Future of Trucking & Logistics

December 2013

Vol. 01. No. 05

Skills Shortage?

Powe red B y

No, Says Top Head-hunter

<< We Meet Trentyre’s MD / The Importance of Dyno Testing >>

ogle Play™ Go

International Motor Show Trucks Not To Be Ignored

App Store the ™ on

&

Johannesburg

Availab le

Volvo’s Future, Today Award-winning FH arrives in SA

Happy Ho Ho Ho-lidays W

hether you’re reading this before leaving for the December holidays or just after having come back, I hope you have/had a relaxing time. Future Trucking & Logistics officially launched at the start of 2013, and it’s amazing to reflect that this is already our fifth issue. The journey has been extremely rewarding, and I’m looking forward to continuing to raise benchmarks in 2014.

Whether you’re looking for a more in-depth overview of JIMS, are interested in training and recruitment, or would like to understand why dynamometer testing is important, we have some holiday reading for you!

Craig Proctor-Parker has also written a fascinating analysis of the pros and cons of taking highways versus back roads – of particular importance given anti-tolling sentiment – and we feature a fascinating mix of industry personalities and new trucks as usual.

Be sure to look out for Future Trucking & Logistics in 2014: our next issue in February will contain a special reader survey, and we’d love to hear your thoughts about our first year and what you’d like to see in future magazines.

Wrapping up the year I want to give all our advertisers and contributors a heartfelt word of thanks. Launching a new magazine in the midst of others closing down was never going to be easy, but we remained steadfast to our original promises and it has happily resulted in the established magazine you now hold.

Thanks also to you, our reader. I trust you’ve enjoyed reading these early editions as much as we have enjoyed putting them together.

Leon Schnell Editor

Quality Components & Systems for Truck & Trailer

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SAF-HOLLAND South Africa

Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013 Crn. Crownwood & Modulus Road Ormonde Tel: +27 11 496 3196 · Fax: +27 11 496 3696 · Jo@safhollandsa.co.za

www.safholland.co.za

Contents Future Trucking & Logistics is published bi-monthly by: Future Publishing No 9, 3rd Avenue, Rivonia Tel: 011 803 2040, Fax: 011 803 2022 P.O. Box 3355, Rivonia, 2128

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Cover Story 26 Volvo’s Future, Today A year after its European launch, the award-winning Volvo FH, its smaller sibling the FM, and the FMX off-road truck ranges were recently launched in South Africa

Editor

Leon Schnell leon@thefuture.co.za

Just Offloaded

Sub Editor

Chris Reilly chrisr@thefuture.co.za

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Staff Writer

Pritesh Ruthun pritesh@thefuture.co.za

Contributors

Chris Crookes Craig Proctor-Parker Philip van der Merwe Lauren Burley Copley

Advertising

Nina Harms nina@thefuture.co.za Enver Lawangi enver@thefuture.co.za

Design & Layout

Colin Double colin@thefuture.co.za

Publisher Divisional Head Editor-in-Chief Production

Richard Lendrum Nina Harms Wynter Murdoch Mabel Ramafoko

MiX Telematics’ Deal with Tata Hino’s Dakar 2014 entries; Resolve’s new partnership; the DHL Fresh Connection game; MAN’s new parts distribution centre; Sasol’s 10ppm diesel; Jurgens Truck Bodies launch at JIMS

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5

Features 10 Million Mile Club: KaiTrucx’s special MAN takes the spotlight

12 JIMS Special Feature: we delve into the gritty details of the show’s memorable launches 24 A Steady Grip: TrenTyre’s Nigel Sowerby shares his view of the local tyre industry

34 From Storerooms to Boardrooms: an overview of

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SAPICS’ evolution © Copyright. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Future Trucking & Logistics. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information given to readers, neither the editor, proprietors, nor the publishers, can accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions, or any effect arising therefrom.

Do you want even more?

Follow us on Twitter at @FutureTrucking: www.twitter.com/futuretrucking

Visit our website at: www.futuretrucking.co.za

36 Talent’s Next Big Thing: Humanity Search and Select’s world first for recruitment

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Regulars 22 Views from the CSIR: new research debunks myths surrounding tyre contact stresses 30 ‘Day in the Life’: we profile the SABS’s Automotive Laboratory Manager 38 Technology Focus: optimising diesel engines’ efficiency 42 Crash Scene Investigation: are back roads viable alternatives to highways?

46 Truspieël: Afrikaans hooftrekke uit die artikels December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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News >>

FW: Sent: To:

Snippets From Our Inbox

Monday 25 November 2013, 2:23 PM Leon@thefuture.co.za

The e-mail inbox of Future Trucking & Logistics is always buzzing with new press releases. What follows are concise extracts directly from those releases. If you have news you’d like to share, please e-mail leon@thefuture.co.za.

RE: MiX Telematics and Tata Automobile Team Up in South Africa MiX Telematics and Tata Automobile announced their first partnership agreement in South Africa at the Johannesburg Motor Show. Tata Automobile will provide customers in the country with premium fleet management solutions across its entire commercial vehicle range for the first time. The new service offering, Tata Automobile Telematics, is available at 51 Tata dealerships around the country. “Our main focus in offering Tata Automobile Telematics is to equip our customers with an advanced solution that enriches their bottom line. By better managing their vehicles and drivers, customers can expect improved fleet utilisation and reduced fleet operating costs, along with a significant reduction in fuel consumption. The offering also incorporates stolen vehicle recovery,” says Shaheer Abrahams, General Manager: Sales & Marketing, Tata Automobile Corporation SA (Pty) Ltd. RE: Hino to Enter Two 500-Series Trucks in 2014 Dakar Rally Hino Motors Ltd., together with Hino Team Sugawara, has made its customary entry of two 500 Series trucks for the 2014 Dakar Rally which starts in Rosario, Argentina, on January 5 and ends in Chile on January 18. Next year will mark the 23rd consecutive year that Hino has entered this gruelling cross-country rally, having been the first Japanese manufacturers to enter this rally when it competed in the 1991 event, which went from Paris to Dakar via Tripoli. Hino has finished every Dakar Rally it has entered and in 1997 it took a 1-2-3 clean sweep of the overall placings, while a Hino has also been runner-up on five occasions and has won the under 10-litre engine category 13 times.

RE: Resolve Partners With SourceDogg Resolve, an Imperial Logistics group company, is pleased to announce its partnership with SourceDogg, an e-procurement solution company based in Ireland. Resolve identified the need in existing procurement functions for a functional and efficient solution for clients who do not have large ERP capability, but who nevertheless need to benefit from procurement best practices.

SourceDogg is a new e-sourcing tool that simplifies and optimises the sourcing process. It is both easy-to-use and affordable, allows for like-for-like comparisons of quotations and tenders and quick identification of best value.

