Capital Equipment News February 2018

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NEWS

There has been a marked growth in demand for cross-docking capabilities in South Africa, considering the many benefits the service offers businesses by being able to move products directly to a customer or retail chain with marginal to no handling, or storage time. However, there is more than meets the eye to running a successful cross-dock- ing operation, notes Quinton de Villiers, MD of Bridgewater Logistics, a re- spected leader in this specialist field of transport logistics and supply-chain management. “We have experienced a high demand for cross-docking services, and our competitive edge can largely be attribut- ed to the way in which we conduct the operations. This continues to set us apart from many of our closest competitors. It may seem a simple concept, but the devil is in the detail,” says De Villiers. Firstly, the Bridgewater Logistics team maintains a neat and tidy dock area to ensure optimal operations and a safe working environment. In addi- tion, ideal use is made of dock space to reduce travel time in moving goods from inbound to outbound trucks, while care- ful consideration was also given to the location of the operations and available yard space to cater to many trailers. Planning of the shipment-staging area is also critical to a successful cross-docking operation. An optimal configuration ensures that the goods-in and goods-out doors are on the same dock, with the goods-in doors located at the centre. The goods-out function is established in such a manner that the largest outbound shipments can be loaded at the closest doors on either side of goods-in. Meanwhile, the fur- thest doors from goods-in are reserved for the smallest outbound shipments. Sound investment into technology is vital to ensure members of staff receive advanced alerts of inbound goods via shipment notifications from suppliers, while mechanisation and automation ensure a swift and effortless handling of items. However, De Villiers attributes most of the ongoing success of Bridgewater Logistics’ cross-docking operations to the skills and capabilities of his team. This is considering the degree of synchroni- sation that is required at a successful cross-docking operation, relying on some of the company’s best supervisory staff and warehouse operatives. ❂ Cross-docking – the devil is in the detail

Record Abidjan bus contract for IVECO BUS

IVECO BUS has just signed an historic order for 400 Crossway Low Entry and 50 Crealis 18-m CNG buses for the Abidjan Transport Company SOTRA. The vehicles will be delivered from mid- 2018 to the City of Abidjan. Founded in 1960, SOTRA was the first-ever public transport company in West Africa. It now confirms its pio- neering role by ordering, from IVECO BUS, 50 18-m Crealis buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). The order demonstrates the political commitment of the Ivorian president and government to invest in public transport and developing sustainable mobility. As a leader in Bus Rapid Transit solutions for over 10 years, IVECO BUS has already delivered close to 500 Crealis. Additionally, the brand also has a 20-year history as a leader in natural gas vehicles, with some 6 000 units currently operating in Europe. It is now broadening its exper- tise by delivering the first-ever high-value CNG buses on the African continent. The deliberate choice by the Ivorian government in favour of natural gas confirms that it is a pertinent solution for the country and a real opportunity with readable gas availabilities. Natural gas vehicles are an effective answer to

environmental concerns, and represent an efficient passenger transport solution. The CNG Crealis offers major benefits in terms of pollution and noise reduction; fine particle emissions are reduced to nearly zero and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than one third, while noise level is reduced by half for an exceptional operating silence. “The agreement demonstrates our strong political commitment to expand the public transport network with low environmental impact vehicles, protecting the health of our citizens. We therefore naturally turned to IVECO BUS, the European leader renowned for its expertise in this field. We are very proud to receive the vehicles for the first time on the African continent,” says Amadou Kone, Ivory Coast Minister. “We are very pleased of SOTRA’s choice, confirming a strong political vision of modernising the Abidjan public trans- port system using a proven, sustainable solution. It was natural for IVECO BUS to position itself as a key enabler of such a vision with our products, services and financing solutions. We believe this will set the benchmark for many other countries in West Africa,” says Sylvain Blaise, IVECO vice-president in charge of IVECO BUS. ❂

Meité Bouaké, director of SOTRA (left), and Sylvain Blaise, IVECO vice-president in charge of IVECO BUS, during the signing of the contract.

The fourth quarter of the 2017 independent Scott Byers Customer Satisfaction report has revealed that Volvo Trucks South Africa has managed to retain the top spot in Sales, Service and Parts. READ MORE: https://goo.gl/2tLNBy

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