AutoForum July 2011

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JULY 2011

I N F O R M E D

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I N N O V A T I V E

Bosch 60th International Automotive Press Briefing

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NEWS AFRICA

NEWS AFRICA

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS

Training Truck Drivers Online

I N N O VAT I O N

Inside Stereo camera system

The Tolling Debacle Continues OHS - does your business comply?

CAPEX boost for SA Auto Industry PAGE 1

July 2011

CONTENTS

WWW.AUTOFORUM.CO.ZA

JULY 2011

I N F O R M E D

Cover Stories The Tolling debacle continues

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14

CAPEX boost for SA Auto Industry

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OHS - does your business comply?

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Stereo camera system

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Training truck drivers online

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Bosch 60th International Automotive press briefing

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Trade Talk

I N N O V A T I V E

Bosch 60th International Automotive Press Briefing

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NEWS AFRICA

NEWS AFRICA

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS

TRAINING TRUck DRIVERS ONLINE

Inside

Highlights of global and local industry news

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I N N O VAT I O N

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A N D

THE TOLLING DEBAcLE cONTINUES

STEREO cAmERA SYSTEm

OHS - DOES YOUR BUSINESS cOmPLY? cAPEX BOOST fOR SA AUTO INDUSTRY PAGE 1

Cover photo - Bosch 60th International Automotive press briefing.

News Forum Leaf could be heading for SA

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Rapid parts delivery programme

12

E-Tolling Update

14

50 years of safety innovations - and now?

16

Motor industry capex boost

18

Editorial This issue marks the beginning of the second half of 2011 and again means that the year is running away with us. It does not however, mean that you should feel complacent about what is happening in your business. Our July issue is packed

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with tips on how best to manage your operation,

BodyShop News

no matter the size, with a mini feature on OHS

PaintExpo 2012

23

Aer-O-News

24

Glasurit launches updated easy-to-use site

25

New colour trend report

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compliancy. Of course all the news you need is crammed into the pages you are now holding too so go on, start reading.

EDITOR CLARE RUTKIEWICZ

Business Forum 48

Supercharge your supply chain by getting back to basics

32

Why you need an OHS plan

36

How to comply with the OHS Act

38

Automotive skills driven by investment in industry and youth

40

Building customer relationships

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CONTRIBUTORS: AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS DAVE SCOTT ROBERT KAISER GRAHAM BUSH ROY COKAYNE Paul Fail Steven Freemantle John Hempel Michael Rohde ADVERTISING: GRANT WEST C: 076 727 8161 T: 011 466 3733 F: 086 627 1135

WARWICK ROBINSON C: 082 855 7750

PRODUCTION: KAZ NEL EMAIL: INFO@AUTOFORUM.CO.ZA PUBLISHER: SWIFT PUBLICATIONS & OLYMPIC PARK TRADING SUITE 446, POSTNET X033, RIVONIA 2128

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AutoForum has an ABC circulation of 13 898 ABC (July 2010 to Dec 2010)

www.Autoforum.co.za I N F O R M E D

New Flywheel technology
cuts consumption by 20%

44

Stereo camera system

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ACD/Midas Group Aer-O-Cure Alfa International Autocosmos/Electrolog Autozone Bosch Coetz Federal-Mogul First National Battery GMSA Highveld Garage Equipment Hofmann Megaplan Ital Machinery Leaderquip Mahle Midas MISA Motor Merchandise NAPA/Midas Group POS Service Holland Probe Sabat Safeline Silver Falcon/Hurricane SKF Snap-on/John Bean Technica Tenneco/Rancho Turbo Exchange UD Trucks Victor Reinz World Spares

Commercial Vehicles Hino walks away with Platinum Arrows

48

When a bakkie wants to be a truck

48

World class customer service is the key

50

First gas truck for long-haul

52

An automated shift for online truck sales training

54

Show Time Automechanica Middle East (Dubai)

56

Bosch 60th international automotive press briefing

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Fuel industry overviews at Forecourt Africa 2011

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New Releases 64

After-Marketplace Directory Directory listings

I N N O V A T I V E

Advertisers Guide

Innovations

Latest offerings of local products

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66

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21 26-27, OBC 11 64 8, 34-35 5, IBC 57 19, 47 39 9, 43, 63 37 41 49, 57 7 45 53 28 22 13 17 20 65 15 30-31 49 25 60-61 51 20 55 33 3, 64

While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the advice and information given to readers, neither the editor, nor the publishers, can accept any responsibility for any damages, injury or loss which arise there from. The opinions expressed by contributors to this magazine are not necessarily shared by the editor or the publishers.

Trade Talk

AutoForum - July 2011

Stop-start car sales to spike Stop-start vehicles (SSVs) have been gaining more and more airtime over the last ten years due to their ability to save energy and meet carbon emission reduction goals. The technology goes by a number of names - micro hybrids, idle stop vehicles, and others – and includes a variety of technologies branded by automakers, and in many cases is bundled with other fuel efficient systems.

Typically these vehicles offer 5% to 10% reductions in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, and require more robust batteries and starter systems than are found in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. They are also priced at a small premium over ICEs, but considerably less than hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

According to a new report from Pike Research, sales of stop-start vehicles will experience strong growth in the coming decade, rising from 3 million units in 2011 to 37.3 million units per year by 2020. The market intelligence company believes that by that time, SSVs will represent more than a third of all light-duty vehicle sales.

The report’s analysis indicates that Europe has seen by far the greatest selection of vehicles with stop-start technology and the greatest volume of vehicles sold – thanks to the region having the most aggressive environmental goals in the world. North America has experienced a relatively slow penetration of the technology due to less stringent emissions reduction goals and the fact that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing cycle underestimates the benefits of the technology.

It continues, however, that despite the technology not being as well known in North America, SSVs are already outselling hybrids globally, with 3.5 vehicles expected to be sold in 2011 for each hybrid. That gap is expected to widen to a 16 to 1 ratio by 2017 because of the lower cost of SSVs compared to HEVs.

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Road assistance on your phone The American Automobile Association recently launched a new application for iPhone users that assists stranded motorists, sending their location and other details to the company’s roadside assistance dispatch unit.

The app makes use of location services to send the member’s location as well as their vehicle description and the problem details to the assistance team, saving the team time in getting to the member as well as ensuring as far as possible that the correct repair equipment is within reach.

And while the member is waiting, he or she can use the app to search for approved repairers, car parts distributors, rental companies, accommodation and more. Best of all – the service is free to AAA members, and all approved retailers and services offer AAA members discounted rates.

Let’s hope the idea catches on locally too.

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Trade Talk

AutoForum AutoForum--July July2011 2011

www.AutoForum.co.za

BMW lights the way BMW recently launched two of its new lighting products - Dynamic Light Spot and Glare-Free High Beam Assistant – part of the automaker’s Night Vision system, which uses a thermal imaging camera to assist in anticipatory and safe driving at night.

Dynamic Light Spot is a spotlighting system that is able to automatically highlight pedestrians, giving the driver a ‘heads-up’ that they are in the vicinity of the vehicle. The so-called ‘marking light’ system uses sensors to identify potentially endangered objects in the driver’s surroundings which are then illuminated in a targeted manner with a spot of light. At the same time, a beam of light projected onto the road in front of the vehicle leading to the possible collision object draws the driver’s attention to that object. All of these allow the driver enough time to either brake or take suitable evasive action. Once the vehicle has safely passed the pedestrian, the marking light and the beam of light on the road are switched off and then normal lighting continues.

Glare-Free High Beam Assistant on the other hand eliminates the ‘blinding’ issues associated with using high beams, by locating approaching vehicles at close range, as well as those ahead, and preventing glare.

Spot, ic Light Dynam g a vehicle. in follow

It works in conjunction with the existing High Beam Assistant, and recognises other vehicles at an early stage and, depending on the traffic situation, switches the beam to high or low automatically. A camera sensor in the interior mirror bracket registers the headlight beams of approaching vehicles from a distance of as much as approximately 1 000 metres, and the taillights of other vehicles in front from about 500 metres.

The assistant automatically switches the high beam to low, and then returns to the high beam once the other vehicle has moved out of ‘glare range’.

On-com

ing traffi

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Trade Talk

AutoForum AutoForum--July July2011 2011

www.AutoForum.co.za

Wellness Cluster lauded in New York

Shock (absorber) road test

Last month Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) walked away with GBC Business Action on Health Award for the company’s innovative Wellness Cluster programme, at the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) annual conference.

Monroe recently added a link to a video on their website that displays exactly why worn shock absorbers are as dangerous as we have been led to believe. The video shows the company’s in-house driver testing two vehicles – one equipped with new shock absorbers and the other with 50% worn-out shock absorbers.

The Wellness Cluster programme – that is run in conjunction with the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) and Aids Workplace Programmes in Southern Africa (AWiSA) and which was launched two years ago - assists FMCSA’s supplier companies to provide in-house HIV/AIDS counselling and testing for automotive industry workers in South Africa.

So far, ten SA-based automotive industry suppliers have enrolled in the programme and more than 2 000 employees have volunteered to be tested for HIV, receiving potentially life-saving counselling in the process. The programme indirectly benefits the entire community as its teachings are spread by word-of-mouth.

FMCSA President and CEO Jeff Nemeth commented: “It is heartbreaking to see the devastating toll HIV/AIDS has taken on families in South Africa and around the world, especially when its spread can be prevented through education and awareness. My hope is that this recognition will energise our efforts and encourage others to join the fight against this disease.”

The 2011 GBC Awards include six categories: Ford took second place in the Partnership/Collective Action category.

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The video was made at the World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) race in Zolder, in collaboration with team Monroe driver Tiago Monteiro, and makes for sobering viewing. The company recommends that all vehicles have their shock absorbers professionally tested every 20 000km from 80 000 km onwards.

To view it yourself visit the website www.tenneco.tv and click on the “Tiago Monteiro: Monroe safety test” link.

IN G

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Financing for services, repairs, service and maintenance plans, extended warranties and Genuine GM Parts and Accessories.

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AutoForum - July 2011

The latest global news

Leaf could be heading for SA

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he Leaf, Nissan’s electric vehicle, could be introduced into SA. Nissan has confirmed it is engaging with the government about possible incentives to enable it to introduce the Leaf into the domestic market.

According to Gilles Normand, the Corporate Vice President Africa, Middle East and India, the automaker had been involved in exploratory talks with the South African government since before the 2010 FIFA World Cup last year. He said Nissan needed three elements from every country where it introduced an electric vehicle: someone to invest in the infrastructure for the charging stations, incentives and education. He continued that incentives were only necessary initially, because the economies of scale from its investment in electric vehicles were not yet present. “Our objective is to sell at the price more or less of a traditional C-segment car. We still need some incentives to reduce the price. It’s for the customer, not for us, to make the price in line with a traditional C-segment car.”

