Tigers South Africa has expanded its services by launching a renewable energy vertical to handle the import of solar panels from China.

The Hong Kong-based enterprise solutions said it created the renewable energy vertical in response to increased demand for solar panels in South Africa and expectations of further growth in the market.

“In South Africa, there are frequent power failures, and with such high levels of sunshine in the region it makes sense for people to invest in solar power generation,” Paul Lawrence, managing director, Tigers South Africa, said.

“We expect the market for renewable energy to continue to grow in the coming years, and Tigers is ready for the demand," he added.

Tigers said it is working with Energy Partners, a leading energy solutions provider in South Africa and some major solar panel manufacturers in the industry for the project which will include providing customs brokerage, local logistics, and warehouse storage.

“These are exciting times for Tigers as we move into the renewable energy sector, which is a growing market, especially in South Africa,” said Paul Lawrence, managing director, Tigers South Africa.

The solar panels are shipped from China into Cape Town and Durban and then distributed across the country by Tigers.

“As with the recently opened Tigers e-commerce facility in South Africa, the renewable energy vertical is in line with our progressive approach to freight forwarding and embracing new markets,” he added.