Irish Joe Castello, de Minister for Tra nt; and Developme e, Patricia de Lill Mayor of Cape elan, Town; Alan Ph eDogg CEO of Sourc , and David Long solve Re at tor ec Dir

RE: Call for entries: The Fresh Connection Challenge 2014 The ultimate supply-chain strategy game is back! Can your company field the team that makes it all the way to Dubai? A web-based strategy game, The Fresh Connection is designed to help key decision-makers across industry sectors to improve their supplychain knowledge and increase efficiencies to boost business performance. The teams that come out on top are those that can analyse, prioritise, mitigate risk, align and collaborate. The Fresh Connection Challenge will be delivered to you by DHL Global Forwarding in partnership with Logistics News. For more information, or to enter a team in the Fresh Connection Challenge 2014, register at www.thefreshconnection.biz/af-za before 1 March 2014.

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Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

NEWS >>

MAN’s new PDC is ready to deliver In line with its international operations the new MAN Truck and Bus SA parts warehouse is kitted out with the very latest in logistics and warehousing technology. Pritesh Ruthun attended the opening ceremony

M

Anders Nielsen, MAN Truck and Bus AG CEO

AN Truck and Bus South Africa recently hauled up the roller doors to its gargantuan new parts delivery centre (PDC) and warehousing facility in Germiston, which is intended to boost parts availability and keep its customers on the road for longer.

Speaking at the official opening of the new 18 000m2 facility was MAN Truck and Bus AG CEO, Mr Anders Nielsen, who expressed his delight at the outcome of this new parts warehousing and distribution project.

“Our new parts distribution centre here in Johannesburg clearly symbolises the expansion of our global spare-parts logistics network to fulfil our customers’ parts demand worldwide. Within the network of other MAN logistics locations, this PDC will ensure a fast and smooth supply of spare parts, in particular for the Southern African region,” Anders said before cutting the ribbon and welcoming guests and media for a tour of the new facility.

At a total investment of nearly R180-million, the new MAN Truck and Bus SA parts delivery centre boasts a number of unique aspects that make it an enviable operation amongst commercial sector operators, which Nielsen believes will go a long way in ensuring more MAN products find their way into local fleet operations.

MAN Truck and Bus SA executive chairman, Geoff du Plessis, explained that the new facility has been designed to comfortably allow for future expansion of MAN Truck & Bus SA into the sub-Saharan region.

“The new facility will also be geared to comprehensively support existing and forthcoming truck and bus derivatives from both MAN and Volkswagen,” du Plessis added.

In line with its international operations, the new parts warehouse is kitted out with the very latest in stacking

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Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

solutions, electrically-operated forklifts, picking and sorting solutions as well as energy efficient lighting technology. Nielsen added that the introduction of new systems for procurement and parts supply-chain management, along with the expansion of MAN’s global spare-parts logistics network, is enabling the company to progressively meet the needs of its growing African customer base.

One of the reasons that this site was chosen for the establishment of the parts and warehousing facility is its close proximity to OR Tambo International Airport as well the company’s head office.

Both Nielsen and du Plessis believe that its proximity to the airport and its use of state-of-the-art warehousing technologies will enable MAN’s Central Parts Division to improve on its already impressive customer service delivery record by being able to fly in urgently needed parts from MAN‘s international production centres and courier them to customers in the event of an emergency.

Nevertheless, while there’s still a bit of work and stocktaking to complete inside the new building, MAN Truck and Bus SA believes that that the future looks extrememly promising for its customers and itself, which will go a long way in assisting the company in becoming one of the most sought-after commercial vehicle brands in South Africa.

2017? Sasol’s

Already There

If you thought vehicle manufacturers couldn’t introduce the newest engine technologies into the country because we don’t have 10ppm diesel, think again – thanks to Sasol, now we do

T

he South African Government has identified 1 July 2017 as the date by which local refineries need to be producing fuels which enable a Euro 5 emissions level, raising concerns in the industry as to whether local fuel refineries will be able to meet this deadline.

At a launch event in Johannesburg in November, Sasol Oil announced that it has again achieved a head-start on its competitors: 10ppm diesel – i.e. with 10 parts per million sulphur content – is now on sale at 78 of its 204 inland franchise sites. These are mostly concentrated within Gauteng and Mpumalanga, but Sasol intends to roll the new fuel out to the rest of their inland sites by May 2014.

An interesting fact revealed by Sasol at the launch is that they have not had to upgrade their refinery to make this possible – rather the major challenge has been a logistical one to ensure that the ultra-clean diesel is not exposed to contamination, cost effectively.

Thanks in part due to Sasol having full control over their own fleet of fuel tankers, and a state-of-theart fuel depot in Alrode, Sasol has now been able to successfully isolate the 10ppm diesel and deliver

Thabiet Booley (General Manager: Sales and Marketing, Sasol Oil), Alan Cameron (Managing Director, Sasol Oil) and Mohamed Carrim (Retail Manager, Sasol Oil)

it directly from its point of production in Secunda to filling stations’ forecourts.

“We’ve got an opportunity as Sasol for the next few years – although we don’t think the industry will be ready by 2017 because of many regulatory and technical issues – to own this space, much like we did with 50ppm,” said Alan Cameron, Sasol Oil’s Managing Director.

In addition to the benefits of having 10ppm or less sulphur content, Sasol’s new ‘turbodiesel ULS 10ppm’ is also claimed to offer enhanced detergency to clean engine and fuel systems, improve acceleration and fuel consumption.

According to Sasol, the new diesel will be exclusively available at most of its sites, replacing the previous 50ppm diesel standard. In more industrial markets, however, 500ppm diesel will be made simultaneously available. From a pricing perspective, Sasol’s interim position is to sell it to retailers at the base pricing of 50ppm diesel, but as diesel prices are not regulated this may change at retailers’ discretion.

Truck Bodies In Hours, Not Weeks J urgens Steelworx officially launched Jurgens Truck Bodies at JIMS in October. Jurgens has partnered with Magnis Trucks – both are members of the IMPERIAL Group – now adding truck bodies to Jurgens Steelworx’s trailer business.

The remarkable aspect of the modular offering is that truck bodies can be assembled on-site at truck dealerships from individual kits: body orders that could have taken weeks to complete now take on average four hours to build, per truck.

per metre), and a completely steel body and floor (still offering a 10% weight saving). Repair costs are also reduced, thanks to a simple bolt-off, bolt-on replacement of damaged parts.

All components in the modular bodies are e-coated and epoxy-powder-coated for corrosion resistance, and it is now possible to also hot-dip galvanise a complete body as an added benefit in coastal regions.

The bodies are offered in two derivatives: a steel body with an aluminium floor (claimed to offer a 25% weight saving

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Feature >>

KaiTrucx’s power duo: Juan-Piere du Toit and Liza van Dalen

The Million Mile Club* Yes, it’s technically a million kilometres, but we’ll take the poetic licence

A

mid the stress of financial hurdles and making deliveries on time, the role of the heavy metal which keeps South Africa’s businesses on track can be overlooked. As they continue to prove themselves year after year, these trucks become a crucial part of the family while crossing an important milestone: the million kilometre mark on their odometers.

