Capital Equipment News September 2018

Fuel efficiency on top of Bridgewater Logistics’ agenda

repair, as well as fleet-replacement cycles to provide their services at a vastly reduced and unsustainable rate in an approach that has also led to many accidents involving trucks on South Africa’s road network. De Villiers explains that developing an effective fleet-management strategy is extremely complex, encompassing the purchase, maintenance and disposal of trucks. It includes a database inventory that greatly assists the team track serviceable or non-serviceable trucks to identify high-cost commercial vehicles. Importantly, it also assists in identifying fleet-replacement cycles, which minimise maintenance costs, in addition to ensuring that high levels of safety are maintained at all times on the country’s highly-congested road networks. In addition to fuel consumption patterns, the lifecycle analysis considers overhead and resale value, as well as maintenance and depreciation of Bridgewater Logistics’ large fleet of trucks, which are one of the critical cornerstones of its cutting-edge distribution and line-haul operations. Importantly, the company’s management team also maintains a close working relationship with all of its supply chain partners to always improve and deliver high-quality transportation solutions. b

As an expert in road-transport logistics, Bridgewater Logistics is committed to using diesel sparingly at all times to assist its clients retain efficiencies in their supply chains.

While businesses may not be immune to the recent rampant fuel hikes, partnering a reputable road transport logistics expert can help mitigate the exposure to this risk. Quinton de Villiers, MD of Bridgewater Logistics, says the company’s many clients have access to a very efficient short- and long-haul truck fleet that is also operated by a team of highly-competent drivers, who undergo regular training to hone their skills. “South Africa is a transport-intensive economy and a net importer of fuel – the lifeblood of our industry – and supply chains will, therefore, always be vulnerable to The South African commercial vehicle market recorded a very marginal year-on- year increase of 0,1% at the end of July, to reach 14 853 new units sales so far in 2018. The biggest growth occurred in the Extra Heavy Commercial Vehicle segment, which increased sales by 4,4% to 6 964 units year-to-date. Although the overall market picked up, the Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle segments still showed declines of 4,3% (4 333 units) and 1,8% (3 007 units) respec- tively. Bus sales also continued to decline, so far by 5,2% this year, reaching 549 new unit sales at the end of July. This is according to the latest results released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), Associated Motor Holdings (AMH) and Amalgamated Automobile Distributors (AAD). The export market has so far increased by 1% this year, to 565 units. A total of 83 bus sales into export markets has been record- ed, a 65,5% improvement over the same period in 2017. Year-on-year MCV sales are

external shocks. It is during challenging times such as these that the real value in partnering a skilled third-party logistics pro- vider truly comes to the fore. As an expert in road-transport logistics, it is our role to ensure that we use diesel sparingly at all times to assist our clients retain efficiencies in their supply chains,” says De Villiers. Importantly, Bridgewater Logistics’ fleet-management strategy has also played a significant role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the company. This comes at a time when many unscrupulous operators have neglected important maintenance and

Extra heavies pull commercial vehicle sales

The biggest growth occurred in the Extra Heavy Commercial Vehicle segment, which increased sales by 4,4% to 6 964 units year-to-date.

also up by a significant 91,18% to 65 units into export markets, while HCVs declined to 96 units, down by 1%, and EHCV sales also decreased by 23% to 321 units. Looking more closely at the truck market, UD Trucks Southern Africa expects the market to flatten out during the remainder of 2018. “The long-haul segment remains stable, supported by the slight growth in demand for transport on the back of

increased trade figures. However, declines in the mining, agricultural and manufactur- ing industries are still stifling sales in this segment,” says Gert Swanepoel, MD of UD Trucks Southern Africa. “The distribution segment, which includes waste, still remained strong, as new vehi- cles are acquired for tenders awarded, while the demand for construction vehicles has declined slightly,” concludes Swanepoel. b

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