Capital Equipment News May 2019

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NEWS

UD Trucks launches eight New Quester derivatives in SA

UD Trucks Southern Africa has added eight New Quester derivatives to its extra heavy commercial vehicle offering, as part of its line-up refinement process, bringing the total Quester offering to 18 derivatives. The company believes that this will enable logistics companies to tackle critical indus- try challenges and boost their bottom line through smart logistics. “New Quester highlights UD Trucks’ unwavering commitment of ‘Going the Extra Mile’ for our customers’ businesses,” says Gert Swanepoel, MD of UD Trucks Southern Africa. “Building on the range’s proven robustness and reliability in the re- gion, New Quester introduces key features that are set to help fleet’s fuel efficiency, productivity, safety and uptime.” The new features include ESCOT automated manual transmissions, engines with higher horsepower and user-friendly telematics as standard across the range. During the launch, Håkan Karlsson, president, Group Trucks Asia & JVs, said that Quester comes from the best of three worlds: UD Trucks’ strong Japanese heri- tage and craftsmanship, the group’s inno- vative technology, as well as quality local manufacturing and customer support. “UD Trucks is recognised for pioneering new innovations within the Japanese trucks segment, and New Quester is tes- tament to our global industry leadership,” said Karlsson. Since 1995, UD Trucks has delivered more than 80 000 trucks with ESCOT automated manual transmission around Businesses continue to benefit from Bridgewater Logistics’ state-of-the-art sup- ply-chain solution that integrates warehous- ing, cross-docking, as well as distribution and line-haul transportation solutions. “The responsibility of third-party lo- gistics providers (3PLs) has evolved from merely transporting, or maintaining and looking after goods and products in stor- age. Rather, transportation and warehous- ing is now viewed as a critical component of supply chains. Proactive 3PLs are, therefore, constantly trying to find ways of enhancing their value proposition. The days when you merely had to have a state-of-the-art warehouse or trucks and a team of drivers to be competitive in the market are long gone,” says Quinton de Villiers, MD of Bridgewater Logistics. Modern supply chains are dependent

New Quester achieves enhanced fuel efficiency of up to 10% compared with the current Quester with the 12-speed ESCOT automated manual transmission.

compared with the current Quester with the 12-speed ESCOT automated manual transmission, lighter tare weight and optimised driveline, depending on the operating condition, driving behaviour and vehicle maintenance. ESCOT includes specific software that optimises gear shifting according to engine rev, vehicle speed, loading weight and even road gradient. This smart system also includes a sensor that will select the optimum gear automatically instead of assuming a first gear selection. b costs by eliminating materials handling and the need for warehousing space. Just as importantly, cross-docking also significantly accelerates the delivery of goods to the end customer in response to the evolution of supply chains into “demand chains”. Today’s customers expect their product to be delivered in a considerably shorter period than what was acceptable in the past. In some instances, they even expect their product in less than 24 hours and, as such, items cannot first be housed in a central or regional warehouse before being shipped. “Bridgewater Logistics’ holistic solution has greatly contributed towards smart, streamlined and efficient supply chains. The outcome is happier end-customers and improved revenues for our clients,” concludes De Villiers. b

the world. “We are humbled by the tremendous confidence and recognition that the Quester line has earned since it was originally introduced in South Africa in 2015. With the game-changing New Quester, we believe we are reinforcing the legacy of being the truck brand that our customers want to partner with,” says Swanepoel. To boost productivity and profitabil- ity for business owners and logistics companies, New Quester achieves enhanced fuel efficiency of up to 10% upon affordable and timely distribution services that ensure deadlines are met. Moreover, they require optimised ware- housing storage space, accurate and quick picking, in addition to other essential activities performed by skilled and experi- enced warehousing professionals. A sound example of the constantly evolving nature of supply chains and the way in which 3PLs have responded to the demands of their freight-forwarding customers is the growth in demand for advanced cross-docking services. As opposed to being stored for a period of time, goods that enter Bridgewater Lo- gistics’ cross-docking distribution centres are ready to be shipped to the customer. At these facilities, they are unloaded directly from a truck and onto another for onward distribution in an approach that reduces

A holistic approach to logistics drives efficiencies

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS MAY 2019 38