This is our tribute to those workhorses and silent business partners.

KaiTrucx’s power duo: Juan-Piere du Toit and Liza van Dalen

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Juan-Piere du Toit – KaiTrucx, Durban never been serviced by somebody other than the manufacturers.

Q: How would you rate your truck’s reliability?

Q: What is the latest odometer reading of your truck?

1 348 000km Q: What make and model is it?

A MAN TGA 26.410 Q: Where and when did you buy it?

I bought it new in February 2006 as part of the Super Group’s Owner-Driver Scheme Q: How would you describe its most common loads and routes it runs?

It runs various routes across the country. Mostly in winter months it transports from Durban to Johannesburg; Johannesburg to Tzaneen and Hoedspruit down to Durban with export citrus. In summer the loads commonly include pulp, paper reels and cement.

Excellent. Although I had to change the engine in February 2013 at around 1 256 000km, we still haven’t replaced the brake linings: they still have 40% life!

We’ve also never touched the gearbox – that is quite phenomenal, because there have been major gearbox problems with that particular model, but it all stems from a proper drive style. The first time we worked on the clutch on this truck was just over one million kilometres, so that is also something positive.

Q: Now that the truck has run over 1 million km are you treating it differently in any way, or will you be retiring or selling it soon?

No, the truck is still running long distance. I will be spending extra money on refurbishing it, and the maintenance on it is obviously a little bit higher.

Q: How many trucks do you have at present in your fleet, and have any others crossed or are close to crossing the million km mark?

I have three other MAN TGS trucks, but they are still relatively new.

Q: What have you done to ensure that the truck has kept running as long as it has?

I would attribute the success to driving the truck technically correctly, based on what the truck has been designed for, and sticking strictly to a maintenance schedule adhering to 30 000km service intervals. I also have a strict maintenance philosophy that if something is broken, you fix it straight away. Finally, the truck has

10 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Edit

or’s note: If your truc k has joined the million mile club as well, please let us know by e-mailing leon@thefuture.co.z a

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December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Focus ON JIMS >>

IT’S SHOWTIME! With two years having passed in a flash, South Africa’s commercial vehicle manufacturers and aftermarket providers again put in a strong showing at the 2013 Johannesburg International Motor Show ... Leon Schnell recaps the highlights

I

t is impossible to summarise the full spectacle that the Johannesburg International Motor Show’s Truck and Bus Show component was in October. As usual it was hosted in multiple halls at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, comprising two weeks’ worth of feverish demonstrating and sales pitches to over 200 000 visitors through the gates.

Here follows a broad overview of memorable quotes, new models, corporate updates and flashy concepts – focusing, of course, on the trucking OEM and aftermarket exhibitors.

Iveco South Africa

Bob Lowden, Iveco SA MD

now CNH Industrial – placing it alongside agricultural and construction brands such as Case and New Holland.

Words to remember: “...excellence in product is not enough without excellence in service – and we aim to establish Iveco as the best service provider in South Africa.” Bob Lowden, Iveco SA MD

When Iveco South Africa’s Managing Director, Bob Lowden, took the stage, it was to reveal that Iveco has succeeded in breaking into South Africa’s top ten commercial vehicle brands. This is off the back of a 75% growth in volume – from 800 units sold in 2011 to a 2013 full-year forecast of 1 400 units – leading to a total market share of 5% currently.

Under new management in South Africa, Iveco has been a brand with a lot of reputational damage to repair.

Listening to the glowingly positive numbers released by executives in their speeches to the media, and taking in the premium ambience of their wood-panelled stand, one could only marvel at the improvement since the 2011 JIMS – at which Iveco was not even present.

Iveco’s star performer is still undoubtedly the Daily van, with Iveco’s market share in the medium van and cab market (3,5-6,0 tons) at 18%, but the brand clearly has faith that its extra-heavy flagship at JIMS – the 2013 ‘Truck of the Year’, Iveco Stralis Hi-Way – will go some way to improving the balance. This is also available as a more modest sleeper cab, the Hi-Road; or a low-roof day-cab, the Hi-Street.

One of the key messages to emerge from JIMS in 2013 is that Iveco is now globally under new ownership.

Following a merger on September 30 between FIAT Industrial and CNH Global, Iveco’s parent company is

Significant work has gone into achieving a 3% reduction in the cab’s drag coefficient, with LED Daytime Running Lights and optional Bi-Xenon headlights adding to the distinctive front-end. The range-topping 500 horsepower

12 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Freightliner Revolution Innovation Truck

Euro V derivative on display carried the refinement through to the interior with an exclusive IVECONNECT system, powered by a 7-inch touchscreen providing intuitive access to navigation, driving support and fleet management services.

Another highlight on the stand was a preview of the Iveco Eurocargo, set to launch in South Africa in the second half of 2014, as the first truck to be locally assembled in the country. Iveco describes it as ‘the most versatile heavy truck on the market’, with over 11 000 product variants to suit every application.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa Words to remember: “As the largest truck manufacturer and undisputed leader in the role of commercial vehicles, we – Daimler and Mercedes-Benz South Africa – invite you to go beyond imagination, and take a bold step with us into the future.” Martin Zimmerman, MBSA CEO Given only a quick walk-through Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s combined stand at JIMS for its Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star and FUSO brands, you would quite possibly have been so distracted by the eye candy that you would have missed the ‘real’ models coming to South African shores, or the always-impressive Euro 5 Actros trucks on display.

Take, for example, the leather-clad Western Star truck – complete with saddle bags – or the eye-catching Green Unimog. The latter once-off design concept is unfortunately not a preview of a production model, but rather a 2011 celebration of 60 years of Unimog production based on the Unimog U 5000 chassis.

The Freightliner Revolution Innovation Truck, by contrast, is a fully operational concept despite its futuristic looks. A product of Daimler’s Advanced Engineering group, this was built on an aluminium chassis with carbon fibre body panels for lightness.

Innovative features included doing away with the passenger door in favour of rest space in the passenger area – assuming a single driver – and an intelligent rear axle that can switch between four and six-wheel drive for fuel efficiency. Holding more relevance for the local market, however, was a preview of the FUSO Canter LIFT. As the 8th generation in the family of short-haul workhorses the new LIFT will be launched locally in 2014, and is described as the first truck in the world to feature a compact ‘Duonic’ dualclutch transmission.

Combining a six-speed manual transmission with two hydraulic wet clutches and an electronic control, the Duonic technology is claimed to increase the speed of gear changes while reducing fuel consumption.

MBSA Commercial Vehicles somewhat surprisingly reserved its biggest unveiling for an important van: the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Just released to the market, this is powered by a full range of Euro 5 specification engines, and as a world-first for vans, includes a 7-speed automatic transmission.

The new Sprinter also features a full basket of electronic safety technologies normally only seen in passenger vehicles, from a standard Electronic Stability Programme to Cross-Wind Assist and Lane-Keep Assist, and radarbased Collision Prevention Assist and Blind Spot Assist.

