Construction World March 2019

Olivier sees his task as offering support to sales staff to help their customers achieve their business goals.

and six P31 10,5 m 3 tippers,” says Conradie. “We supply product to mainly civil companies which includes building sand, clay and cement bricks, the removal of rubble while we have a plant hire division that supply equipment to demolition projects. We also offer bins and skips.” For Conradie the main considerations when choosing a truck are simple: “The fuel consumption has to be optimal, the truck has to have the ability to do the job with minimum downtime and after sales service has to be good, so good that downtime is almost non- existant. Scania’s range of construction vehicles are designed for the construction industry – and in our case industry building material.” Mindsets Olivier adds and says that potential customers ask three questions when they consider a truck: “What is your workshop footprint? What is your price and carrying capacity? And what is your warranty?” However, customers are brand loyal. When the industry is doing well, companies will stick to preferred brands. What Scania has aimed to do with its products, services and Solutions Based Offering is to change mindsets. This it does by getting to know the customer’s business, where they operate and how they operate. This determines the right specification that in turn optimises the vehicle for the specific application. Olivier says that its 8x4 twinsteer, is an example of how to get better carrying capacity with the correct wheel base formula. For Conradie Scania’s Solutions Based Offering is key. “We, for instance, have specific aftermarket requirements: we demand that services are speedy so as to minimise downtime, which for a fleet of our size and diversity, is key. “Scania is a well-known truck brand that enjoys excellent back-up. The initial Scania trucks were added to the fleet because of this reputation and these have since proven their superior fuel consumption,” says Conradie. He anticipates adding more Scania to his fleet as he is a client of whom the mindset has been changed. “The OEM will be launching it new range of trucks and I am looking forward to that,” he enthuses. A happy customer. Gerhard Conradie, the MD and Founder Member of Conradie Transport.

Another Western Cape client of which Scania has changed the mindset is Rocket Trading, based in Brackenfell. Rynard Swanepoel is the owner of this company that operates in the field of demolishing, rubble removal and site clearance for the construction industry. “We offer our clients superior service, on time and within budget, so it is crucial that we have a trucking partner that enables us to offer this to our clients,” says Swanepoel. The first vehicle it purchased from Scania was a P360 skiploader in 2017. “We offer waste bins hire and rubble removal services to the Western Cape areas. Our vehicles and machinery are available to assist with all rubble removal needs.” Because of the nature of this company’s business, Swanepoel says that as the vehicles take a beating, servicing and maintenance is of crucial importance. “Fuel consumption is a critical consideration when choosing a vehicle for this particular job,” says Swanepoel. “Another crucial aspect for us is turnaround times from when we place an order for a vehicle to delivery. When we ordered a Scania P410 hooklift, delivery happened between four to five weeks. “Scania offers something to the market that makes its clients more profitable, efficient and cost-efficient,” he adds. All Scania vehicles are tailored to be bodied on and this is a well-proven ingredient of Scania’s success. It is vital to improve uptime, durability and reliability. “Scania believes that when a vehicle is optimised for a specific type of transport, fuel consumption will be optimised. Even though Scania is renowned for optimal fuel consumption, this is a consequence of tailoring,” says Olivier. He concludes by revealing that a satellite workshop will be up and running in the Vredendal area towards September. “This will ensure that clients there can get their vehicles serviced locally without having to travel far, especially as the West Coast is a hotspot in the Western Cape.”  Currently the range of construction vehicles has 15 models which include tippers, mixers, hook lifts, skip-loaders, brick carriers, heavy hauliers and logistic vehicles for moving goods between sites. CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD MARCH 2019