Normand explained that these incentives could be in the form of reduced import duties or VAT, or an exemption from toll fees. He said Nissan had already entered into more than 90 partnerships with governments, utility corporations,

PAGE 10

- Roy Cokayne

local authorities and other relevant parties to develop long-term electric vehicle (EV) technology. “We look forward to working with the South African government and other industry stakeholders to define the regulatory framework for an EV introduction in this country.”

Normand said one of the 90 EV agreements it had signed was in Africa, with Jordan, while it had also reached a distribution agreement with Mauritius. “We have been working with the SA government for the last few years. But we don’t want to push, we want a pull. If you are not motivated towards EV it’s not going to work successfully.”

“We are making sure that when people want to engage in this, they know exactly the impact and the necessary investment. We are ready.

The technology is here. The car is here and we can do it anytime,” he said.

Mike Whitfield, Managing Director of Nissan SA, said the new industrial policy action plan (Ipap2) contained a section on electric vehicles and the government was “very focused on issuing guidelines” about this. He said both Nissan and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) had been engaging with government on this

Roy Cokayne is a senior financial reporter for Business Report.

issue and the engagements with government were “an ongoing process”, but some clarity from government on electric vehicles was expected soon. “There is an interest and desire to get there. It is moving forward but not necessarily at the same pace as in other countries.”

Normand said the Leaf formed part of Nissan’s commitment to zero emissions and clean air technologies and, as leaders in the field of zero emission mobility, were on track with the global rollout of the Nissan Leaf, the first mass market electric vehicle.

He said proof of the Leaf’s appeal was that since its launch in Europe, North America and Japan it had been named European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year. Normand said more than 27 000 orders for the Leaf had been received worldwide, and Nissan believed it would sell more than 50 000 units by the end of this year.

AutoForum - July 2011

NEWS FORUM

Rapid parts delivery programme

P

eugeot recently released a statement to the press regarding their new Gauteng parts delivery system, which sees dealers in the province receiving four parts deliveries a day, and promises improved servicing turnaround.

The programme is a collaboration between the automaker and UTI Distribution, and as the former explains, is a result of the improved efficiencies in the company’s Linbro Park parts warehouse. The warehouse houses an estimated R35-million worth of parts and boasts a totally integrated storage, identification and picking system based on bestpractices from France. The latter allows for rapid retrieval of parts.

Dealers are required to adhere to strict cut-off times, and orders received by the warehouse by 4 pm are delivered to a locked ‘drop-box’ at the dealership and guaranteed to be ready and waiting when the workshop opens. If the order is placed after 4 pm, it will be processed and delivered by 10 am the next day. Overnight delivery to anywhere in South Africa means that it’s not only Gautengers that benefit, with a guaranteed turnaround time of no more than 24 hours from when the order was placed.

According to Peugeot Citroën SA Parts Manager, Peter Devereux: “If a part isn’t in stock locally, we can have it at the dealership between five and seven working days after ordering it from France. We can also track it day-by-day from the moment our order is placed - this is especially relevant when it comes to the less common maintenance items and also body repair parts destined for our network of approved panel shops.”

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AutoForum - July 2011

NEWS FORUM

E-Tolling Update

A

final decision on e-tolling by the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) is only likely to be taken by Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele by the end of July.

The Department of Transport has indicated that there will be another round of consultation with stakeholders after the report of the GFIP steering committee has been submitted to Ndebele before a final decision on the e-tolling of the GFIP was made. The debate about etolling has intensified despite the appointment of the steering committee.

The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has also been fighting a court battle since December to prevent a temporary High Court interdict from derailing its e-tolling plans. This follows a judgment and temporary interdict granted in the North Gauteng High Court in February to HMKL 3 Investments, part of the New Africa Developments group, stopping Sanral and Trencon Construction from continuing with the construction on a toll gantry in Centurion. HMKL 3 owns a property on which it has erected signage and billboards that will be obscured by the toll gantry.

Judge Bert Bam found that the declaration of section 21 of the N1 as a toll road was irregular and should be set aside because Sanral had failed to comply with Section 27(4) of the SA National Road Agency Limited and National Roads Act. Bam said in terms of this provision of this Act, Sanral had to notify and invite interested parties to make comments or representations on the planned declaration of this section of the N1 as a toll road.

He also found Sanral’s failure to comply with the National Environmental Management Act

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- Roy Cokayne

(Nema) regarding the impact of the toll gantry on the environment was “clearly a non compliance with a material issue and requirement of natural justice which amounts to an irregularity”.

Sanral in April unsuccessfully applied to the North Gauteng High Court for permission to appeal the judgment and temporary interdict at the Supreme Court of Appeal or a full bench of the North Gauteng High Court was on the grounds the court erred in law and/or in fact in one or more respects. It has now petitioned the Supreme Court of Appeal directly for permission to appeal the entire judgment and temporary interdict granted.

Several entities, including Avis and the SA Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (Savrala), the representative body for the car rental and vehicle leasing industry, have in the meantime continued the public debate over the e-tolling by publicly criticising it.

Avis claimed the “spin doctors” had cleverly diverted attention away from the need for etolling itself to the price per kilometre. Savrala expressed “grave concern” about the open road tolling (ORT) administration costs and questioned how the tender evaluation process for ORT could have reconciled and justified such a wide tender price range when determining the successful bidder. In its detailed submissions to the ORT Steering Committee, Savrala highlighted the vast variance in tender pricing between successful tenderer ETC’s R6.22bn and Areya’s R15.29bn tender.

Linda Kotze, Savrala’s President, said at 66c a kilometre before the toll rates were suspended, Savrala estimated an average car rental

customer may have to pay an extra R32 a day in tolls, representing 10% of the average car rental daily rate. Leasing customers could also expect an increase of up to 33% in their cents a kilometre costs, she said.

Kotza said Savrala maintained its position that the billions earmarked to be spent on the administration costs of ORT could be avoided altogether by using the national fuel levy, which was currently collected at the fuel pump without any need for further intervention.

Wayne Duvenage, CE of Avis Rent a Car, echoed this view, stressing the simplest and least expensive way to fund commuter road infrastructure upgrading was to do this via the fuel levy and this was how the country’s roads and upgrades were funded in the past. Duvenage said Avis did not dispute the need for the long overdue GFIP, but needed answers about the decision to adopt the proposed e-tolling funding mechanism and transparency about the motives

and rationale for the proposed e-tolling system.

Project Manager of the GFIP, Alex van Niekerk, countered criticism about the cost of collecting toll fees by stressing it was below the international benchmark of 20%. However, he conceded Sanral did not yet have the operational costs of the e-tolling system on the GFIP because it had not started operating yet.

Van Niekerk said Sanral would fully support a super transport regulator because the debate taking place now over e-tolling could have been prevented, but was adamant Sanral had followed the correct process in 2007 and 2008 for the GFIP before construction started. He continued Sanral was paying ETC, the e-tolling operator, for a service that was priced in direct relation to the cost of providing that service and not a flat fee.

Van Niekerk added that market research indicated consumers were not against

the user pay principle, but the issue was how much they had to pay. He stressed Sanral did not make government policy and the dedicated fuel levy for road infrastructure was abolished in 1986.

There was already a R7 billion deficit in 2009/10, even with the funds raised from the fuel levy and government allocation to road infrastructure.

According to van Niekerk, the mediumterm budget estimates showed that this shortfall would increase, and that there was an estimated R149bn road infrastructure backlog which would take about eight years to address, and cost an additional R1.80 a litre to cover using the fuel levy. If Sanral relied only on budget allocations for “big ticket projects” it would have to execute projects over 15 years and could never be able to catch up on the backlog. Van Niekerk added that it was irresponsible for Sanral to blame a lack of funding as the reason for only “maintaining” the roads as opposed to “improving” them.

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AutoForum - July 2011

NEWS FORUM

50 years of safety innovations - and now?

I

n a recent presentation entitled ‘50 years of progress: Where do we go from here?’ which was presented at the Edmunds’ Safety Conference in Washington recently, the President of the US safety organisation IIHS, Adrian Lund, raised some key issues related to how governments can assist automakers to reduce road accidents.

He started by highlighting some of the safety developments over the past fifty years, such as the establishment in 1967 of the Congress of the National Highway Safety Bureau in the US and its issuing of the first federal motor vehicle safety standards, safety belt use from the mid 1980s and improved roads. “Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that changes in vehicle design for occupant protection in crashes and the integration of new safety equipment have been key (in protecting drivers and passengers).” These include energy-absorbing steering columns, fuel tank integrity requirements, airbags, side impact protection and

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the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) making comparative safety test information available to the public, which in 1978 was a world first.

According to Lund, much of the crashworthiness improvement has been accomplished through new technology and understanding of vehicle structure, and the focus now is largely on how technological improvements can also help with crash avoidance. Electronic controls and sensors, forward collision warning, lanekeeping and side-view assist, turn-by-turn navigation, and adaptive headlamps are all currently available and much work is going into vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, to name but a few.

He cautioned, however, that it is key we remember that not all of this technology will perform in the real world as it appears to work in the lab. “Translating lab results to the field will not be as easy for crash avoidance as

running crashes in cities using cameras to enforce the law.”

predict how drivers will respond to new technology that changes how they operate their vehicles.”

for crashworthiness. Why? Essentially because technology that reduces the likelihood of crashing often affects the driving task, and anything that changes the driving task risks changing driver behaviour as well. Put differently: once a crash starts, the injury outcomes are straightforward outcomes of physics and biology. Preventing a crash introduces a third, much less determined factor — psychology.”

He cited the example of the introduction of antilock brake systems in the 1980s.

IIHS and other organisations had test track results demonstrating the clear superiority of this technology in emergency obstacle avoidance and braking in slippery conditions, but real-world studies of insurance claims and fatal crashes found no benefit of antilocks in lower crash frequencies. “This is a conundrum still unresolved, though many proffered explanations involve driver reactions. My own guess is that all the explanations have some truth, and this simply demonstrates how difficult it is to

Lund concluded: “Finally, we need to recognise that, promising as the new crash avoidance technology is, a crashfree environment is not on the horizon.

Even in frontal crashes, where we have made the most progress, many people still are dying and we need to address the tree, pole, truck, and small overlap crashes that are killing them. The primary problem for safety professionals in road cashes is the transfer of mechanical energy to or from occupants at rates that exceed their injury thresholds. Until cars do not crash, we need to reduce the rates of energy change.”

