are sentsprawling by the force of their collision.

The good news is that both antelope and cyclistare doing well!

A blanket of snow fell in the Harrismith

area in July, which led to the closure of a

long stretch of the N3 highway, between

Van Reenen’s Pass and Villiers. Surrounding

mountains were covered in white, while

truckers and other motorists were lined

up just before the N3 off ramp.

Photographed alongside is a Time Freight

vehicle making its way slowly through the

heavy snow.

SNOWFALL CLOSES N3 AT VAN REENEN’S PASS

Medipost Courier Pharmacy, a Dawn Wing client has become a household

name in Laser. This year has been an enormous year for Medipost, literally

and figuratively, and as a fledgling Medipost outgrew their current facilities

at Loftus & Hatfield.

After extensive searching, they finally found a facility that met their very

unique requirements. Plenty of parking, and central enough for patients to

collect their medication in a normal shop-front environment, with a massive

production line behind the scenes. The production line is adequate enough

to despatch the current 180,000 parcels per month, and Medipost is

comfortable that the new state of the art conveyer and production line,

will streamline their operation.

The facility is situated in Michael Brink Street in Pretoria’s Gezina area, and

as you enter the newly revamped parking lot, the clever face-lifting of the

somewhat 70’s looking, old “Pharmarama” building, echo’s the thought that

Medipost have brought some life to the neighbourhood. No aesthetics have

been left unturned, and the new building boasts two cafeteria’s, a magnificent

training facility, a receiving area and storage

facility to accommodate the stock held on site.

Medipost anticipate the move to be finalized

by the end of the year. Currently they ship

parcels from Loftus, Hatfield and Gezina with

great ease.

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

05

Medipost Expands

A Truly Fine Wine Solution

Dawn Wing, in partnership with The Wine Society has been successful in

developing a uniquely customised logistics solution through its Fine Wine

Express offering. A fully integrated system was developed to address the

unnecessary time spent on capturing and processing, and thus enabling the

entire operation at the dispatch point to be more streamlined, reliable and

user friendly. Not only have Dawn Wing addressed the operational efficiencies,

the company has been key in ensuring the total customer experience

exceeds all expectations.

The Wine Society based in the beautiful surroundings of the Constantiaberg,

has built its success on offering superior South African wines through a

uniquely personalised service. Experienced personal wine advisors are able

to listen to their clients preferences and recommend a vintage or varietal

to suit their palate. Drinking wine is a truly personal experience as is the

pairing of good wines with good food. Through the solid relationships,

knowledge and trust in the advisors, this mouth watering experience has

no limits for any wine lover. Dawn Wing is proud to have the Wade Bales

Wine Society as its Fine Wine client.

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

06

ADVERTISI

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

07

ING LASER

08

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

YACHT LOGISTICS

GAC Laser International Logistics participated in theClipper Yacht race when they provided ‘yacht logistics’ supportto the participants. The Clipper round the world yacht race was createdby sailing legend, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail soloand non-stop around the world in 1968-69. Competing in this inspirationalrace are 500 non-professional sailors who contest for the challengeof a lifetime.

The race track is 40,000 miles long and it will take eleven months tocomplete the circum-navigation and the race is divided into a seriesof eight legs.

In May 2011 GAC developed what they defined as “yacht logistics”offering logistics support to yachting events. GAC Laser immediatelystarted building a strong communication platform with PSP Logistics,who are part sponsors and the preferred logistics operator for Clipper.

“Our involvement in the Clipper 11/12 started from the beginning ofthe race at Southampton UK. Our responsibility was to ship and landa workshop container before the fleet arrived in Cape Town. PSP havetwo containers that leap frog to each destination point and we had toensure that the containers arrived before the fleet did”, said Mike VanEyssen, Regional Managing Executive at GAC Laser.

The 1st leg from Southampton channeled the yachtsman and the“chariots” down to Brazil for the 1st stop-over in Rio De Janeiro. The2nd leg of the race entailed crossing the Atlantic Ocean, past the Capeof Storms, and 21 days later, arrive in the “Mother City”, Cape Town -the pit-stop for the 2nd leg of the race.

GAC Laser was able to show-off their “just in time” logistics skills byhaving the container customs cleared under Carnet, inspected by

customs, and placed at the V&A Waterfront to await the arrival of thefleet. Clipper dispatches their own ground personnel who take careof the fleet and their respective crews.