Kobus van Zyl, Vice president

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Focus ON JIMS >>

Powerstar

and Laden settings this matches engine power appropriately for improved fuel efficiency.

Beukes reveals that when the second-generation VX range was introduced in 2011 and Powerstar opted to progress from a 2 year/200 000km warranty to a 3 year/300 000km warranty, the brand experienced a remarkable 300% jump in sales (2012 vs 2011).

Given the above, coupled to on-road operations’ lower risk and the ZF and Weichai warranties, Beukes revealed that Powerstar has now taken the leap of faith to offer the V3 with a 3 year/400 000 km warranty – a first, and claimed to be the best offered by a Chinese brand.

Mark Beukes, Powerstar GM

Words to remember: “We have no intention of going over Euro 3 – we don’t believe it’s necessary. If Euro 3 is competitive, why go to Euro 4 or 5? The trucks get far too technical and expensive to maintain, the lifetime of the engine is reduced and we don’t have the fuel here.” Mark Beukes, Powerstar GM When Powerstar’s General Manager for Aftermarket and Sales, Mark Beukes, addressed the media at JIMS, his straight-talking manner was a refreshing change. He was quick to note that while the star of Powerstar’s 2013 stand was the V3 truck which was previewed at the 2011 show, it was a very different truck from that prototype.

Initially mooted to be launched in South Africa in 2012, Powerstar selected to postpone the V3’s launch until late 2013 in favour of making radical improvements to the driveline, securing spare parts and embarking on an intensive dealer training programme to support the vehicle.

The V3 is significant for Powerstar as it takes the brand – only established in South Africa in 2010 as a locally palatable alternative to Chinese brand names – into the important on-road long-haul market for the first time.

Powerstar VX-range trucks have already proven popular in demanding off-road mining and construction applications thanks to their easy-tomaintain Euro 2 engines, while the V3 is powered by a proven Weichai engine in Euro 3 spec, mated to a 16-speed S221 ZF Gearbox (warranted by ZF South Africa) with a ZF Intarder.

In addition to the comfort of its European-designed cabin, a unique feature is the inclusion of a threestage Performance Boost switch: with Solo, Empty

14 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Hino South Africa

Dr Casper Kruger, Hino SA VP

Words to remember: “We are particularly upbeat in terms of the confidence being shown in the Hino brand recently by our dealers. Nearly half of our Hino dealer network have invested and are currently investing in their facilities during the period 2010 to 2014 – with the total investment over the period running well over R100 million.” Dr Casper Kruger, Hino SA VP In addition to showcasing Hino favourites such as the Toyota Dyna (sold under Hino’s management) and the popular Hino 300 Crew Cab, the stars at Hino’s JIMS stand were important additions to the Hino 700 and 500 Series truck ranges.

These were, respectively, the 2841 6x4 freight carrier, a rigid truck with a 56-ton GCM and 16-speed AMT gearbox; and a preview of the 2626 6x2 freight carrier, another 32-ton GCM rigid truck featuring the 500 Series’ first Euro IV engine and a full-floating cab.

On the topic of Euro IV, Hino also announced that all derivatives in the Hino 700 range are now powered by Euro IV engines, and the number of extra-heavy models will be increasing from six to thirteen at the start of 2014.

When the industry closes in December, Hino will also be relocating their truck plant within Prospecton in Durban to a nearby site. At a cost of R50 million, this will allow for a new manufacturing principle to be implemented, where trucks’ sub-components will be assembled away from the main assembly line and then sequence delivered on a just-in-time basis to the line.

MAN Truck & Bus SA

Hao Jianyu, FAW Africa Investment Corporation GM

Words to remember: “To be competitive, our customers need their vehicles to be running upwards of 90 percent of their service life in a manner that is cost effective.” Geoff du Plessis, MAN Executive Chairman While most other truck manufacturers had to make do with their exhibits in halls, MAN once again created a ‘MAN Metropolis’ by occupying a building and prime real estate near JIMS’ main entrance. This abundance of space was just as well because their show theme fell under a Rubic’s Cube motif, showcasing ‘MAN Solutions’: an integrated portfolio of commercial transport products and services.

Intangible aspects of this highlighted at JIMS included MAN’s customisable finance, warranty and maintenance contracts, advanced driver training and telematics solutions. On the heavy metal side, MAN profiled their ‘Built-for-Africa’ range of trucks – both under the MAN and Volkswagen brands.

These ranged from MAN’s TGS EfficientLine trucktractors, which proved in a spectacular road trip in 2012 that they could achieve a 7,8% diesel saving; to MAN’s Indian-produced CLA range of easy-to-repair workhorses; and Volkswagen Constellation trucks popular for their class-leading volume and weightcarrying specifications.

FAW South Africa Words to remember: “A wise man once said there is no success like succeeding, and it is this success that we strive to create and achieve not only in South Africa but the whole of Africa.” Hao Jianyu, FAW Africa Investment Corporation GM FAW South Africa was established in South Africa in 1994 as the local arm of China’s First Automotive Works Group Corporation. Founded in 1953, FAW is known globally for its high-profile joint ventures with established manufacturers including Volkswagen, Toyota, GM and Mazda.

At JIMS, FAW highlighted the imminent opening of its new state-of-the-art truck plant in the Eastern Cape’s Coega Industrial Development Zone. Scheduled for completion in December 2013, the plant is expected to have a capacity of 5 000 trucks per year – some of which will be exported to neighbouring African countries – with the first vehicles arriving in the second quarter of 2014.

Geoff du Plessis, MAN Executive Chairman

A second phase in the pipeline for the production facility will entail the assembly of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The total investment of approximately $100 million has been financed by FAW China and the China-Africa Development Fund.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Focus ON JIMS >>

Scania Southern Africa Words to remember: “We’re extremely proud of the fact that we’ve seen significant share growth; some 29%, so we’ve exceeded the growth in the market. In fact we’re the only Western European brand to gain share this year.”

Steve Wager, Scania Southern Africa MD With Steve Wager having taken the reins as MD of Scania Southern Africa in April 2012, this year was his first opportunity to officially participate at JIMS and he came bearing good news.

At the start of 2013 Scania embarked on a restructuring process in South Africa, and its operations are now focused on five regions. Wager confirmed that ex-Volvo MD Mark Erasmus will be assuming responsibility as Scania’s Gauteng regional director from November.

According to Wager this new regional structure has been welcomed by Scania customers, and certainly the company’s sales numbers appear to be a strong vindication thereof.

Wager revealed that in the past year Scania Southern Africa has experienced market-beating share growth of 29%, and it was also noted that Scania’s deliveries for 2013 had increased by 40%.

Scania’s trucking highlight at JIMS was the introduction of the new Scania Streamline range, first launched in Europe earlier in 2013 and effectively the brand for Scania’s G- and R-series line-up of long-haul trucks optimised for the lowest possible fuel consumption – with claimed fuel savings up to 5% for Euro III, IV and V engine derivatives – and maximum uptime.