Lund highlighted the contribution of low-tech and past-tech in improving safety, such as strategies that emphasise road improvements, enforcement of traffic laws, and crashworthiness.

He also identified traffic circles as one of the more basic but key changes to driving behaviour. “If just 10% of US intersections with traffic signals were converted to roundabouts, we would prevent 70 000 crashes annually, 450 of them fatal. At the same time, we would reduce vehicle delays and fuel consumption,” he said, quoting figures from a Bergh et al study in 2005.

“For signalised intersections that cannot be converted, we need to improve compliance with the signals. One proven method is the use of camera enforcement. In a recent IIHS report, we observed a 24% reduction in fatal red light

The old saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same” seems to apply to road safety too. It’s the good old basics that really work in reducing fatalities and injuries – enforcing the rules of the road is the most consistent safety ‘technology’ to date.

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NEWS FORUM

AutoForum - July 2011

Motor industry capex boost

C

apital expenditure by the motor manufacturing industry and job creation is set to receive a massive boost from the Automotive Incentive Scheme (AIS) within the new Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP). Automotive component manufacturers will also be among the beneficiaries of the scheme.

Capital expenditure by OEMs is projected to increase to R4.45bn this year from R3.99bn in 2010 and R2.47bn in 2009, according to the latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) quarterly review of business conditions in the motor manufacturing sector.

However, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said during his recent budget vote that the finalisation of the AIS had led directly to planned investments of R13bn by automotive assemblers

- Roy Cokayne

and component supplier companies, which would support 24 000 jobs.

Davies said a feature of these investments was a significant expansion in local component sourcing by OEMs, which was significant because most of the job creation in the automotive sector would emerge from smaller companies producing components. Of the R13bn, R4bn of the investments are by component manufacturers and the balance by vehicle assemblers and involve virtually all the locally-based motor manufacturers.

Roger Pitot, Executive Director of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam), was aware of 69 applications by Naacam’s members for AIS incentives - but said the value of these applications was significantly lower than the R4bn reported by the Department.

Pitot said investments by component manufacturers were related to new models to be produced locally by Volkswagen, BMW, Ford and Mercedes-Benz.

Deloitte has identified R13.61bn in investment announcements in the past about two years by OEMs. These include R3.3bn by Volkswagen in 2009; R3bn by Ford in April 2010; R2.2bn by BMW in October 2009; R2bn by Daimler/Mercedes-Benz in December 2010; R1bn by General Motors in October 2010; R1bn by Renault in June 2009; a further R0.75bn by Volkswagen in June 2010; and R0.36bn by Toyota in February this year.

Naamsa’s quarterly review revealed that total industry employment improved by 0.2% or 51 jobs during the first quarter of this year, to 28 179 jobs from the 28 128 positions in the industry in the previous quarter.

Continued on page 20

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AutoForum - July 2011

NEWS FORUM

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Nico Vermeulen, Naamsa’s Executive Director, said the Department of Trade and Industry’s investment figures and those in Naamsa’s quarterly review were not strictly comparable. Vermeulen explained that Naamsa’s capital expenditure figures were for a single year and included investment that was not necessarily related to the APDP, and also some investments planned by truck original equipment manufacturers - while the Department’s figures were for a three-year period.

According to Duane Newman, a partner at Deloitte, his analysis of announced OEM investment over the past few years indicated investments totalling R13.6bn were planned and the announced investment figure of R9bn “sounds reasonable”.

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Newman said the budgeted expenditure for the APDP in the medium term expenditure estimate was R3bn over three years, comprising R916m in 2011/12, R1bn in 2012/13 and R1.08bn in 2013/14.

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The investment incentive in terms of the AIS is 20% and tied to certain performance criteria, including volume growth, employment growth, new technology and localisation, with an additional incentive of 10% tied to performance.

Newman continued that most OEMs would struggle to get the 30% incentive, and the R3bn budgeted for incentives over three years at 20%, amounted to R15bn in investment. He stressed this was not the only support given to the motor industry, adding that revenue the state foregoes in the form of customs duties in terms of the MIDP peaked at R16bn in 2007/08 and totalled R12bn in 2008/09.

This MIDP incentive was based on exports, while the focus in the APDP shifts from exports towards production, with a minimum annual production threshold of 50 000 units is one of the major qualifying criteria for incentives.

Newman said the effective tax rebates for the APDP were effectively the same as the MIDP, but the calculation mechanism was different.

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NEWS AFRICA

Body repair insight

AutoForum - July 2011

NEWS AFRICA

In association with BodyShop News Asia and Australian BodyShop News

Contents 23

PaintExpo 2012

24

AER-O-NEWS

Glasurit launches 25 updated easy-to-use site

28

New Colour Trend Report

PAGE 22

AutoForum - July 2011

PaintExpo 2012

T

BODYSHOP

he 4th PaintExpo will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany from 17 to 20 April 2012, and according to its organisers, the next show is expected to grow dramatically from the last event. Already the exhibitor list includes more than 180 companies from 13 countries, which Jürgen Haußmann of the organising company FairFair, attributes partly to the extensive investment requirements for companies with in-house painting facilities.

This in turn has been triggered by ever stricter requirements regarding efficiency, quality, flexibility and environmental protection, as well as by new materials and material combinations. He also believes that the fact that Paint Expo has gained a reputation for being a key information and procurement platform for users, due to the fact that it presents the world’s most comprehensive offerings ranging from pre-treatment right on up to final inspection.

The event exhibition offerings include systems and equipment for liquid painting, powder coating and coil coating, application systems and spray guns, liquid paints and powdered enamels, as well as automation and conveyor technology. Cleaning and pre-treatment, as well as drying and curing, environmental technology, compressed air supply and exhaust purification, water treatment, recycling and disposal, and many more will also be covered.

And if that was not enough, downstream process steps such as printing and packaging will be dealt with as well.

For more information visit the website www.paintexpo.de.

PAGE 23

BODYSHOP NEWS

AER-O-NEWS chased a repair rozzeria Viglietti, recently pur Ivano (Ivo) Sega, CEO of Car ich he then wh ate Longmeadow Business Est shop at 7 Friesland Drive, pletely com re Lenaerts, MD of Aer-O-Cu - in collaboration with Walter tre. cen air chmark Ferrari collision rep upgraded, to create a ben igned to panel shop is custom des This state of the art paint and ncy and ce, in terms of work efficie maximise the available spa h the preparation air systems are aligned wit production flow. Two jig rep h underfloor -O-Prep bays complete wit area, which consists of 5 Aer floor lifts. er a-red driers, as well as und extraction and overhead infr er h dry and tank, installed a compressor wit Aer-O-Cure supplied and droppers. complete with airlines and

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plete Aerair bay incorporates a com The special aluminium rep ractor. h roller doors and fume ext O-Cure aluminium booth wit ation bin -O-Cure drive-through com In addition, there are 2 Aer ne our one is a complete Waterb spraybooth ovens, of which aybooths spr paint mixing room. These spraybooth, with integrated ions. cat et the Ferrari factory specifi and the mixing centre all me and its well considered design This turnkey project, with the Italian of nts me uire req ing and layout incorporating the dem for the ed diesel fuel storage facility Marque and custom design st late of that when it comes to the spraybooths, is further pro the t, visi a market leader. On a recent innovation, Aer-O-Cure is sed and res imp representative was deeply Ferrari Group international there is air, rep e to Ferrari and Maserati commented that when it cam in the world. nothing better anywhere else

Waterbourne and standa Aer-O-Cur rd combina e sprayboo tion grated Aer ovens -O-Mix path inteint mixingwith room

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A well designed layout for an efficient repair shop

Aluminium

PAGE 24

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Glasurit recently revamped its international website, making it more user-friendly. The new site boasts more inclusive information, together with a more attractive design and makes it easier for users seeking country specific product knowledge.

The company believes that the comprehensive drop down menus across the top of the screen will not only save users time, but will allow them easy access to whatever information or assistance they require. These include product systems, colour tools, consultancy services and training centres. There is also a dedicated mixing formula search area which directs users to Color Online, the Glasurit colour database. Local web surfers will find their own SA specific page. Visit www.glasurit.com to see it for yourself.

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BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - July 2011

New Colour Trend Report

B

ASF Coatings’ international design team recently presented its global trend report, which comprises the most sought after hues of the future from colour experts based in Asia, North America and Europe.

So what colours will dominate our – or more likely European - roads in the future and on what social changes will they be based? With the environment top of mind for many, these days luxury and ecology are no longer perceived as mutually exclusive concepts. In line with this, the forecasters expect that in Europe the trend toward browns (already 6% of all new car registration in Germany last year) will continue with earth tones reflecting the new ecological

awareness. This new “green luxury” also means subtle or very reduced sparkle, and is also embodied by the colours indigo, mint or broken white.

New colours such as LED blue, brilliant turquoise, sparkling black or bright red, combined with matt finishes represent the second trend which is all about blending technology and humanity.

The third trend towards individualism is expected to be expressed in colours that are new or unique such as beige and greige (a mixture of grey and beige favoured by nail salons at the moment), and also apricot and rosé tones, various shades of gold and even reddish gold.

The fourth trend regards cultural diversity and is embodied in various browns with subtle effects that according to the forecasters “conjure up home and one’s own roots”. The experts also see this trend moving toward exotic, bold and brilliant colours such as yellow, violet and emerald. The amalgamation of familiar and novel effects is especially apparent among the new lilacs, which are immersed in a colourless, familiar grey.

Whether South Africans will follow these trends or not will remain to be seen, but perhaps we should expect a lot of brown German-made cars in the next few years.

ASF Colour Designer Corinna Sy and Mark Gutjahr

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PAGE 28

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“Green luxury” is not an oxymoron. Ecological thinking and action is recognised and widely accepted. This type of connection can also be observed among the colours of this trend world in Europe.

Cultural diversity is also accompanied by a new type of colour.

The colours that stand for something new or unique – colours people talk about together and that didn’t exist in this manner previously.

The colours in this trend world have a very artificial effect. On the other hand, they are also derived from humans.

Would you allow a mere fingerprint to ruin your reputation?

As the cost of vehicles rise, so does the customer’s expectations for service cleanliness. Increased technology has resulted in lowered general understanding of the mechanics of the vehicle and a trend to judge the service levels on superficial things such as cleanliness and speed of turnaround. Customer Satisfaction Index’s (C.S.I.) are often negatively influenced by mere fingerprints, which could have been eliminated for less than the price of a cheap cup of coffee!

