Capital Equipment News December 2018

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NEWS

Protec Steel wins the day for Serco

Full order books, business already coming in for 2019 and a positive outlook for the new year – that’s the good news from leading South African trailer and truck building company, Serco. MD Clinton Holcroft attributes the continued impressive business performance to tight cost control and the company’s Protec Steel refrigerated vehicles. “People in the industry continue to be impressed by the durability of the coated steel panels. Additionally, they also like the newly-introduced rice grain aluminium floor which has proved to be a popular high wearing feature,” says Holcroft. Other features include fully-welded aluminium scuffs which create a durable, waterproof and high strength structure, as well as the new door seals made of an extruded rubber material, providing an excellent thermal barrier preventing the leakage of cold air. Another advantage is that repair costs to the coated steel vehicles are relatively low. Holcroft says the slow economy and volatile rand have put a lot of pressure on Serco in 2018 but there has been positive growth for the company thanks to its advanced panel manufacturing technology. “Serco has also created new positions for a process improvement manager and a quality engineer to build on the continuous improvement culture in the company,” he Newly launched advocacy organisation Part Worn Africa is calling for governments and regulatory bodies across the African continent to develop and enforce stronger regulations governing the sale of part-worn and second-hand tyres. Part Worn Africa will advocate that part-worn and second tyres be universally and stringently regulated according to rigorous standards and specifications in the same vein as those against which originally manufactured tyres are held to. There are inadequate legislative and regulatory frameworks and an absence of minimum safety and quality standards in South Africa that describe what may constitute a safe to use second-hand or part- worn tyre. The inability to enforce strict safety and quality standards such as those applied to new tyres leaves South African road users, whether they are drivers, passengers, commuters or pedestrians, vulnerable to unsafe, ill-suited and illicit part-worn tyres that may be more affordable, but in reality, cost lives.

Serco attributes the continued impressive business performance to tight cost control and the company’s Protec Steel refrigerated vehicles.

says. “Serco is ending the year on a positive note with full order books while orders for the new year are looking positive.” “We expect next year to be similar to 2018 and are well placed, well equipped and determined to make a success of it. The economic forecast for the South African economy for 2019 is another year of marginal growth, but we remain optimistic, especially with efforts being made to root out government corruption and the recent investment summit which I believe will combine to help create a more enabling relationship between business and government,” he says. Holcroft says customers are increasingly anxious to improve the thermal performance of their refrigerated vehicles. “With our new injected foam technique for manufacturing panels, there is more than a 20% improvement in thermal performance over our previous model.

The significance of this is a reduced load on the fridge – undoubtedly a big plus factor for customers.” b

• 20% improvement in thermal performance

Calling for regulation of second-hand tyres across Africa

South Africa has one of the highest number of fatalities from road crashes in the world at 25,1 per 100 000 of the population compared to other BRICS countries and the rest of the developed world. Combining the statistics for pre-collision tyre bursts and smooth tyres in The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) 2017 Road Fatality report reveals that the two tyre-linked factors are responsible for close to 60% of the fatal accidents caused by vehicle fault. “Unscrupulous operators take advantage of porous tyre waste disposal processes to gather ‘stock’ for resale, while others resell tyres rejected from other countries outside Africa because they are no longer fit for use. This makes them dangerous, a fact further compounded by these tyres often being ill-suited to Africa’s climate and road conditions,” explains Abdul Waheed Patel, Director of Part Worn Africa. “There is a need to protect road users by developing, enforcing and monitoring compliance with appropriate legislative and regulatory standards and specifications

Abdul Waheed Patel, Director of Part Worn Africa.

for second-hand and part-worn tyres, in uniformity across Africa. Drivers who may be experiencing financial pressure often choose unverified cheaper tyres without being aware of the associated safety risks,” he adds. Part Worn Africa will work with governments, regulatory bodies and multi- sectoral interest groups across Africa to address policy, legislative and regulatory deficits that expose unaware consumers to this major hazard on Africa’s roads. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS DECEMBER 2018 39