While JIMS is often seen more as a brand-building showcase rather than a driver of sales, Scania revealed during the show that it was conducting brisk business from its stand: from a customer flying in a private plane from Louis Trichardt and immediately purchasing one of the aforementioned Streamline models, to a double-digit order for specialised trucks to be utilised in a cross-border mining operation, to one of the brand-new Scania Touring buses sold directly off the stand!

Steve Wager, Scania Southern Africa MD

16 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Trevor Holcroft, Serco CEO

Serco Truck Bodies & Trailers Words to remember: “We can’t really reduce the weight of our trailers much more now without going into very expensive materials, so we’ve started concentrating on being able to reduce the air resistance of these vehicles.” Trevor Holcroft, Serco CEO When you’re in business for over 30 years as Serco has been, you really end up pushing the boundaries of innovation for continued returns. This was evident on Serco’s stand at JIMS, where the highlight was the company’s new aerodynamic trailer.

According to Trevor Holcroft, Serco’s CEO, the company’s focus on weight reduction has resulted in truck trailers which are now as light as economically viable. Improvements to trailers’ aerodynamics are now yielding fresh results for Serco, as operators’ fuel costs can still be reduced for a more feasible initial investment.

Boasting durable aero skirts and a recessed roof diffuser, Serco’s new aerodynamic trailer has proven its worth in a recent road test in collaboration with Spar and Mix Telematics: returning a fuel saving of between 2,9 and 5,5% compared to a standard reference trailer.

In addition to the ‘Eco trailer kit’, Serco’s display trailer also featured several other innovative features: heavy-duty buffers on the rear of the trailer to prevent damage from bumps; a tough aluminium floor and reinforced carbon-fibre scuff on the walls; and an insulated roll-up door that preserves the cold chain during loading and unloading.

Tata Motors Words to remember: “Tata Motors started exporting vehicles way back in 1961. Last year we produced as a company over one million vehicles, and more than 500 000 of those vehicles were sold outside of India.”

Karl Slym, Tata Motors MD Tata Motors lays claim to being the world’s fifth largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer, and has been present in South Africa for over a decade.

When Tata Motors’ Managing Director, Karl Slym, took the stage on Tata’s stand at JIMS, he made it clear that South African operators can look forward to a number of exciting new Tata vehicles in all sectors of the local market.

Slym also revealed the four pillars of Tata Motors’ new ‘Horizonext’ corporate strategy: global design inputs (from design centres in England, Italy, Korea and India); quality; a customer-centric sales approach and the provision of a world-class service experience.

Similar to other manufacturers at JIMS, on display at Tata’s commercial vehicles stand were two new trucks – the Tata Prima 4938S 6X4 and 2528K 6x4 Tipper – which are on sale immediately in South Africa, and two previews of important models arriving in 2014.

The star of the latter was the Prima KL3TXF 6X4 longhaul tractor, featuring the latest derivative of the Eaton ultrashift plus automated gearbox (FO-18E318B).

This enables the KL3TXF’s high-torque performance: a claimed 2 509Nm will be available at 1 200 rpm for powerful gradeability in challenging conditions.

The second 2014 preview from Tata was the versatile Ultra 812 truck, powered by a low-revving Euro 3 compliant engine and available in multiple wheelbase options.

Steven Sutherland, MiX Telematics’ Sales Director

MiX Telematics Words to remember: “A lot of SMMEs look at highend and premium fleet solutions, and say ‘If I could have some of this in my business I’m sure I could get the efficiencies and be more effective.’” Steven Sutherland, MiX Telematics’ Sales Director As revealed at JIMS, the scale of MiX Telematics’ global fleet and mobile asset management operation results in staggering numbers. Since March 2013, MiX Telematics managed the following across their customers’ fleets: 660 million kilometres travelled, 551 million events (such as speeding or harsh braking) and approximately three Terabytes of data being transferred.

The highlight at JIMS was the introduction of ‘The Essential MiX’: an affordable bundle of MiX Telematics’ fleet management and vehicle recovery tools specifically aimed at the SMME consumer.

This bundle comprises MiX Telematics’ entry-level computer device (producing fleet management information when installed into a vehicle); access to FM-Web (a web-based dashboard interface) and the Beam-e stolen vehicle recovery service.

Also on display at JIMS was MiX Vision – a fullyintegrated camera option, launched earlier this year. Setting it apart from other in-cab video cameras which only detect events via accelerometers, MiX Vision’s integration with the on-board computer enables it to record a broader range of events (e.g. when a vehicle’s ignition is turned on).

Karl Slym, Tata Motors MD

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Focus ON JIMS >>

Better For Business

Isuzu Truck South Africa’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Uren

With new corporate investment and an important upgrade for their workhorse in the South African medium commercial segment, Isuzu Trucks is ending the year off in style

W

hen journalists arrived at the Isuzu Trucks stand at JIMS, they were greeted by an ideal trifecta: global executives with an important corporate announcement, a unique gallery of Isuzu-inspired artwork, and a gamechanging product in the form of the Isuzu NMR 250 AMT truck.

Isuzu Motors Limited’s Masanori Katayama, the company’s Managing Executive Officer, shared a landmark announcement with the media: Isuzu Motors Limited is in the process of increasing its share in Isuzu Truck South Africa (Pty) Limited to 70%.

Previously an equal shareholder with General Motors in this joint venture, the new investment serves to strengthen ties between Isuzu on a global level and its presence in South Africa. In addition to streamlining Isuzu Trucks’ assembly line in Port Elizabeth, the announcement also sees Isuzu Truck South Africa tasked with leading Isuzu’s growth into Sub Saharan Africa.

Following this announcement, Isuzu Truck South

18 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Africa’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Uren, presided over the unveiling of an important new model for the brand in South Africa: the Isuzu NMR 250 AMT. Previously fitted with a five-speed manual transmission, Isuzu have responded to customers’ appetite for their six-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) by installing it in the NMR 250 truck range for the first time. They are so confident in the benefits of the AMT technology, in fact, that manual derivatives of the NMR 250 will no longer be available.

Isuzu Trucks’ N-Series range was first launched in South Africa in 2008, and the NMR 250 – as per Isuzu’s nomenclature – boasts a nominal two and a half ton payload. The latest announcement now sees AMT being implemented in the full Isuzu range, from two ton to eight ton trucks.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Isuzu NMR 250 AMT, Craig Uren revealed that South African customer demand for AMT had doubled to 50% of Isuzu’s sales volume in the last six months. The new model will fuel this trend even further.

With the NMR 250 AMT now bringing all the benefits of its unique transmission and a versatile truck chassis to the 2,5 ton payload segment, it is expected to be particularly popular

and intercooled. Despite the engine still being the same, however, the AMT-equipped NMR 250 trucks are expected to be more fuel-efficient than manual counterparts, as their built-in technology automatically prevents trucks from over-revving and results in better shifting patterns.