Non Slip disposable seat-covers, floor mats and steering wheel covers, when placed in the vehicle as the customer drops off their vehicle for servicing and removed at the completion of service delivery, will enhance the customer’s perception of a professional service and prevent those

unnecessary soils that are still the biggest complaint in the service department. Clean-up costs for seat service soils average R500 – the impact on your reputation and customer satisfaction is, however, 10 times that amount.

Another thing to bear in mind is an average service centre services 7 500 cars per year. That is 7 500 opportunities to impress a customer and make a sale. If it is a positive experience, they will be back, and what’s more they will be happy to tell their friends and family about your great service.

According to Lexus statistics in the US, an LS430 customer who purchases from Lexus for the rest of their life expectancy will spend between

R5-R6 million. Wouldn’t it be worth hanging onto that person at all costs?

Have you considered using the floor mats in your workshop as a potential marketing tool? These mats are aptly called “Cash Mats” as they offer a unique tear-off voucher or coupon, which can be given to customers for the purpose of marketing value-added incentives, such as a test drive of the latest model, new accessories or a discount at a local restaurant.

These disposable paper floor mats can be branded in full colour with your company logo, marketing slogan or even pictures of the latest in your range of vehicles. For more information, please contact Mike Pollock.

Tel: 0860 10 13 17, E-mail: mike@motormerchandise.co.za or visit our Website: www.motormerchandise.co.za This series of technical articles is supplied by Motor Merchandise.

PAGE 29

AutoForum - July 2011

PAGE 30

Business Forum

AutoForum - July 2011

Business insight

Supercharge your supply chain by getting back to basics

T

he supply chain is the arrowhead of a business, as it determines the service experience for customers - be they internal or external. Production and procurement need to align to customer demand while optimising inventory, and achieving a balance between supply and demand is ultimately what supply chain management is all about.

Companies look to SAP to help achieve this balance through its integrated supply chain functionality. However, when they do not receive the expected benefits, experience shows that they tend to focus on expensive tinkering with the software itself. In fact, throwing more technology at an underperforming SAPbased supply chain is counter-productive: a closer look will reveal that human error predominates.

One common challenge concerns the mundane housekeeping that needs to be undertaken to maintain the integrity of transactional data inside SAP— checking on overdue purchase orders and sales orders and so on. Data integrity can also be adversely affected by inaccurate master data that was not validated prior to being transferred from the legacy system into SAP. Such lapses detract from SAP’s ability to do its work, and result in incorrect or late proposals and thus a distrust of SAP on the part of users. From their perspective, the system “doesn’t work”. The fact is, it is working, but according to incorrect demand and supply signals from errant transactional data, within a framework of incorrect parameters defined in master data or business rules. In short, human rather than system error.

Another typical challenge relates to user complaints of system inflexibility. Frequently, however, this actually means that the user has simply not been

PAGE 32

adequately educated about the value of adhering to the business processes that have been built into the system.

In such cases, the user sees “flexibility” as the ability to make the system conform to “my” way of doing things rather than adapt to the new way of doing business.

Frustrated users tend to take their data out of the SAP system and onto spreadsheets that seem to be more accurate and controllable. By doing this, the system and all its users—except for the owner of the spreadsheet—lose visibility of the supply chain. This loss of visibility leads either to overstocking or poor customer service. In fact, these uneducated users are effectively using SAP as a transactional tool, and do their real planning and controlling of the procurement processes offline, in their own silos. This compounds the problem by robbing the system of yet more data.

The end result: parallel systems, with SAP used as a very expensive datacapture tool, while the real work gets done in other programmes.

Getting the basics right It’s clear now that fixing the problems does not require new technologies or expensive add-ons. It’s simply a matter of going back to the beginning to implement good housekeeping processes and fix the master data.

The people who are using the system incorrectly need to be identified and educated about the benefits of using standard SAP supply chain and inventory management tools. If this understanding is successfully established, the benefits will be immediate and far-reaching.

Once all the supply chain data is healthy and accurate, and remains in SAP, the transactional side of things will work, providing all supply chain role-players

with real-time and accurate visibility.

Now the software’s intrinsic strength, flexibility and standard functionality can be used to identify bottlenecks and other improvement opportunities across the entire supply chain. This visibility enables you constantly to refine that allimportant balance between the supply of goods and customer demand.

Ongoing Value Optimisation, or oVo, is a methodology that guides companies through this process of getting back to the basics in order to realise the benefits of their existing investments in SAP. Using this methodology, one would expect to reduce supply chain bottlenecks by 60%, with 90% not being uncommon. Average inventory holdings can also be reduced by between 10% and a whopping 50%—while improving customer service by at least 20% to 30%.

Improvements like these are achievable simply by using the standard SAP toolset. Far too many users insist on continuing to do things as they have always been done, and thus have to distort the SAP system to make it do what it was not designed to do. And in so doing, they lose sight of the beauty and simplicity built into the programme.

The benefit of using SAP properly is bountiful—and it will be unleashed by going back to the basics!

Steven Freemantle is a partner at Reveal South Africa, a consultancy that uses its “Ongoing Value Optimisation” (oVo) methodology to help clients gain the desired benefits from their existing SAP investments.

Photo courtesy of Pascal Maresch

- Steven Freemantle

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AutoForum - July 2011

Why you need an OHS plan

I

- Paul Fail

management motives or, the most inane s there ever a time when we can, in of all reasons, peer pressure. all conscience, stand by and watch a work mate continue to work irresponMost disturbing of all is the fact that the sibly, placing themselves or others at cost of some of this negligent behaviour risk? Is it reasonable for a company won’t be experienced until toward the principal to allow or direct an employee end of a working life, when good health to work without adequate instruction or is harder and more equipment? Is it sensible Once, safety was expensive to place yourself in atdeemed to be to maintain. risk situations by choosthe individual’s ing to ignore warnings or responsibility.

The issue of occupabecause you are uninNot anymore. tional health and safety formed about hazards? is a legal phenomenon, but despite The answer to these is clearly ‘no’. Octhis for some employers it is seen as cupational health and safety as defined little more than a by the Occupational Health and Safety nuisance: “Didn’t Act, is everyone’s responsibility. need that rubbish when I was The hazards of employment have been an apprentice!” understood for more than a century.

However, the ‘Dusted lungs’ in coalminers was common in the early years of the 1900s. Me- business owner sothelioma and asbestosis were already presenting this view expects to identified as workplace hazards in the drive a motor car middle of the last century, but their full far safer than the effects are just being felt some 50 years later. Tinnitus, a debilitating though non- one he drove in the 60s. He exlife threatening disease, is common in pects his equipworkers from heavy industry and other ment to be more high noise level industries. Back injuries efficient and continue to be a problem across any insafer. He is more dustry that requires heavy lifting. Buildlikely to believe a ers are still killed or seriously injured string of accithrough falls. What do these have to do dents, seriously impacting his insurance with body shops and repairers? All of premiums, to be the fault of careless them are common in the motor vehicle and negligent employees rather than repair industry – carcinogenic dust, deficiencies in his body shop operation toxic chemicals, noise, heavy lifting and and his failure to exercise duty of care. fall-inducing situations.

What he is ignoring is that the law now places the responsibility for a safe work Once, safety was deemed to be the environment on his shoulders. individual’s responsibility. Not anymore.

Too often it has been discovered that But it’s not all doom and gloom. The employees were inadequately trained, owner may also be missing out on equipped or supervised to carry out their work tasks and employers became significant benefits to the business which could be gained by being more legally responsible for the training, proactive with health and safety factors safety and welfare of their employees. around the body shop. Direct benefits But it is a two way street. We all have include reduced insurance premiums, examples of employees who decide to reduced litigation costs, reduced sick take risks – foregoing hearing protecpay costs, improved production and tion, goggles, gloves, breathing apparaproductivity rates, lower accident costs tus, unnecessarily lifting heavy objects and production delays, as well as simply because it is inconvenient to reduced product and material damget the right equipment, mistrust of age. Indirect benefits include reduced

PAGE 36

absenteeism, reduced staff turnover, better quality of work delivered to customers, improved corporate image, improved chances of winning contracts and improved job satisfaction and morale.

Where does a company principal (owner, partner, manager) start to come to grips with the responsibilities? Information is a good starting point.

Training and workplace auditing services are readily available for management and staff through relevant authorities

and trades associations. These services are run as workshops and seminars that guide companies and their staff through the process of compliance. Manufacturers also often provide data sheets or training sessions on safe handling of their products and it’s a good idea to regularly send staff on such training.

While it may cost the business upfront to implement - the benefits outlined above will accrue.

Once acquainted with the requirements the responsible principal will want to put in place programmes to establish safe working practices within the organisation and communicate the OHS Act so that employees understand that safe working is a company priority.

So, are you ready to get underway with your OHS programme?

Paul Fail in part of the Australian BodyShop News Editorial team.

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PAGE 37

AutoForum - July 2011

How to comply with the OHS Act - John Hempel

T

he Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Regulations apply to all employers, irrespective of the number of employees, as the employer is responsible (and therefore liable) for the health and safety of all employees, contractors, visitors, customers and the general public who can be affected by the activities of the business.

In a typical business environment, there are specific sections and regulations that must be complied with, as a noncompliance carries a fine and a jail term, with the maximum being R1000000 and/or two years. It is also essential to bear in mind that all companies must also be registered and in good standing with the Compensation Fund or Licensed Compensation Insurer (FEMA).

As part of the Act, employers are compelled to identify all hazards and risks, and take steps to make the working environment safe. For members of the motor industry, it is a difficult task indeed to ensure that not only are the employees safe from harm, but also that any customer who has to climb up a step or walk on slippery tiles, is not injured while on the employer’s premises.

This also includes waste generated by the chemicals that are used on site. All waste must be disposed of correctly, with proper disposal certificates issued to prove that the disposal process complies with the stringent Environmental Management Act Regulations. Furthermore, an employer may not use the services of a contractor, if that contractor is not registered with the Compensation Fund, and cannot prove that he/she has paid his/her assessment for the year by submitting a letter of good standing.

The following template is the basic requirements that need to be complied with, in order to ensure that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure the Health and Safety of all persons who may be affected by the tasks, processes and operations of a business.

PAGE 38

REQUIRED PROOF OF COMPLIANCE

YES

NO

1

Health and Safety policy signed by CEO and displayed in prominent areas

2

Risk Assessment (Current Hazard Identification/Risk Assessment: HIRA)

3

Safe Work Procedures for all tasks where injuries/diseases could occur

4

Record of basic safety training/Safety Induction

5

Nominated, elected, trained, Safety representatives (where more than 20 staff)

6

Quarterly Health and Safety meeting minutes

7

Accident reporting and injury reporting records

8

Independent and Sub contractors agreements and Letters of good standing

9

Personal Protective Equipment register

10

Trained and certificated First Aider and fully stocked First Aid boxes

11

Facilities for storage of flammable liquids

12

Ventilation surveys (Spray painting etc)

13

Hot work permits for welding, gas cutting, etc.

