Capital Equipment News November 2017

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America. Fittingly coinciding with the 90 th anniversary of their partnership, Caterpil- lar and Barloworld have co-located their parts distribution facilities at the new JDC. The collaboration, in the interests of adding customer value, testifies to the sustainability of the 90-year partnership between Barloworld and Caterpillar. The arrangement is the first of its kind in the Caterpillar network. A 3 500 m² por- tion of the facility hosts Barloworld Equip- ment’s retail parts operation and the dealer has since consolidated its over-the-counter aftermarket parts activities from its previ- ous two parts facilities in Linbro Park and Isando into the new location. Tackling the skills gap Parker says the skills gap is one of the key challenges Caterpillar is committed to tackle together with its dealer and governments. “We have also invested in skills development initiatives, specifically skills training. Skilled technicians are the lifeblood of all our activities. They keep our equipment running, they make our customers profitable and they keep projects on schedule.” Parker notes that Caterpillar has over 35 000 active machines and engines operat- ing throughout southern Africa, and to keep all those machines running smoothly, there is need to have the right technical skills on the ground. To help people in Africa develop their technical skills, two years ago, Cater- pillar launched an e-learning website called Technicians for Africa to support local skills development both in South Africa and 14 other African countries. Technicians for Africa already has over 700 registered users in South Africa and 3 500 in southern Africa. The programme gives future technicians a base level of technical knowledge to make them viable candidates for careers as heavy equipment technicians and many other related fields. “We are trying to develop a talent pipeline not only for Caterpillar and our dealers, but for our customers as well,” says Park- er. “The skills gap is something we really need to tackle together with governments, and Caterpillar and Barloworld are willing to do what it takes to develop South Af- rica’s infrastructure with a South African workforce.” Leeka says skills development is also a key focus area for Barloworld, noting that the company has made a big investment in its learning academy in Isando, Kemp- ton Park, which trains 3 500 people within southern Africa. “This is complemented by several other training facilities across South Africa and southern Africa,” con- cludes Leeka. b

A 3 500 m² portion of Caterpillar’s new JDC hosts Barloworld Equipment’s retail parts operation.

to work with the South African government to achieve economic transformation in the country. We believe our EEIP goals are closely aligned with those of the govern- ment,” says Parker. Cat’s EEIP components Specifically, Caterpillar’s EEIP – which is expected to create about 3 900 direct and indirect jobs, according to the dti – com- prises five integrated and interdependent components: local supplier and enterprise development; localisation of component content; skills transfer and development; as well as job creation. “Localisation opportunities we are look- ing at include sourcing components locally to support the mining, construction, energy and transportation industries,” says Park- er, adding that Caterpillar Industries has already successfully completed its first localisation project, working with a local supplier to manufacture a mining bucket. “We look to build on this partnership. We anticipate that through our investment, many direct and indirect jobs will be cre- ated and retained between Caterpillar, our dealer, our suppliers and the extended val- ue chain” she says. Parker also adds that Caterpillar’s invest- ment into South Africa will have a positive effect on many industries key to the econ- omy’s industrialisation and transformation drive, including mining, construction, pav- ing, forestry, rail and power generation, including industrial, gas and solar energy applications. She further reiterates that Caterpillar’s commitment is not only about investing in physical or hard assets, but first and fore- most in people. “To that end, Caterpillar will provide free, best-in-class supplier development training that is SETA-aligned for both new and existing suppliers. The

first such training will be held this month, where local suppliers will get to learn about Caterpillar’s Global Production Sys- tem and world-class quality standards,” she says. Emmy Leeka, CEO of Barloworld Equip- ment, says the Cat dealer in southern Afri- ca has worked closely with its principal to achieve the historic feat, which he says is not about ticking boxes, but demonstrates true commitment to real transformation on the ground. Special year Following the successful launch of Caterpillar’s empowerment deal, Parker says 2017 will go down in history as a special year for Caterpillar in South Africa. The OEM recently celebrated Barloworld Equipment’s 90 th anniversary as a Cat dealer a few weeks ago, a significant milestone considering that Caterpillar itself is 92 years old. The launch of Caterpillar’s EEIP follows hard on the heels of yet another big in- vestment by the OEM in South Africa. The company opened a new, state-of-the-art parts distribution facility in South Africa on August 31, which, by the way, is said to be the largest parts distribution facility in Africa. The new Johannesburg Distribution Cen- tre (JDC) is Caterpillar’s largest parts facil- ity in Africa, representing the OEM’s larg- est ever investment in physical assets on the continent. The new facility holds over 110 000 different parts and components, and serves over 10 000 customers in 11 countries in the region. Leeka says that 2017 marks a truly suc- cessful relationship between Barloworld and Caterpillar. Barloworld Equipment, Caterpillar’s dealer since 1927, is one of the OEM’s oldest dealers outside of North

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