Construction World February 2018

GRADERS

New distribution centre up and running

The 22 000m² facility is more than 20% larger than its predecessor, and incorporates best practice in warehouse design taken from operations in Japan, Europe and Australia. “The team endeavoured to make the transition as seamless as possible to ensure that our customers experienced minimal impact,” says Senior Manager National Warehousing and Logistics, Jean Bar- clay, explaining that employees have been on an exponential learning curve, upskilling their knowledge of the new Global Warehouse Management System, advanced material handling technology and safe, world-class processes. “Every effort is being made to improve daily on the supply of parts to our branch and customer network. Although we are achieving reasonable levels of supply (90% of daily orders), we aim to realise a ‘next morning delivery’ rate of at least 98% every day. The management team and staff are monitoring progress daily so that we can reach this target and stabalise our supply chain in the shortest time possible.” Floor space is maximised with the use of high-level combination turret trucks, enabling components to be stored and accessed at a height of up to eight meters. At the same time, ‘supermarket’ tech- niques are employed to keep fast-moving items at eye level to keep picking cycle times to an absolute minimum. Komatsu’s new, state-of-art Parts Distribution Centre (PDC) is now in full operation and is set to further improve our all- important after-sales service offering. Quickly becoming a bestseller In five short years, SDLG has grown to become a dominant brand among Oman’s value-option construction equipment. It has only been five years since General Engineering Services (Genserv) introduced SDLG to Oman’s construction equipment market. The Muscat-based company was struck by SDLG’s ability to provide reliable and productive machines at affordable prices, along with its comprehensive aftermarket support. Genserv took a gamble on offering an unknown machine to its customers, and the bet has surely paid off. “It was a challenge to introduce a new brand into an established market, but we used our name and reputation to promote trust in SDLG,” said Ahmed Rashed, general manager of Genserv. “Our customers expect quality brands and good parts and service, and so they said, ‘If it’s coming from Genserv, then it must be reliable.’" Genserv’s promotion of SDLG reflects one of the brand’s core strategies: partnering with seasoned, expert dealers that not only know their customers and their needs well, but dealers that also can provide the superior aftermarket support that SDLG has become synonymous with. “Customers want to have confidence in the accessibility of spare parts, the availability of the service people, and in the speed at which we can rectify issues with the machines,” Rashed explained. “Oman is 310 000 km 2 with a population of 4,4 million. Our goal at Genserv is to be accessible to all customers within 24 hours. We have spent a lot of time ensuring that our aftermarket capabilities are first rate.” Construction is the number one industry that Genserv is selling SDLG machines to in Oman, followed by quarry and aggregates, energy and oil, mining and government infrastructure. As a result,

“The overriding priority from day one has been to provide a safe working environment for our team,” says Parts General Manager Joe Ferreira, adding that six key staff members will soon go abroad to gain international exposure to Komatsu warehousing systems.  • The warehouse floor is an example of excellence in engineering design, innovation and precision. The entire floor is based on a post-tensioned cabling system that makes use of 132 kilometers of steel cable • It has the distinction of being the largest seamless floor in South Africa • The structure rises 13 meters from floor to eaves • Features semi-automated turret trucks enabling safe, accurate access to the highest points in the racking area.

the majority of SDLG machines sold are wheel loaders, graders and rollers. Back in 2012, Oman already had an established construction equipment market. It was predominantly made up of premium brands, along with some Chinese brands. Between 2012 and 2016, Genserv’s annual sales of SDLG machines increased tenfold. However, falling oil prices put a strain on Oman’s equipment market, causing sales to fall across all of its offered brands. The result was that customers emphasized the need for more affordable, value-option machines. Ahmed Rashed expects the market to rise by somewhere between 10% and 15% by the second half of 2018. He anticipates a rise in in- frastructure spending, as Oman’s government has made it a priority. Plans are already in the works for new roads, airports, dams, sewage works and hotels. Genserv is currently working with construction companies and planning for their equipment needs so that the entire market will be ready for the surge in activity. 

42

CONSTRUCTION WORLD FEBRUARY 2018