Although drivers can still shift gears manually if desired, the AMT will not permit a gear-change which would result in excessive engine revving. In addition to preventing engine damage, the AMT gearbox also features an ‘Economy’ mode which promotes optimal green-band driving and further improves fuel economy.

Isuzu were so confident in ease-of-driving with the new truck that shortly after JIMS they invited customers and media – many without formal trucking skills – to the Tarlton International Raceway outside Johannesburg.

Everybody was encouraged to put the vehicles through their paces. They evaluated the vehicles on acceleration, a slalom course, three-point turns and emergency braking.

amongst operators who would have previously considered traditional light commercial vehicles.

Automatically Better To understand why the AMT is in such demand is to recognise that it is not an ‘automatic gearbox’ in the conventional sense of torque converters and planetary gears. Rather a clue is in AMT’s name: the shifting of gears is managed electronically, and there is no need for a clutch as power is transferred through a fluid coupling.

With no incidents experienced during the track day, Isuzu’s core message with AMT was driven home strongly: an AMT immediately improves drivers’ skill levels, enabling poor to mediocre drivers to concentrate on steering and road safety, simultaneously boosting their comfort levels.

The Isuzu NMR 250 AMT will be backed up by Isuzu Trucks’ standard 2-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, providing peace of mind – an additional advantage when compared to other light commercial vehicles with fixed-mileage warranties.

This simplifies the truck’s maintenance and minimises operating costs, as the average lifecycle of an AMT is 300 000km. In South Africa this would equate to a saving for owners of as much as R60 000, purely by removing the need for three clutch replacements.

“Driving a truck has never been so easy and stress free,” states Anton du Plessis, Isuzu Truck South Africa’s National Sales Manager. He explains that apart from the upgrade of the previous five-speed MYY5S manual transmission to the AMT’s six-speed MYY6S transmission, every other specification will be identical to those of the manual NMR 250 trucks.

Power is still derived from the same 2 999cc common rail diesel engine, which is both turbocharged

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Focus ON JIMS >>

Hyva’s Regional Director for Middle East and Africa, Martin Kolkman (centre) was joined at the company’s stand at JIMS by Hyva Southern Africa’s Managing Director Boudewijn van Beek (left) and Sales and Operations Manager Pearce Vorster (right)

Welcome to South Africa, Hyva!

C

laiming a global market leadership in hydraulics, Hyva has come far since being founded in the Netherlands in 1979.

Selling products – including hydraulics, cranes and moving floors – into South Africa for the past 15 years with the help of an agent, Hyva opted to start selling directly to the local market in 2008.

When Hyva participated in JIMS it wasn’t just to showcase products, but : rather to share good news is y the multinational compan uth opening its first office in So Africa. We spoke to Hyva executives about the move

“The market was increasingly asking for direct deliveries from overseas,” explains Martin Kolkman, Hyva’s Regional Director for Middle East and Africa.

“Last year we said that the next step in the market is that we should be local; customers like to have daily and fast response and an invoice in the local currency.”

Until now Hyva has managed all South African activity through its regional head office in Dubai, and supplying customers through its agents, Lift and Shift Equipment.

Hyva’s new Southern African office is based in Durban, and is expected to officially open by the end of 2013.

Tasked with heading up the Southern African business is Boudewijn van Beek, Managing Director of Hyva Southern Africa. Having worked for Hyva for over five years, Van Beek has just arrived in South Africa following posts with the company in Holland and Dubai.

Van Beek reveals that visitors to the Hyva stand at the

20 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Johannesburg International Motor Show greeted the news of the new Southern African office with enthusiasm, and for good reason – Hyva focuses on supporting customers with comprehensive offerings.

“Regarding hydraulics for example, we are able to supply complete kits, from the cylinder to the PTO and cabin controls,” says Van Beek. “When we sell our products we sell them as a complete hydraulic solution, with the ability to offer technical support in terms of calculations and illustrations to show the customer up-front how his solution will look.”

According to Kolkman, Hyva not only needs to supply bodybuilders, but also provide client support to all overseas OEMs whose trucks are imported or assembled locally with Hyva equipment pre-installed.

“We believe that the sustainability of our market share is because we deliver aftersales globally,” reflects Kolkman. “We’re looking for local partners to help us to set up an aftersales infrastructure and introduce the Hyva Care System; sometimes we have our own workshops, and sometimes we collaborate with partners for service, maintenance, repair and training purposes.”

A warm Future Trucking & Logistics welcome to Hyva – all the best with your ongoing expansion!

J H B/E 10005382JB/

We know it takes a lot more than wheels and a chassis to keep things moving forward.

It takes a clear understanding of how your business operates. It takes expertly trained people who care about providing the best advice and the best service possible.

Hino prides itself on delivering cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency. It’s why every Hino is built for your business.

– SO NO MATTER WHAT YOUR BUSINESS, YOU CAN KEEP ON TRUCKING.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Insight >>

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has a track record spanning more than 60 years in research, development and innovation. The CSIR was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council. The organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandate is to increase the competitiveness of industry, while simultaneously improving the quality of life of the people of South Africa. This article deals with research conducted within the appropriate CSIR operating unit, namely CSIR Built Environment.

When the Rubber Meets the Road Research by the CSIR into the contact stresses between truck tyres and the road surface has disproven previous assumptions, and revealed significant unequal load sharing with potentially damaging consequences

T

he forces resulting from the contact between a moving tyre of a heavy vehicle and its suspension system, and the road it travels on, have a direct impact on the performance and lifespan of the tyre and of the design life of the road, especially the surface.

The stress-in-motion technology of the CSIR enables measurement and quantification of the effects of the multi-dimensional stress on both tyres and roads. Manufacturers of tyres and road-surfacing materials can potentially improve the performance of their products when using design recommendations by the CSIR. These recommendations follow from research and development on the actual contact stresses between tyres and the road surface. The

Author: Dr Morris de Beer, project manager of SIM and a principal researcher in transport infrastructure engineering at the CSIR

Footprint image of the vertical tyre contact stresses of a six-axle truck on the N3 at Heidelberg

22 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

CSIR, in collaboration with industry and academia, has developed unique stress-in-motion (SIM) technology to measure and quantify the effects of the multi-dimensional stresses at the tyre-road interface.

Measurement options include single tyres or twintyre configurations under controlled speed, loading and inflation pressures. For the ‘on-the-road’ option, heavy vehicles could be measured at a weighbridge, without necessarily controlling the tyre loading or inflation pressure.

The SIM system simultaneously measures the vertical (Z), lateral (Y) and longitudinal (X) vehicle tyre-road interface contact stresses under a moving wheel load. This SIM technology provides some of the most important inputs into modern mechanistically-based road pavement design for optimising the cost of roads over their design life.

Vertical (Z), Lateral (Y) and Longitudinal (X) SIM images of tyres-road contact stresses

The SIM instrumentation was developed mainly for the measurement of slow-moving, full-scale pneumatic truck tires at a speed of approximately 5 km/h. The SIM measurements provide rational descriptions of multi-dimensional tyre and road contact stresses that can potentially be used for tyre and road design, testing and evaluation.