14

Ladder Inspection register

15

Emergency escape plan and procedure

16

Lockers for staff

17

Proper toilet and hand washing facilities

18

Dining rooms (Specifications)

19

Material Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals used

20

Medical surveillance records for Table 1, 2, or 3 chemicals (Blood, Lungs, Urine)

21

Noise surveys where noise may be higher than 85 Decibels (Angle grinding etc.)

22

Medical surveillance records (Audiogram test results for noise exposure.)

23

Fire Extinguisher annual service records

24

Lifting equipment (hoists, forklifts, cranes) service records

25

Lifting tackle (chains, hooks slings) inspection records

26

Lifting equipment operator training records

27

Gas cutting equipment register (Quarterly inspections)

28

Electrical Certificate of compliance

29

Portable Electrical tools register (Quarterly inspections.)

30

Annual Earth Leakage register

31

Electrical circuit breaker labelling

32

Company vehicle register (Daily/weekly)

33

Confined space work permits

34

Roof work permits

35

Compressor and Pressure Equipment register

36

Legal appointments in terms of Section 16

37

Electrical lockout register

38

SANS (Ex SABS) code signage

39

Environmental disposal procedures

40

Environmental disposal certificates

A good idea is to complete the above template as a self assessment, to gauge where your business currently stands.

Another way to check that you are in line with all regulations is to arrange for a baseline audit undertaken at your premises. Reputable organisations specialising in assisting businesses comply will be able to audit your operation and offer possible solutions on where to

improve your processes. They will also issue Health and Safety Legal Compliance Certification, which can be used for ISO 9000 series Certification, and for various Manufacturers requirements for Approvals Certificates, but most importantly, to help protect everyone from any injury or disease or environmental pollution.

John Hempel is a Director of Compliance South Africa (Pty) Ltd, and has worked extensively within the Manufacturing and Motor industries. He has been instrumental in the start up of the SEIFSA Health and Safety division and RMI4OHS Joint Venture, which was launched with the core focus of assisting companies to comply with legislation. His company is accredited with the HWSETA.

PAGE 39

AutoForum - July 2011

Automotive skills driven by investment in industry and youth - Michael Rohde

T

is compounded by the fact that too he South African economy has abmany individuals are not well enough sorbed over 1.5 million* additional equipped with the necessary experiworkers over the period between 2003 ence to fulfil today’s tough and deand 2011. However, even with this inmanding work requirements. crease in workers available, recent statistics*2 show that 14% of The Hyundai The automotive market local employers are findAcademy training is no different. However, ing it difficult to fill critiprogramme aims the key challenge of this cal positions within their to boost the auto sector is that there is not organisations. It also inindustry via only a lack of training, exdicates that soft skills technical skills and perience, and generated such as values or the right key competency interest in the industry personality fit - were not development at - but too many obstacles fundamental to gaining youth level exist for interested youngemployment, but rather sters when they look to gain training ‘hard skills’ or work experience are the and enhanced education in this sector, prerequisites for placement. When we especially when they approach OEMs examine these figures, it becomes evi(original equipment manufacturers) dident that there is not only a lack of prorectly. This aside, there is still an interest fessional skills locally, but this problem

PAGE 40

in technical jobs within the automotive market and as such, the industry has to start nurturing this interest by actively contributing to the development of skills, and offering youth the opportunity to gain the required experience.

In line with this, Hyundai South Africa is launching the extension of its schools training programme, which has been running successful in Gauteng for the past five years. This year will see Hyundai South Africa work with their 85 dealers around the country to support technical training colleges in different regions around the country, through an ‘Adopt a School’ initiative. The ‘Adopt a School’ programme will see relevant Hyundai dealers around the country ‘adopting’ a Technical School/College in

Michael Rohde is the Aftersales and Service Director at Hyundai Automotive South Africa

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l Rohd

Michae

their immediate area to roll-out the Hyundai Academy training programme. The latter is focused on delivering the latest trends, technology and processes to technical students around the automotive sector. All training materials and required automotive parts, such as engines, transmissions and components, will be provided at no cost to each school by the company head office. At the same time, each dealer will be proactively monitored to ensure the highest levels of information and support is given to the students at each school – allowing Hyundai to deliver strong technical training for relevant schools nationally.

The aim of this programme is to provide the automotive industry with what is most needed – the development of technical skills and key competencies. In maintaining the highest levels of technical education for the motoring sector at ground level, programmes like this will not only promote skills development, but also assist in stimulating market entrant interest in the industry.

This programme, however, also focuses on offering the yearly top five students of the respective schools the opportunity to join Hyundai full time - as an apprentice technician or in a nontechnical position such as service advisors or administration. In fact, to date, the company has already offered full time employment to 25 students as apprentice technicians at its dealers around Johannesburg.

It is our belief as an organisation that it is only through programmes such as ‘Adopt a School’ that the automotive sector can make a distinct difference to the skills development and employment opportunities for individuals. Without this type of approach, locally, the automotive market runs the risk of losing much needed stimulus and market interest from the youth, which will in turn stagger development and innovation in this vital sector. Surely this should be a cause for concern – as the automotive sector has always been a strong contributor to the SA economy, and needs to remain so – through investment in the youth.

In an industry that is in desperate need of skilled individuals there is no doubt that the time for corporate education and skills development is now! * http://www.eighty20.co.za/blog/2011/06/building-jobs * 2 http://www.polity.org.za/article/14-of-sa-employers-struggling-to-fillkey-positions-survey-2011-05-23

AutoForum - July 2011

Building customer relationships

C

ustomer service is a culture that begins and ends with everyone in your company. However, delivering excellent service is sometimes not enough. Customers have many choices and will exercise their freedom to choose over the smallest of things. The key to winning customer loyalty is to pay particular attention as to how you speak the words you speak. Everything you say must come from the heart – which is very hard indeed – and there are plenty of retailers and suppliers that I have met over the years who do not seem to have a heart in the first place!

The Often Neglected Telephone Manner It is not only what you say, it’s how you say it. In fact, as much as 84% of influence over the telephone is attributed not to what you say, but instead how you sound. Ask yourself these ‘honesty questions’: How do you sound?

How about your colleagues? Do you sound professional? Sincere? Credible?

Trustworthy? Do you sound like you truly care about the customer you are serving, or are you just going through the motions?

A good idea is to have a standard greeting, which everyone uses. “Thank you for calling ABC today” or “Hello, my name is Graham, how can I help you?” This is a well-intentioned greeting designed to create a positive first impression. But be warned - if the sincerity and enthusiasm are not there, it can have the reverse effect. It can leave the customer with the impression that the person does not really enjoy their work, and no one wants to deal with those who dislike what they do. In fact, trust takes a nosedive in the absence of genuine enthusiasm. This is just as important when dealing with a customer face to face.

Words are important While it is impossible to list all the good things to say, there are definitely things we should NOT say. Here is a list of what I call - The Most Damaging Phrases to say to a customer over the phone (or in person):

PAGE 42

• “I’m sorry, what was your name again?” This implies that either we forgot the customer’s name, or we never bothered to get it in the first place. If we do not obtain and remember the customer’s name, we are missing one of the key elements in creating rapport. Write down names. This means, of course, that you should always have pen and paper either on you, or next to every phone in the business.

• “I’ll get to it as soon as possible.”

Whilst this may be an accurate statement, it’s not a good thing to tell a customer for one simple reason: it doesn’t answer their question of when. It is too vague, rather like our own homegrown phrase ‘Just now’.

Does that mean within minutes, hours, or days? It is much better to say something quantifiable like: “I’ll get to it within the hour.” Be sure then to keep your word. It is better to under-promise and over-deliver, than to over-promise and under-deliver.

• “It wasn’t our fault.” This is a classic cover your (you-know-what) line.

The truth is the customer doesn’t care who is at fault. It is much more persuasive to say: “I’m sorry that happened, let’s find a solution.”

- Graham Bush

worst nightmare is for customers to stop bugging you. Customers are the reason you exist. Never, ever forget that.

• “Please hold.” Whenever you must place a customer on hold, always give them a hold time, and choice.

It’s OK to say: “I need to put you on hold for two minutes, can you hold or shall I call you back?” If the customer agrees to hold, you have their permission to be gone for two minutes, but no more. If after two minutes you still don’t have an answer, pick the phone back up and let them know. Customers will be forgiving if they know you care about them.

• “I’m sorry, that’s not my job.”

This is one of the most common, yet the absolute worst thing to say.

If it’s a customer issue, it’s YOUR job! Customer service is everyone’s responsibility.

Simply avoiding these phrases will not guarantee solid customer relationships, but their use will guarantee bad ones.

The process of earning customers’ loyalty is never ending.

• “You’ll have to call back later.”

Never put the responsibility of action on the customer. If you are not willing to go the extra mile for your customer, someone else will.

• “Sorry, that is our company policy.” Policy can be a good thing.

It assures that everyone is playing by the same rules, but too often it is misused and becomes the easy out.

Instead of hiding behind company policy, take the extra minute to explain the logic behind the policy.

• “I could get a lot more work done if customers would stop bugging me.” I actually heard this once while I was buying furniture. I almost stopped to tell that person how ridiculous their comment was. Your Graham Bush is one of Southern Africa’s leading retail gurus, and over the past 30 years has inspired thousands of businesspeople. He has a relaxed style, and along with his humour delivers powerful and motivational talks and presentations. www.thebushkitchen.co.za

IN G

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Financing for services, repairs, service and maintenance plans, extended warranties and Genuine GM Parts and Accessories.

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PAGE 43

AutoForum - July 2011

INNOVATIONS

The latest automotive technology

New flywheel technology cuts consumption by 20%

V

olvo Car Corporation announced recently that it will be one of the world’s first carmakers to test the potential of flywheel technology on public roads. The company received a grant of 6.57 million Swedish kronor from the Swedish Energy Agency for developing next-generation technology for kinetic recovery of braking energy in a joint project together with Volvo Powertrain and SKF. As Derek Crabb, Vice President VCC Powertrain Engineering explains: “Our aim is to develop a complete system for kinetic energy recovery. Tests in a Volvo car will get under way in the second half of 2011. This technology has the potential for reducing fuel consumption by up to 20%. What is more, it gives the driver an extra horsepower boost, giving a four-cylinder engine acceleration like a six-cylinder unit.”

