Capital Equipment News April 2019

TRANSPORT

Service matters Aftersales service is an important area of modern day business, especially in the commercial vehicles space, and the capital equipment sector at large. 4PL Fleet regards aftermarket service as paramount in its buying decisions to ensure proper maintenance and maximum uptime of its vehicles. Successful commercial vehicle suppliers like Scania South Africa are well aware that customer relationships do not end with the conclusion of a transaction, but are maintained for a product’s entire lifecycle, and even beyond. This is an area that has cemented the two companies’ relationship over the years. “We have a longstanding mutual relationship with Scania South Africa. It is driven by a common goal to get maximum value out of our Scania vehicles for non- stop operation. Competition is rife in the transport industry, and we need to make sure we are competitive in every aspect of our business to stay ahead of the competition. Scania South Africa gives us the capability to do so,” says Adlem. Scania has service technicians based at 4PL’s premises to ensure maximum vehicle uptime. 4PL Fleet’s head office is based in Irene, Pretoria, and its main operational and maintenance facility is situated in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. “While all vehicles are under full repair and maintenance contracts with Scania South Africa, the trailers are maintained by our dedicated workshop in Nelspruit,” explains Adlem. 4PL fleet has set a replacement policy for its fleet, based on age and kilometres to ensure maximum uptime for its clients. All vehicles are replaced after three years, or 600 000 km, whichever comes first. In addition to the 15 vehicles delivered this month, 4PL will take delivery of 13 New Generation Scania trucks – the NTG G460 units – in June this year. The new fleet will also run with Afrit interlink side tippers. “Our core focus is to offer an exceptional, reliable, efficient and secure bulk transport solution to our clients. In Scania, we have found a partner that truly supports us to meet our operational goals. Scania South Africa has gone beyond the call of duty, not only to provide us with the truck that meets our application needs and offers great fuel efficiency, but also with the provision of unparalleled aftersales support to maximise uptime in our fleet,” explains Adlem. “We turn over every rock we can to figure out ways to maximise vehicle uptime for our customers, and we are doing that with 4PL. The eyes of the customer are on uptime; that’s where the rubber hits the road,” concludes Basset. b

The G460 is regarded as the most economical truck for 4PL Fleet’s cross border bulk transport operations.

“We turn over every rock we can to figure out ways to maximise vehicle uptime for our customers, and we are doing that with 4PL. The eyes of the customer are on uptime; that’s where the rubber hits the road.”

Johnny Ray Basset, Key account manager at Scania South Africa

“The G460 is the right truck for our cross border bulk transport operations. It is the most economical vehicle for our application. Firstly, the reliability of the vehicle gives us maximum uptime, which is a key operational parameter in our business. Secondly, it gives us the best fuel consumption, which is vital given that fuel is a major cost factor in every transport business.”

Louis Adlem, MD of 4PL Fleet

Fleet Management System, which helps 4PL Fleet take control of its fleet and get the most out of its business. The system is installed on all new Scania trucks and simply needs to be activated in order for the data to be accessed. “As well as providing access to fleet management, the system offers an array of other advantages such as Remote Diagnostics, Remote Download and Driver Coaching. These functions reduce fuel costs

and shorten the time required for service and maintenance, which also saves fleet owners money,” says Johnny-Ray Basset, key account manager at Scania South Africa. Scania Rental also provides rental vehicles to 4PL Fleet when the need arises. Rental allows 4PL Fleet to service urgent and seasonal work and mitigate the risk of acquiring trucks for unsustainable jobs.

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS APRIL 2019 18