Unequal Load Sharing CSIR research using SIM technology has proved that significant unequal load sharing exists between the individual tyres and also the axles of heavy vehicles measured on the N3 near Heidelberg.

This leads to uneven deformation of the tyres, as well as the road surface. These results disprove previous assumptions in tyre and road design that equal weight is shared between the various tyres and axle groups for a given heavy vehicle.

Typically, a pneumatic rubber tyre consists of the tread with sidewalls and bead bundles, cap plies, steel belts, body plies and an inner liner. Inflation pressures of tyres increase with temperature over running time and, in addition, there is not always a constant uniform contact stress of a circular shape between different tyres and the surface of the road.

These depend heavily on the tyre design, tyre loading and its inflation pressure.

The vehicle, suspension, tyre and road surface should be viewed as one holistic system – that is why tyre, vehicle and road engineers should have a close working relationship, something that is currently neither the norm in the South African industry nor internationally.

In a CSIR real-time study on the N3 North near Heidelberg for the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL), close to 3 000 heavy vehicles

were tested, which represent a unique data set of about 57 000 tyres.

An example of the vertical contact stress of the 22 tyres of a six-axle truck is shown on the accompanying image. Note the unequal stress patterns, especially for the four tyres on axle two.

With such a SIM facility at a weighbridge, truck drivers could be informed on the associated tyre loadings and tyre pressures for each of the truck tyres.

Improved Design The CSIR research results can be used to improve the design and performance of tyres, truck and trailer suspension design and the performance of construction materials, and the methodology of road construction. The CSIR has built up expertise on tyres, roads and heavy vehicles and their interactions over many years.

The advanced R&D using SIM will in future allow for high-resolution road contact stress measurements, such as from passenger car tyres, requiring a holistic approach with due cognisance of global trends.

My vision for the SIM technology is that it will someday be fully integrated with all or most of our highways as part of the intelligent road network to inform travellers, especially about heavy vehicle traffic and tyre loading demands on our roads – our local and national assets.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Profile >>

A Steady Grip Truck operators have an endless list of components to worry about, but when it comes to tyres, TrenTyre’s new boss is determined to support customers. Leon Schnell met with Nigel Sowerby

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oing on for two years after being appointed as TrenTyre’s Operations and Commercial Director, Nigel Sowerby feels that good progress is being made in growing the business. From a personal perspective, he also welcomes having returned to Africa.

Born in Nigeria and having lived in Kenya, Sowerby is not your average executive parachuted into a South African executive position from Europe, although his previous position was running Goodyear’s commercial tyre operation in the United Kingdom.

Wryly noting that this is something he is often quizzed on, Sowerby is modest about the impact of his African roots on his business outlook.

“Africa is not a shock, that’s all,” he reflects.

“Clearly South Africa is an easier place to live than Nigeria or Kenya, so I think it just means that your period of ‘bedding in’ is shorter.”

Goodyear’s affiliation with TrenTyre started in 1997 in South Africa, when Goodyear purchased TrenTyre’s holding company – Contred – from Consol.

Despite his unassuming nature, Sowerby has been credited with turning around Goodyear’s positioning within the UK market – which he characterises as mature, while not having the same level of tyre imports as there are in South Africa.

“There [in the UK] the brand positioning of Goodyear was to link both the tyre brand and the service brand,” he explains.

“In terms of the tyre brand, our focus is on both mileage and fuel saving, linked with outstanding service and our ability to retread. What we were trying to say to fleets in the UK was, ‘Buy fewer tyres and reduce your operating cost.’”

Interestingly, given the emphasis that truck manufacturers in South Africa place on

24 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

highlighting their new vehicles’ fuel efficiency, Sowerby notes that the level of interest in fuel economy is markedly different between operators in the UK and in South Africa.

“I have been exposed to the South African market for two years now, and most of our operators – still – are much more focused on kilometres than fuel saving,” he says. “I guess part of that is due to road conditions, climate and driver skill. It may come to South Africa, but it’s not the huge driving force for purchase that we saw in Western Europe.”

South African Focus Although Sowerby prefers to not disclose TrenTyre’s market share in the South African tyre industry, he confirms that the company is one of the key players thanks to its national footprint and number of branches.

“If you look in 2012 to 2013, last year we got hit by a series of strikes in primary industries which clearly affected the business, so numbers are more encouraging this year,” Sowerby reveals. “Then again, we just recently went through a strike. We’re making progress, however, and in terms of market share by branch I believe we’ve made considerable progress.”

When asked what he considers as his key successes in South Africa since taking over the Goodyear commercial tyre business, it might be surprising when his answer is simply, “Nothing really.”

Sowerby is being modest, however. “It’s all about the people who work for you,” he continues. “I guess since we’ve been here we’ve had a lot of focus on TrenTyre as a vehicle for commercial sales in South Africa – still trying to build some relationships with key independent suppliers out there – but fundamentally what we’re trying to do is talk to end users as a company with great tyres and a great service offering.”

TrenTyre is positioned as a multi-brand retailer in South Africa, with Goodyear and Sava branded tyres being at the core of the product offering, and Annaite as an imported house brand tyre. Goodyear South Africa currently produces around 75% of its tyres sold locally out of its factory in Uitenhage, with the balance being imported from various European facilities.

Tyres’ Second Life Retreading is another important component of TrenTyre’s local operations – with tyres sourced from 12 retreading factories across South Africa – and this highlights a more favourable distinction between South Africa and the UK for Sowerby.

According to him, the ratio of retreaded tyres to new tyres sold locally is high at between two to three, compared to the UK’s ratio of one to one.

“I think what drives that ratio is fundamentally fleets are looking at their costs. The more they get out of the carcass, in the end the better their cost per kilometre is,” he elaborates.

On this note, in fact, Sowerby has high praise for South African trucking operations which he deems to do a fantastic job, but that’s not always the case.

“There are fleets out there which really treat tyres as an asset and get the last millimetre of rubber,” he says. “I’ve seen other occasions where there is very little of that – I’d say that in South Africa it’s some of the very best that I’ve seen, and some of the very worst.”

Sowerby is quick to qualify that, however, stating that South Africa is a mature market from a tyre perspective, and the balance lies towards fleets looking after their tyres as well as possible.

From TrenTyre’s perspective, he intends to keep the company on a consistent track, with no major changes scheduled for 2014. “We aim to continue with our approach of growing our standards; so that we continue to offer our clients the best service we can,” Sowerby concludes.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Cover Story >>

Volvoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future,

A skidpan full of trucks, an international president, daring motorcycle stunts and Kobus Wiese ... Volvo Trucks knows how to put on a show! Leon Schnell attended the Gerotek event

26 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Today A

year after its European launch, the award-winning Volvo FH, its smaller sibling the FM, and the FMX off-road truck ranges were recently introduced to South African media, effectively refreshing the entire Volvo product family locally.