The new system, known as Flywheel KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), is fitted to the rear axle. Braking energy, from when the car slows down, causes the flywheel to spin at up to 60 000 revs per minute. When the car starts moving off again, the flywheel’s rotation is transferred to the rear wheels via a specially designed transmission.

The combustion engine that drives the front wheels is switched off as soon as the braking begins. The energy in the flywheel can be used to accelerate the vehicle when it is time to move off once again, or to power the vehicle once it reaches cruising speed.

“The flywheel’s stored energy is sufficient to power the car for short periods.

However, this has a major impact on fuel consumption. Our calculations indicate that the combustion engine will be able to be turned off about half the time when driving according to the official New European Driving Cycle,” continues Crabb.

And because the flywheel is activated by braking and the duration of the energy storage - the length of time the flywheel spins - is limited, the technology is at its most effective during repeated stop and start driving. What that means is that the fuel savings will be greatest when driving in busy urban traffic as well as during active driving. If the energy in the flywheel is combined with the combustion engine’s full capacity, it will give the car an extra boost of 80 horsepower, and thanks to the swift torque build-up this translates into rapid acceleration, cutting 0 to 100 km/h figures significantly.

Flywheel propulsion assistance systems have been in testing by the automaker since the 1980s, and flywheels made of steel have been evaluated by various manufacturers in recent times. As the latter is large and heavy and has rather limited rotational capacity, this has not been a viable alternative. The system undergoing testing now, however, is made of carbon fibre, and weighs about six kilograms with a diameter of 20 centimetres. The carbon fibre wheel spins in a vacuum to minimise frictional losses.

“We are not the first manufacturer to test flywheel technology. But nobody else has applied it to the rear axle of a car fitted with a combustion engine driving the front wheels. If the tests and technical development go as planned, we expect cars with flywheel technology to reach the showrooms within a few years. The flywheel technology is relatively cheap. It can be used in a much larger volume of our cars than top-of-the-line technology such as the plug-in hybrid. This means that it has potential to play a major role in our CO2-cutting DRIVe Towards Zero strategy.”

Flywheel KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), is fitted to the rear axle. During retardation, the braking energy causes the flywheel to spin at up to 60 000 revs per minute.

When the car starts moving off again, the flywheel’s rotation is transferred to the rear wheels via a specially designed transmission. The fuel consumption is expected to be reduced by 20%. Also horsepowers are boosted and acceleration improved. This is a research project in cooperation with Volvo Powertrain and SKF.

PAGE 44

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INNOVATIONS

AutoForum - July 2011

Stereo camera system At medium distances of 20 to 30 m, the stereo camera can determine the range to the object with an accuracy of between 20 and 30 cm

T

he ContiGuard safety system will soon include a stereo camera, which its makers explain will act as an integral element of the forward-looking braking system. The change is aimed at assisting with the prevention, or reduction, of the seriousness of accidents that involve either pedestrians or other vehicles at intersections. According to Continental, such accidents account for 46.6% of serous injurycausing traffic accidents in its home country, Germany.

The stereo camera, as its name suggests, uses two cameras, and is able to use the difference in the images within one camera shot to detect every type of obstacle - as well as determine their size and the distance from the vehicle.

Its creators claim that this cannot be achieved with as much reliability with mono cameras. The latter also have to be taught to recognise a car or a motorcycle and are limited to only identifying objects that they have learned.

The new stereo camera system comprises two high-resolution CMOS mono cameras, that are housed approximately 20 cm apart, behind the windshield.

Where a mono camera is only able to estimate distances, the stereo camera measures the distance to an object and its height from the road surface. Its analysing electronics then exploit the same effect that gives humans spatial vision – the parallax shift between two

PAGE 46

images. At medium distances of 20 to 30 m, the stereo camera can determine the range to the object with an accuracy of between 20 and 30 cm.

The camera is able to retain its highresolution capability even when several objects are in close proximity to each other, are partially obscured, or when there is poor contrast between the object and its background.

As well as the spatial position detecting of potential hazards, the system also provides crucial supplementary information for active safety systems – such as the direction in which every pixel of an identified object is moving along the horizontal, vertical, and longitudinal axes. The six-dimensional (6-D) identification makes it clear whether an object is moving, and if so, in which direction.

This ability in combination with object classification based on common characteristics, affords the stereo camera system such a high standard of decision-making certainty that it is able to initiate emergency braking (up to 1 G) if the driver fails to react to the object.

The accuracy of the system enables the stereo camera to calculate the precise point of impact of a potential collision and to make the best possible use of the remaining time to prepare appropriate protective measures. It also functions through the whole speed range at a distance of up to 60 m.

AutoForum - July 2011

When a bakkie wants to be a truck - Dave Scott

E

very light commercial vehicle (LCV) manufacturer would love ‘truck’ classification, because a lower import duty structure applies. This would mean a more competitive price or larger profits and I am sure that boardroom decisions would aim for the profit bit. But the truck market and its classification starts at 3 500 kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) and bakkies just don’t have that much GVM to be a truck. And then there’s gross combination mass (GCM) and perhaps a bakkie can challenge a truck in what it can pull – or can it? Beware, however, in trying to be too macho and creating marketing perceptions with implied promises – especially now that the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) is now in place.

Ignatius Muthien, Senior Manager – Marketing at Hino SA, received three Diamond Arrow awards on behalf of his company from PMR Africa.

Hino walks away with Platinum Arrows Last month Hino SA was awarded three Platinum Arrows by PMR Africa magazine, in its national survey of truck manufacturers and distributors.

NAMPO is as much a bakkie show as it is South Africa’s premier agricultural exhibition. It’s certainly the place where LCV manufacturers flex their product muscle on an off-road track and in outdoor showpieces. And, of course, the new VW Amarok is trying to grab attention with a display based on a high GCM, where the single cab brochure and vehicle display claim a 2 800 kg ‘trailer load capacity’. The words ‘load capacity’ are too easily translated by a ‘reasonable’ man as payload when what should have been stated was a trailer GVM of 2 800 kg that would include a payload of approximately 1 500 kg, depending on trailer tare mass.

The VW Amarok has a GCM of 5500kg. Taking the advertised vehicle 3 040 kg GVM off the 5 500 kg GCM, leaves a trailer GVM capacity of only 2460kg – how they get to 2 800 kg for the trailer is a mystery. But the implication is that ‘trailer load capacity’ at 2 800 kg, plus the brochure promise of 1 264 kg payload on the towing Amarok, provides a perceived and astonishing combined payload of 4 064 kg! It’s not possible and a CPA loophole that can cause serious embarrassment.

The survey involved interviews with 180 respondents across the country during November/December 2010 and January 2011 with a sample of fleet owners, managers and controllers, as well as transport managers in the private and public sectors, and trucking journalists.

Respondents rated the various commercial vehicle manufacturers across 27 attributes, and also listed the details of their own fleets. The heavy-duty vehicle maker placed first in all three categories of the research – under 10 tons, over 10 tons and in the combined truck market - scoring more than 4.10 out of a possible five points in each of the categories.

This latest achievement builds on the company’s win of three Golden Arrows last year. As Hino SA Senior Manager for Marketing, Ignatius Muthien, explains: “We are delighted to have come out (on) top for the second year running.”

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Dave Scott is a member of the S.A. Guild of Motoring Journalists, and is a monthly contributor to the press on transport and trucking related subjects. In 2002 and 2003 Dave Scott was the S.A. Guild of Motoring Journalists winner of the category ‘Business Motoring’.

As a member of the S.A. Institute of Tribology he takes a keen interest in the application of lubricants to road transport maintenance and the cost of ownership. His key writing focus is on fleet management including the technology of trucks and road transport.

There are other issues. The Amarok is equipped with ABS brakes and ABS is only mandatory for trailers over 3 500 kg GVM – a 2 800 kg GVM trailer will not be equipped with ABS. The trailer will have to be kitted out with a parking brake and service brake in terms of Regulation 151 (b) (ii) but still, at speed and in an emergency with mixed braking systems, the Amarok towing unit could ‘out-brake’ the trailer resulting in a jack-knife situation. Add in the event that the trailer GVM, at 2 800 kg, exceeds the bakkie GVM by 100 kg, there is an opportunity for the ‘tail to wag the dog’.

It goes without saying that the tow-hitch must have sufficient design D-value – expressed in kilo-Newtons (kN) – to cope with the 5.5 t GCM and a standard hitch is not enough. This is sometimes overlooked out of ignorance or price considerations.

Finally, any LCV driver pulling a trailer with a GVM exceeding 750 kg must have an EB coded licence – the

RL-325 DRUM LATHE

standard light motor vehicle B code licence only applies to trailers up to 750 kg GVM (a Venterjie).

What does all of this mean?

Firstly, don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Secondly, beware of creating implied promises that cannot be matched. Thirdly, it’s not a good thing to ‘stretch’ a new product on the market; every competitor is just watching and waiting for VW Amarok to make a mistake and get a bad name and running a 2-litre ‘tdi-engined’ LCV at 5.5 t GCM may be a ‘stretch’ too far.

One road accident with a 2.8 t payload

on a trailer will be enough of a court case to ruin many lives and reputations.

VW sales people must manage the risk for customers and not create false expectations – they had better understand GVM and GCM and watch their marketing efforts under the CPA’s ‘bigbrother’ eyes.

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PAGE 49

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

AutoForum - July 2011

World Class Customer Service is the Key

W

ith UD Trucks Southern Africa having taken over responsibility for the UD Trucks Corporation’s entire sub-Saharan region at the beginning of last year, the local arm of the heavy-duty vehicle maker has been working hard to develop and strengthen its footprint across the region. Part of this strategy is to roll-out global quality standards in dealerships across Southern Africa.

The UD Trucks Academy in Pretoria forms part of the UD Trucks Global Competence Development project, and has been tasked with developing and implementing global best practices for UD Trucks dealerships across all regions. The company’s dealer network adheres to stringent quality standards, and is continuously measured across all disciplines, from parts to sales, service and admin, to bring customers only the best service and after sales support.

UD Trucks Southern Africa has dealers in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

As Johan Richards, CEO of UD Trucks Southern Africa, explains: “In a highly competitive market, we believe the key differentiator is the level of service provided to customers, no matter the size of their fleet. That means that our customers can expect the same

PAGE 50

world-class quality service, no matter where they are in southern Africa.”

UD Trucks is continuously aiming to get the fundamentals right Richards explains that by matching customer business insight with the global expertise inherent in the company, UD Trucks is continuously aiming to get the fundamentals right, here in South Africa and across the region.