“We were also called on to arrange and deliver some much needspare parts collected, airfreighted from the UK and cleared for delivery in record time,” continued Mike.

“It was a pleasure to join and meet Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and theClipper CEO Mr. William Ward and to take the fleet salute as theysailed by for the start of the Cape Town to Geraldton leg” said Mike.

With the race start out of the way, and the yachts heading towardsAustralia, GAC Laser had to transport the 12m Workshop containerpicked up from the V&A and export it to Tauranga, New Zealand forthe 4th leg of the race.

Clipper CEO William Ward, GAC Laser Logistics Regional ExecutiveMike van Eyssen and Yvette van Eyssen.

Updating you on recent developments at Laser.

Group Activity: Expanding Laser

09

Filling our capacityat Chloorkop

Laser Logistics recently moved from

its Isando warehouse to the new 20

000sqm facility in Chloorkop, which

is close to the major highways as well

as the airport.

Laser Logistics enhanced its service

offering to clients by offering public

warehousing to its already bulk

warehousing and distribution services.

Public warehousing offers clients the

option to warehouse goods in areas

configured specifically to their needs,

from 50sqm upward. This development

has led to a broader spectrum of

clientele.

The new warehouse in Chloorkop is

rapidly filling to near capacity, and

further growth is expected as we near

the end of the year.

Some of Laser Logistics’ national retail

clients include Kelvinator, Bosch,

Electrolux Floor Care, AEG, Siemens

and County Fair Foods.

Visit our websitelaserlogistics.co.za

GAC establishes dedicated Humanitarian Aid Team Globallogistics support for aid agencies and their partners tohelp those in need. The GAC Humanitarian Aid Team (GHAT)brings together shipping and logistics professionals based in strategiclocations worldwide. Services include chartering, freight forwarding,customs clearance, warehousing & distribution, port agency, canal transits,P&I representation, project logistics and more.

GAC named China's Best Automotive Logistics Providerin China for 2011 by leading business website Gasgoo. The site invitedindustry players to evaluate and vote on the best service providers.GAC China came out ahead of the field as the only winner in the autosector, in recognition of its clear branding, dedicated logistics team andgood reputation based on customer satisfaction.

GAC steers STS Pallada on its commemorative voyagePort-on-Demand (POD), the newest service package offered by theglobal GAC network, has handled the tall ship STS Pallada at everyport of call of her voyage to mark the 270th anniversary of Russia'sfirst settlements in North America and the 50th anniversary ofcosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first space flight.

When vital food aid for 200,000 families had to bedelivered to eastern Africa, it was GAC Pakistan that the UnitedNations' World Food Programme (WFP) turned to. To help ease thegrowing food crisis, 15,000 MT of High Energy Biscuits and another1,500 MT of Wheat Soya Blend had to be sent in 224 containers toBerbera in Somalia and Mombasa in Kenya, in four shipments.

Partner developments on the global front.

Partner Activity

10

Laser’s international partners are themselves substantial global logistics businesses. Laser has partnered with GeoPost SA (a subsidiaryof La Poste, the French Post Office) in its Express Distribution business and with Gulf Agency Company Ltd (GAC) in its InternationalForwarding business.

GAC Laser International Logistics is a company jointly owned and controlled by Laser and GAC. GAC wasestablished in 1956, and is the largest independent shipping, marine and logistics provider in the world, withmore than 300 offices covering 1 000 locations worldwide.

DPD Laser Express Logistics is a company jointly owned by Laser and GeoPost SA, a wholly owned subsidiaryof GeoPost, a parcel distribution specialist made up of the Express subsidiaries of the La Poste Group.GeoPost, through its operating subsidiaries, is the second largest express operator in Europe.

DPD Aschaffenburg – DPD offers online retailers awide range of delivery services. These optimise the retailer'sprocesses and reduce the number of returns, saving thema great deal of time and work.La Poste plans food shops next to small-townpost officesFrench La Poste has signed a five-year partnership withthe supermarket chain Casino for the installation of foodshops next to post offices in small towns with less than12,000 inhabitants.

