Modern Quarrying Q2 2018

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

Naude notes that Scania’s profile has risen quickly among contractors in quar- rying, mining and construction – not least because of the tightly-knit nature of this community. “ These operators work closely together and frequently even rent equip- ment from each other when their own fleets are busy,”he says.“So they are famil- iar with a range of equipment brands and have been able to assess and compare the performance of the Scania units. The result has been growing interest in our units, confirming to us that growth opportunities will continue.” Friberg also points out that – with the introduction of carbon tax in South Africa next year – Scania was well placed as a leader in low carbon-emission technol- ogy and in alternative fuels. www.scania.co.za

customers to deal with us,”says Govender. “Many customers in the quarrying and mining sector operate across borders, but can still enjoy the flexibility of getting ser- vice from wherever they are operating – without having to establish new accounts or lines of credit with different service providers. This saves them valuable time, and cuts down on unnecessary adminis- tration on their side.” Larger customers can also benefit from on-site servicing, says Friberg, where Scania can provide containerised work- shops to service their fleet of trucks and ensure optimal uptime and performance. “For customers with their own work- shop facilities, we can even place our mechanics in their operation to make sure that the right level of expertise is being applied in maintenance and repairs,” he says.“In today’s competitive environment, their trucks need to be available con- stantly; if they stand, the revenue stream suffers.”

and comparing them to their competi- tors. Demo units are made available to companies, along with training for oper- ators, so that a prospective customer can see it at work under local conditions and assess its performance. “The superior solutions we offer can therefore be experienced first-hand by the quarry or mine operator,” he says. “There is often the tendency for a com- pany to buy only from one supplier, but these days there is increasing pressure on the bottom line – so owners are looking for more efficient solutions.” Govender acknowledges the difficulty many buyers face in changing their sup- pliers, and emphasises that they need to see first-hand what cost-savings they can achieve with the Scania option – through competitive pricing, lower running costs and reduced downtime. “Beyond the bottom-line, there is also the importance of the partnership between customer and supplier, where they learn to trust our input on what solution will serve their operation and bottom-line best,” he says. The extensive Scania retail network has been reinforced with expertise from mining and construction, and local branches can bring segment managers in where they can help inform a customer’s purchase decision. “The dynamics in the mining and construction sectors tend to be more site-specific than those in the long-haul transport industry,” says Theuns Naude, Scania’s segment manager construction. “Our service can therefore benefit from our focused sector knowledge while still making use of our wide regional footprint of service outlets.” Scania’s branch network and cus- tomer relationship management system offers all sectors the benefits of a single account with the company – so that all services and maintenance can be stream- lined to save time, effort and money. “Having our network centrally owned by Scania makes it much easier for

Report by Paul Crankshaw

The Scania team at bauma Conexpo Africa this year includes Anders Friberg, general manager vehicle sales and export at Scania South Africa (left); Ruben Govender, key account manager mining (centre); and Theuns Naude, segment manager construction.

The deployment of Scania’s demonstration vehicles for mining and construction has proved to be a valuable strategy in proving the capability of these units and comparing them to their competitors.

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MODERN QUARRYING

Quarter 2 / 2018