In line with this, dealer staff are trained to keep abreast of the latest developments within the industry on an ongoing basis, and to service customers in a passionate, professional and dependable manner. This means that they can solve problems faster and assist customers in finding the right solution in the shortest space of time.

“The emphasis has moved away from purely training staff for the sake of training, to helping each person develop their various competencies to reach their full potential in their specific job role,” said Richards. “As a result, our customers are dealing with competent and well-informed staff.”

He continues that the company believes 70% of learning occurs ‘on-the-job’ making a combination of self-study,

on-the-job coaching and classroom training, a more effective learning platform. It also means that managers at the various dealerships are able to take on the responsibility of training their staff. “This means that our dealer staff all across the region are able to develop their competencies and skills to a level of global quality.”

To support the increased demand for competence development in its export markets, the company is also introducing a train-the-trainer concept - an approach that ensures that more learners can be reached in a shorter timeframe, and also eliminates the problem of language barriers. Richards believes this new approach provides the company with the opportunity to establish a so-called Competency Development Network across the southern African region.

All learning activities are supported by the UD Trucks Academy in Pretoria, which is MerSETA-accredited and offers high-level training in sales, parts, technical skills, driver training and advanced leadership to dealers and customers.

“Trucking forms an integral part of the regional economy and it is of great importance to ensure that the wheels of industry and business continue to rotate effectively and productively.”

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A C I R F A H T U O S n i e l b a l i a v A

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Dealers WANTED Local Tenneco office: +27 (0)11 574 5603

PAGE 51

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

AutoForum - July 2011

First gas truck for long-haul

V

olvo Trucks recently launched its FM MethaneDiesel, powered up to 75% by gas, and which includes extended operating range, allowing it reduced CO2 emissions from heavy and long-distance transport operations.

The company has made clear its focus on developing gas technology and making it more attractive for the transport sector, in order to create significant reductions in the collective environmental impact of heavy transport. It believes that increased use of natural gas will lead to greater availability and use of biogas, which reduces CO2 emissions still further.

This new natural gas technology generates 10 % lower CO2 emissions than a diesel engine does. “We are convinced that liquefied gas is one of the most important future alternatives to today’s vehicle fuels,” says Lars Mårtensson, Director Environmental Affairs at Volvo Trucks.

Volvo explains that its gas technology offers 30 to 40% higher efficiency, cutting fuel consumption by 25%, compared with conventional gas-powered spark-plug engines. It continues that if one of its gas-powered trucks were to run on biogas, emissions of carbon dioxide would be cut by up to 70% compared to a conventional diesel engine.

PAGE 52

The FM MethaneDiesel is powered by up to 75% natural gas or biogas - both of which consist of methane gas. The engine technology is based on a conventional diesel engine equipped with gas injectors, a special Thermos-like fuel tank that keeps the gas liquefied and chilled to -140 degrees Celsius, and a specially modified catalytic converter. By using liquefied gas, more fuel can be stored in the tanks compared to if the fuel is compressed, giving the methane-diesel truck a far greater range than that of traditional gas-powered trucks that utilise spark-plug technology. In a truck with a gross weight of 40 tonnes, the fuel tank holds enough gas for a range of up to 500 kilometres in normal driving.

LNG Gas

tank

Apart from environmental benefits, natural gas offers cost benefits too – as it retails for less than the equivalent amount of diesel – making it more attractive for the general commercial transport sector.

The Volvo FM MethaneDiesel will initially be sold in select European markets where the gas infrastructure is best established, with plans to build about 100 trucks this year. Series production will get under way in August, after which time the vehicles will be rolled out to the rest of Europe and other markets.

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Gas retu and ma rn shut off v nual alve

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COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

AutoForum - July 2011

An automated shift for online truck sales training - Dave Scott

T

here’s no substitute for face-to-face training interventions but time is the problem. And truck sales people are not professional students, so cramming kilobytes of knowledge into a couple of days does not mean they will work with it in the future. It’s just another stored, seldom-referred-to training manual.

Over time, live training has condensed; three-day training does not happen any longer, two-day interventions are about the longest and usually start on a Friday running to Saturday noon. The usual complaint is that training is interfering with selling time – so what comes first, the cart or the horse? It’s such a timewaster to attend face-to-face training in complete ignorance and without having done any preparation on trucks and trucking basics. What’s the answer to these issues?

The solution lies in distance learning, at the learner’s own pace, with interactive visual content, an online assessment, a wide geographical territory coverage and ability to handle staff turnover. The answer is all wrapped up in a service from a Cape Town-based outfit, Fuel Online, a ten-year-old service business with an IT product. Enter technology – computers, the Internet, innovation, IT experience, networks, hard-drives, help desks and trucking knowledge. It’s not about learning in secret. Management must be able to monitor learner progress from independent reports. And there must be deadlines – taking two years is just not acceptable over what can easily completed in three months.

Fuel Online has become a serious training platform for the business of trucks and trucking. This writer, under the official trading title of Dave Scott & Associates cc, recently partnered with Fuel Online to bring concentrated, online training modules to the African sub-continent. Twenty-eight modules of around ten minutes each have been carefully scripted and presented by a professional actor with a local accent. It’s automated shift training – the online trainer is never tired and you can pick him

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up at any time of the day that suits the learner, for a fresh insight into trucks.

What’s more is HTM TransSolve is an added-value part of the training package. TransSolve software has become a trucking industry standard – but it still needs training. However, learning pace differs greatly, with some people more computer literate than others. The TransSolve people are certainly dedicated to support and react to training requests, however, face-to-face training for one person is too costly an exercise and the waiting period for a group session once more delays a learning curve for an important selling tool.

Subjects for truck sales training are as follows:

SA and Isuzu Truck SA. In the last year we have looked to expand into other industries, and have just began a very exciting project training Shell Petrol Outlets around the country. We are currently busy with this roll-out, and have installed 130 Shell outlets to date.”

6. The basics of tyres & wheels

“The platform was built with the dealership in mind, allowing training to become a habit in the dealership,” explains Goodall. “It is flexible in the fact that the user can do it at their convenience while the sessions are designed to be short and impactful and do not take a staff member away from the dealership for a full day at a time.

This minimises the impact of lost productivity.”

7. The basics of brakes & retardation systems

25 000 modules per month

1. Introduction - explaining the truck market structure 2. Basic trucking terminology 3. Diesel engine driveline technology 4. The powertrain technology behind the engine 5. Truck bodies & trailers - terminology & appliciations

8. Truck performance factors - including mass distribution 9. Fuel consumption – the biggest operating cost 10. Essential legal regulations affecting vehicle selection 11. The critical technique of vehicle selection 12. The basic principles of vehicle costing & cpk 13. The essential elements of effective quotations Ross Goodall, Fuel Online Chief Operating Officer, reminisces: “We started selling to dealerships and small groups, with the Orbit Group (now Sandown) being our first client comprising six dealerships.” And he adds: “Today we train over 700 dealerships. Our IT platform is used by Toyota SA, MercedesBenz SA and their Commercial Vehicle Division, General Motors SA, Hyundai

Distance also costs in face-to-face training – travel expenses, time getting to a venue and return plus accommodation. Goodall comments further: “The cost benefits are extensive and obvious to see, but the real differentiator between Fuel Online and other online platforms is our service and communications programme. Around 75% of learning management system failures are due users not engaging with these platforms. Over the last ten years we have built and refined a strategy that works, and not only does it support the user in their training efforts, but also motivates them.”

Goodall concludes: “This way we have delivered more than 1 000 000 successfully completed modules into the South African motor industry to date, and now deliver close to 25 000 modules a month.”

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PAGE 55

AutoForum - July 2011

Show Time

Automechanika Middle East (Dubai) - Michel Malik

W

hen Australian BodyShop News Publisher Michel Malik was in Dubai for the inaugural Automechanika Middle East in 2003, it took up just half a hall and comprised a little more than one hundred exhibitors. Now, however, the show has grown to a formidable and must-see event.

Dubai has probably suffered the most from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) outside of the US. However, Dubai remains the leading business location in the region and with its improved infrastructure, lifestyle and lower costs than previously, it is starting to attract new business and residents. Many firms downsized in 2009 and breadwinners sent their families home to cut costs.

Dubai’s population was expected to fall considerably as a result, but the Dubai Statistics Centre last year surprised all by stating that the population in fact increased by 7.6%.

There were business deals aplenty, new supply contracts drawn up for spare parts and accessories, orders for new machinery and specialty equipment as the movers and shakers of the regional automotive aftermarket concluded three highly successful days of networking at the ninth edition of Automechanika Middle East.

PAGE 56

The region’s largest auto-industry related gathering came to a close at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, with exhibitors, trade visitors and organisers alike sounding decidedly upbeat on the industry’s prospects for the future.

The initial indicators were promising with organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt expressing optimism about the current surge in the regional industry, as the event concluded with larger than expected numbers. Growing by 18% over the last show, Automechanika Middle East 2011, drew in more than 1 100 exhibitors from 52 different countries and took up 32 000 square metres of exhibition space - all reflective of the huge interest surrounding the region among major players on the international stage. There were 21 separate national pavilions, with the largest ever representation from Germany, the US and Italy, with Australia and SA each setting up their own impressive exhibits. Additionally, the event had the support of

32 industry associations from across the world.

“Automechanika Middle East 2011 has, I’m glad to say, proved to be a great success,” said Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer of organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt. “Not only did we get wider participation than expected, but the buzz on the show floor indicated that the event was very well received by the market. The quality of exhibitors and trade visitors was excellent, underlining the importance of events like Automechanika Middle East that reach across the markets of the region, to spur further growth and development in the sector,” he added.

Two major exhibitors called on the public to remain vigilant and prevent them from buying fake auto aftermarket products which could endanger the lives of motorists. Mazen Ghanem, Marketing and Production Manager of Robert Bosch Aftermarket said his company had launched a website to combat fake parts. “Buyers should type in the 15-digit number from the label

attached to our products in the website www.protect.bosch.com. The website then displays whether the numbers are correct or incorrect and shows whether the part is original or fake and they can return the part to their dealers.”

Trade visitors from around the world flocked to the myriad exhibits on all three days of the exhibition as they scouted for the best deals, looked for new suppliers and searched for the latest trends in the market that would give their business a boost.

Adding to the overall buzz was the Automechanika Academy, which proved a great success and drew the attention of a large number of businessmen and professionals engaged in the industry.

The Academy featured key experts in the various automotive aftermarket fields giving presentations spotlighting the latest trends and developments within the global market. Additionally, Dubai Customs chose the Academy to release vital trade figures that serve as a benchmark to the industry.