DPD expands services and operations in centralEuropeDPD is strengthening its presence in central Europe witha new online tracking option in Austria, a new depot andAOE certificate in Hungary and a new CEO in Switzerland.InAustria, DPD customers can now profit from the possibilityof checking the progress of their shipments from theirmobile phones at mobile.dpd.at. It provides customerswith mobile access to DPD's online services, along withthe relaunch of the dpd.at website.

DPD Germany to equip two new depots withVanderlande sorting systemsDPD is to build two new depots in Germany and has selected Vanderlande Industries to design and install its sorting systems at the facilities to increasecapacity and handling efficiency. Both depots will operate in a highly automated way for efficient handling of shipments to be unloaded, processed andsorted rapidly and reliably.

Group Corporate Social ResponsibilityGroup Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives

11

DAWN WING SPONSORED MARIA PULNICKX RANKS 5TH

DURING THE NATIONAL MOTORBIKE COMPETITIONAt the end of September Maria Pulnickx ranked 5th during the last

national competition of the season, thanks to her overall results for

2011. What’s more is she was the only girl amongst the 35 participants.

Dawn Wing has been sponsoring Maria for almost two years now, and

looks forward to the heights this motivated girl is going to reach in the

future.

The leggy 13 year old started riding motorbikes at the age of 5. In 2004,

she needed just a year to rank 3rd. She runs in the Pro Mini Class

(85cc/150cc), for young people from 12 to 15 years.

Laser continues to support the ‘beautiful game’ of soccer through the GAC Laser sponsorship of the Meadowridge Football club in Cape Town. Picturedabove is Kagisho Dikgacoi, a South African international soccer player who plays with Crystal Palace, holding up his GAC Laser sponsored gear.

STREET SOCCER PLAY OFFS

GAC LASER PLAYS INTERNATIONALLY

Pictured above: The Street Soccer programme is still actively taking place in Port Elizabeth. Laser sponsored the programme, which is being facilitatedthrough Sporting Chance. 4000 children are coached and equipped nationally through this programme.

Historically people tended to work for one organisation for several years.Social contact was limited and relied on a network of personal contactwhich may have been built up over many years.

Indeed, networking is a skill which often takes years to developand for some people it does not come naturally at all.

Yet the advent of social media changes all of that. It is now easier than everto connect with people and draw on a wide network of individuals whowant to help and support one another to deliver dramatic change. Witha few simple clicks of a mouse it is possible to reach out to thousands ofpeople who will be able to offer advice and guidance so that, collectively,people can benefit from their experiences.

So who in particular can benefit? The business social media platform LinkedInis one of the most popular forums for discussions and groups providingopportunities for like-minded individuals to share knowledge and adviceas well as potential opportunities and industry developments.

A quick survey on LinkedIn reveals that some 1,700 groups have a logisticsor supply chain focus. This demonstrates just how wide-ranging and diversea discipline it has become, and also shows that there is something foreveryone depending on your interests or business focus.

The internet has allowed a phenomenon described as “the long tail ofdemand” which suggests that the huge availability of information on thenet creates increasingly focused niches from which everyone can benefit,so whatever your specialism, you can either find it or find someone elsewho knows about it.The internet makes this easier than ever with social platforms such as

Twitter and RSS feeds, which offer up to the minute information aboutindustry challenges and changes ensuring that, if you’re connected, you’realso fully informed and able to respond promptly and effectively saving yourbusiness or your client both time and money.

Ultimately, social networks are a demonstration of the old adage that‘people get back what they invest’ - as their own network grows and theyare able to learn and benefit in a “safe” environment without putting abusiness at risk.

Meet colleagues.

Profiling our People

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Board or Management of The Laser Group.

The Editorial committee reserves its editorial rights.

Industry NewsTopical industry news.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE LOGISTICS SECTOR

Johan BorcherdsWarehouse Manager, Laser Logistics

Johan Borcherds started his career at Laser Logistics in September of 2006 as a Warehouse Manager

at its Isando Facility.

As Warehouse Manager, Johan says, “I enjoy all aspects of my work at Laser. In the 4.5 years I’ve been

here, I am proud to say that I’ve achieved a number of goals that I set for myself:

• Reduction in shrinkage• Cost reduction• Overtime reduction• Improved and maintained stock recordings

Johan is currently participationg in the Laser Leadership Academy members and enjoys the personal

growth he is experiencing through the course material offered by Laser. Johan concludes that “My

philosophy is that what you put in you get out”.