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TRUCKS | REPORT
Heavy trucks doing the heavy lifting Robust and reliable heavy-duty trucks from the world’s leading manufacturers have long served Africa well and continue to support businesses as the region’s economy matures. ot much can happen in Africa without the big trucks that travel the dusty roads and modern highways crisscrossing the continent. Robust and built to last, these heavy-duty vehicles – made by iconic brands such as IVECO, Daimler, Volvo, and Scania, among others – are the lifeblood of business. In an emerging continent with a bright future ahead of it, that’s some responsibility. There are few more vital businesses than food supply and last year IVECO delivered 160 of its Trakker trucks to the Phibela agroprocessing complex in Ethiopia, which produces and distributes edible oil across eastern Africa. Phibela Industrial Plc covers 29 hectares of land leased from Amhara Regional Government around the industrial town of Bure, about 441 km from Addis Ababa. The company is also part of the Belayneh Kindie Import Export Group, an assembler of IVECO heavy trucks shipped in kits from Europe in completely knock-down units. The new trucks will be used to cover the route between Bure and Djibouti – a vital task, especially given current constraints facing regional food supplies. IVECO has recently updated its heavy line with the new IVECO TWAY off-road vehicle designed and engineered for the toughest missions in the most extreme conditions. The latest update also includes the new IVECO S-WAY longhaul truck.
Service veterans All of these leading truck brands share a proud history in serving the African continent and nurturing intra-regional trade. Daimler Trucks & Buses
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Image Credit: Daimler Truck
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Bakers SA Limited takes delivery of 90 Mercedes Benz Actros trucks.
celebrates 60 years of assembly operations in South Africa this year, for example. In a note to mark the occasion, Michael Dietz, chief executive of Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA), highlighted the role his company plays in keeping Africa moving and said 2022 is set to be “another exciting year” for the group. Daimler’s client base continues to endorse that sentiment. Last October, it handed over a whopping 90 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2645LS trucks to local logistics specialists, Bakers SA Limited. This addition builds on Bakers’ current mega fleet of nearly 650 vehicles, which remarkably comprises 100% Mercedes-Benz Truck products – a true endorsement of the brand. A month later, South Africa’s Cargo Carriers took delivery of 13
AFRICAN REVIEW OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY | JULY 2022
new Mercedes Benz Actros 2645/LS33 Pure truck tractors to be incorporated into its powders (cementitious) division. Together with the Mercedes Benz Truck tractors, Cargo Carriers invested in bulk tankers with optimal payload capacity to complement the truck tractors. The new truck tractors are 6% lighter than the older models, with greater power efficiency, as well as fuel saving technical innovations. Safety improvements include anti-lock braking systems, acceleration skid control, disc brakes, electronically controlled braking systems, lane assistance, roll over control, and proximity and stability control. As well as safety, performance, and energy efficiency improvements, the leading truck builders are making improvements to their vehicles all the time. It is bringing with it
groundbreaking innovation, with Volvo Trucks recently launching the world’s first trucks that are not only electric, but are also made with fossil-free steel, reflecting its ongoing commitment to the environmental cause. The steel is produced by Swedish steel company SSAB using a completely new technology, based on hydrogen. It means today, around 30% of the materials in a new Volvo truck come from recycled materials, and up to 90% of the vehicle can be recycled at the end of its life. “We are continuously striving to further minimise our climate footprint. We are also moving towards greater circularity in both our operations and our trucks,” said Jessica Sandström, senior vice president product management, Volvo Trucks. ■
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