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PAGE 57

SHOW TIME

AutoForum - July 2011

Bosch 60th international automotive press briefing in Boxberg

A

utomotive technology sales should break the 30 Billion Euro threshold this year, and in terms of this continually expanding and dynamic market, Bosch is a key driver in developing the technologies which shape the future of vehicles and mobility in general. To this end Bosch will spend around 3.2 Billion Euros on R&D in 2011.

Remember that Bosch have developed a number of systems that we take for granted as standard equipment on modern vehicles - their ESP® programme for example, which will be legally required on any new car in Europe, the US and Australia from this year.

While the company line is that the future belongs to “electromobility”, the reality is that the limited range and high cost of current batteries will delay this move for at least a decade. With this as their stated long-term strategy, their focus in the shorter term is simultaneously on the goals of reducing fuel consumption and a pursuit of “accident free” driving.

This is according to Bosch Automotive Group Chairman, Dr Bernd Bohr, speaking at the 60th International Automotive press briefing held at the Boxberg proving grounds in June. He restated Bosch’s commitment to develop the technologies to reduce consumption in both diesel and petrol vehicles by at least another 30% - no small feat but important when considering that out of

PAGE 58

the total numbers of cars demanded annually by 2020, less than 3% will be electric or hybrid.

This strategy creates demand for Bosch’s fuel saving technologies such as direct injection and turbocharging, which applied on smaller engines still delivers the necessary performance with lower consumption levels. Stop/ Start systems are enabling savings of between 4 and 9% already, and will become more and more important.

Emissions control will also play a big part of this evolution. It is expected that by 2025 legislation will dictate that cars generate only 70g of CO2 per Km - that’s less than 3l per 100km, and less than 50% of today’s average. But to succeed in the electric drive future, Bosch is currently applying their knowledge fairly broadly into manufacturing power electronics and semi conductors, the electric motors themselves, and then also producing the batteries that will be required.

Together with their hardware, software systems, and interface developments, there are a number of exciting projects underway, some of which were on display for testing on the Boxberg track. I was lucky enough to accompany Dereck Knight to the event, and got to try out some new technologies that are avaibale already in some high

end vehicles, and will find their way into many cars in the next few years.

I found it interesting that many of the systems being demonstrated were purely software based – for instance the side impact sensors. Using the existing PDC sensors, the software identifies and memorises objects to the side of the car and displays them graphically, thus eliminating low-speed side-swipes.

The visual version of a similar concept was really amazing – video images from 4 tiny cameras around the car are stitched together and displayed as a flat birds-eye view of the car in real time. It is strange to see the actual road surface and detail displayed as if you were outside of the car, and one hopes that it could be extended to identify obstacles (like potholes maybe?).

Many of the systems, whether input or output based, still need to be integrated into their Human-Machine-Interface concepts, but Bosch are developing an open source operating system which will allow for easy application of new multimedia functions in cars. The possibilities are endless, as you consider how an operating system could link to mobile devices in your car, then display them in a head up display, all the while offering you safer driving systems – such as lane control, radar obstacle detection, active power steering and automatic braking. With so much of the

development being software-based, updates and new features should be easier to install as new systems develop over time. I could not help thinking however, about where the support for all these systems will be, and how easy educating the motor trade on how to repair them will be.

The highlight for me was the chance to drive the electromobility examples on offer. Firstly I drove the parallel-hybrid equipped VW Touareg, in which the electric motor is integrated between the petrol engine and the transmission.

(As opposed to an axle split system, which has an electric drive on one axle and a internal combustion engine on the other.) The real demonstration was not so much on the fuel sipping, but rather on the phenomenal power. This

is due to delivery of maximum torque on the electric engine from standstill, which then combines with the midrange torque of the normal engine. Stomp on the accelerator and 2 tons of Touareg literally leap forward.

We then tested the fully electric “Bluee-motion” Golf, which offers 135km range on a 9 hour charge. (This can be reduced to a 3 hour charge on 3 phase).

It is really unnerving to get in and drive – firstly there is practically no noise, in fact it generates a fake engine sound especially to warn pedestrians at low speed! Then there is just one gear – and boy, it goes! The setup allows for the car to regenerate power and feed it back into the system in a number of ways, using braking energy from the

wheels as well as the engine to top up the battery.

As you drive, you can select one of 3 modes to effect the sensitivity of the system - in much the same way as you would use downshifting in a normal car - and the display shows you when you are consuming, coasting or regenerating charge. As cool as the Golf was, something even simpler really drove home the point – the Merida hybrid bicycles. Hopping on the bike and riding around I really get the sense of what this technology is for – as you pedal, the small electric motor just proportionately boosts the power, and gets you that much further with that much less effort.

And its fun too!

Many thanks to Bosch SA for the opportunity to experience the technology first hand.

AutoForum - July 2011

PAGE 60

AutoForum - July 2011

SHOW TIME

Fuel industry overview at Forecourt Africa 2011

- Robert Kaiser

A

three-in-one trade exhibition, namely Pumps, Valves & Pipes Africa 2011, Waterlec Africa 2011 and Petrotex Africa 2011 was held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand from 7-9 June with the Petrotex Africa component announced as incorporating Forecourt Africa 2011. Whereas the entire exhibition appeared to witness a healthy turnout of exhibitors in respect of the various industry sectors represented, it is the Forecourt Africa sub-component of the Petrotex Exhibition that disappointed in not being representative of suppliers to the forecourt industry. Had it not been for the presence of the RMI’s SA Petroleum Retailers’ Association it would probably have risked being a non-event.

However, the Petrotex Exhibition hosted a conference during which a holistic overview of the oil industry highlighted some challenges facing the entire supply chain. According to SAPRA Director Peter Noke, the challenges that refiners face in respect of the quest for cleaner fuels and the investment required in upgrading refineries in a market where refinery margins were under pressure, was highlighted as a challenge of international proportions and not unique to South Africa only.

Insofar as the South African fuel sector is concerned, the debate on whether the SA fuel sector should be deregulated or not again reared its head, with oil industry association SAPIA (for) and retailers’ association SAPRA (against) taking opposite views. This is a debate stretching back as far as the 1980s and will no doubt continue into the future with compelling arguments offered by both the proponents and opponents of the deregulation proposal. I would continue to put my money on the retention of the regulated system, especially for South Africa where there are unique factors at play with a regulated fuel industry that has a proven record of having served suppliers, retailers and consumers well.

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Interesting was the presence of forecourt systems suppliers such as UCS, a subsidiary of IT giant BCX. The UCS representative at the company’s stand indicated that the company was experiencing rapid growth into Africa and already enjoyed presence in Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania, with expansion plans including Angola and Mozambique. Joint Venture Pump Services, distributors of Dresser Wayne pump equipment, also indicated sterling growth in the supply of equipment and services to SADC Region countries.

This is yet another indicator of South Africa’s growing importance as a major supplier of products and services into Africa and no one can disagree that this role is a huge plus for SA’s economic development going forward.

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Having said that, there can be little doubt about the crucial role that specialised trade exhibitions can play in promoting this trend, by offering unique marketing, sales, business networking opportunities and dissemination of the latest information to suppliers and buyers.

It is a pity that the Forecourt Africa subsector was not more representative, as the retail fuel industry has during the past years demonstrated growth and innovation among independent dealers who have established their own brands and business models. These developments are translating into growing purchasing power of the independent retailers and suppliers who ignore this exciting trend do so at their peril. Hopefully the forecourt sector will be favoured with a more comprehensive and representative exhibition platform next time around.

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Robert Kaiser has been intimately involved in the motor industry for the past 25 years. He established Retail Motor Consultants in 2002, a consultancy providing relationship management, marketing and staff recruitment services as well as apprenticeship management programmes and through an associated company, unique Black Economic Empowerment transformation programmes for both large and SME businesses.

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Financing for services, repairs, service and maintenance plans, extended warranties and Genuine GM Parts and Accessories.

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Affordable monthly payments!

New Releases

AutoForum AutoForum - July 2011 - July 2011

www.AutoForum.co.za

Off-road dual beam lights Control Instruments recently launched a new addition to its Warn off-road 4x4 vehicle light range which, its says, provides one of the longest spot beams available in its driving light range.

The new Warn 7” SDB-210 high-end off-road lights boast a spot beam able to illuminate around 270 m ahead, with a concentrated lighting pattern, and a driving beam wide enough to supplement vehicle headlights by illuminating the entire surface in front of the vehicle.

It also features a precision design-free, smooth and heat resistant curve reflector, that reflects light efficiently due to the vaporised aluminium applied to the reflector surface.

And because it has an internal light frame, stone guard, hardened glass lens and a weather-resistant rubber seal, the lamp and lens are protected even in hard off-road driving and bad weather.

The SDB-210 lights are purchased as a set with two lights, wiring harness and remote and come standard with a one year warranty. For more information visit the website www.ci-automotive.com.

World Spares - new part numbers just landed!

World Spares, the authorised distributor for Metelli products in South Africa, continue to increase their already extensive range of products into the local market. Every month, the company continues to import new products in order to remain up to date.

Renault Megane II 1.4 (Right), Renault Modus (Left) and Renault Modus (Right) Water Pumps Audi A6 4.2 Quattro (98-05), VW Touareg 4.2 V8. BMW 1 Series 116i, 120i,130i, BMW E90/E91 320i. BMW E46 320D, BMW E39 520D. Citroën Berlingo 2.0 HDi, Peugeot Boxer 2.0 HDi. Citroën Berlingo 1.6 16v, Citroën C4 1.6 1.6v, Citroën Xsara 1.6 1.6v, Peugeot 307 1.6 16v.

Brake Discs Citroën C1, Peugeot 107 (Front - 247mm) BMW X3: (Front 325mm) Jeep Cherokee (Front - 305mm) Iveco Daily ( Front - 290mm ) Iveco Daily (Front - 300mm) Mercedes C220CDi (Front - 300mm) Brake Pads Citroën Berlingo (2008 - ), Peugeot Partner (2008 - ): Front pads Iveco Daily (2006 - ): Rear pads Nissan Qashqai: Front pads Peugeot 308 (2009 - ): Front pads

This month, the following parts have been unpacked:

Slave Cylinders Citroën C2/C3, Peugeot 307.

Driveshafts (Complete) Peugeot Partner 1.6 HDi (Left - with ABS), Peugeot Partner 1.6 HDi (Right - with ABS), Renault Megane II 1.4 (Left),

For these and many other new part numbers, please contact Paul or Martin at (011) 622-5405. You can also fax them at 086 689 3148 or e-mail them at sales@worldspares.co.za.

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