The timing could not have been better: not only was the event held a day before the media launches at the Johannesburg International Motor Show, but just a month earlier the Volvo FH was revealed as winner of the International Truck of the Year 2014... for the third time since 1994.

A sure indicator of the importance of the event, Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks’ International, was present to introduce the trucks to journalists (see accompanying exclusive interview).

Volvo FMX

“With the economy of South Africa representing almost a third of the African continent’s GDP, it’s obvious that if we want to make it big in Africa we have to succeed in this country,” said Nilsson. “Designed and built for durability on challenging roads, in tough climatic conditions, our new trucks are an outstanding choice for South African transporters in all segments.”

Nilsson did not reserve his praise for the new Volvo FH, describing it as ‘bringing transportation into a new dimension’, and his confidence is clearly shared: he revealed that, to date, Volvo have delivered over 8 000 units of the new FH to European customers, with great feedback received.

In South Africa the Volvo FH in its Euro 3 emissions guise will be assembled at the company’s Durban plant, with the first units expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2014. Euro 5 and 6 engine variants are however available on request, with these derivatives unlocking the FH’s full treasure trove of specification.

A Legend Reborn Volvo is at pains to emphasise that never before have transport operators and truck drivers been as closely involved in their new truck development, and the new FH sports countless tweaks to improve comfort, ergonomics, safety and ultimately driver productivity.

These include an extra cubic metre of space in the cabin; an increased field of vision and slim-line mirror arms; a steering wheel with its world-first neck-tilt

function; an optional wireless remote allowing drivers to operate numerous truck functions during loading and unloading; the car-like instrument cluster and even an escape hatch in the ceiling.

The road feel has also been greatly improved thanks to the option of individual front suspension, air suspension and patented Volvo Dynamic Steering.

This latter system combines conventional hydraulic power steering with an electric motor, reducing driver fatigue at low speeds or heavy loads by contributing up to 25Nm of turning torque and removing interference from the road surface.

From a mechanical perspective, all derivatives in the FH range utilise Volvo’s I-Shift 12-speed automated mechanical gearbox, and in South Africa this will come standard with special software packages which have been designed for specific industry segments to optimise fuel consumption.

Operators selecting Euro 5 and 6 models are in for a special treat: the I-Shift transmission’s new I-See function.

This software package stores information about road elevation whenever a truck drives along a route for the December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Cover Story >>

first time. For subsequent trips along the same route, I-See automatically operates the accelerator, gears and brakes to ensure maximum fuel economy.

Being Volvo, a full suite of advanced electronic safety systems are also available, although mostly as options. These include Lane Keeping Support, Lane Changing Support, Adaptive Cruise Control and a Driver Alert System – which compares the driver’s steering wheel movements with road markings, and sounds an alarm if weaving is detected.

For those not satisfied with anything less than perfection, the jewel in the FH long-haul range is undoubtedly the Volvo FH16. Apart from boasting an ultra-powerful 750 horsepower engine, luxury features include a driver’s seat, steering wheel and grab-handle which are all upholstered in leather, and an intelligent electric parking cabin cooler which does not consume fuel when stopped.

An addition deserving a special mention is the Volvo Telematics Gateway, which enables workshops to boost uptime by remotely checking on the wear of truck components, diagnose faults remotely on stranded trucks, and provides valuable fleetmanagement data through the Dynafleet app. Volvo Action Service (VAS) on Call is a complimentary new feature that increases drivers’ security, providing a one-touch button in the cab which connects drivers directly to the VAS helpdesk.

Kobus Wiese, former Springbok rugby player

“I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a World Cup winning side in 1995 – a team that understood what it takes to perform under pressure the whole time. That’s what it takes to be at the top, and that’s exactly what these Volvo trucks are: reliable, able to absorb pressure and constantly perform.”

A Global Perspective: Claes Nilsson When Volvo Trucks’ International President Claes Nilsson isn’t balancing precariously 20 meters in the air on the nose of a Volvo FMX truck – a daring YouTube stunt filmed earlier this year (search for ‘Volvo Trucks - The Hook’) – he’s happy to share insights into the company’s future. We grabbed that rare opportunity at Gerotek

Q: Do you have any new strategic objectives for Volvo Trucks in 2014?

Claes Nilsson: “We’re continuing on the same journey we’ve been on for many years. We see our brand competing in the premium segment and we want to make our brand and products offer more value for customers than the competition.

We will never be the cheapest in the market: we are really looking for customers who appreciate

28 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Volvo Trucks SA President Torbjörn Christensson

THE LONG GAME Speaking at Gerotek, Volvo Trucks South Africa’s President Torbjörn Christensson confirmed that he would be fulfilling the role of Managing Director for the company until a replacement could be appointed for former MD Mark Erasmus.

Christensson highlighted the ongoing effort into improving Volvo Trucks’ network, with 15 dealers in

quality and productivity. I think many of the South African customers are ideal from that point of view: heavy loads, long distances, tough roads.”

Q: How well do you feel your driver-focused truck cabs are being received in South Africa?

Claes Nilsson: “In some countries where the driver wage is very high, and it might even be difficult to find drivers, it can be more evident how that philosophy adds value to the customer.

South Africa, the recently inaugurated dealership in Rustenburg, new sites in Pretoria, East London and Richards Bay and significant investment into a new Volvo Trucks Centre in Bloemfontein.

“Within 12 months we should have more than 20 dealerships in South Africa, and on top of that we’re expanding our footprint into the neighbouring countries in the region,” he elaborated. “The commitment for us to be a big player in the long term is definitely there.”

It is a highly optimised driveline and engine with a horsepower/torque performance which is particularly good under certain weight and road conditions, together with a new generation of I-Shift with a dual-clutch operation that makes clutching much more efficient as well. You can continuously find improvements in fuel efficiency and I don’t think we’ve seen the end of that.”

Q: Can you share a preview of what Volvo trucks in the future will be capable of?

However, we are trying quite successfully to talk to customers about how much their economy and productivity depends on the efficiency of their drivers. I think really proactive customers here in South Africa see that connection as well, and we will continue in that direction.”

Claes Nilsson: “I think the big revolution will be in the field of electronics and all the information that the truck produces and how we use that, both in terms of maintenance and to optimise uptime so that a problem is taken care of before it is a problem.

efficiency, or have engines become as efficient as possible?

Through connectivity to trucks you can also see a lot of things that can be done related to logistics management and how you can communicate between the home office of the transport company and the truck itself, and I think we’re just seeing the beginning of that.”

Q: Are there any more gains likely in fuel

Claes Nilsson: “In Europe we have announced a new concept which is coming in production next Spring, which is called the I-Torque.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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Personality >>

Keeping Constant Constant Pretorius, Manager of the Automotive Laboratory at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in Pretoria, has been involved in mechanics since childhood. Lauren Copley caught up with him to find out about the important safety testing work done on trucks at the facility As a boy, Constant Pretorius loved playing with cars, a passion he developed from his father, who was an automotive mechanic. “It was always my ambition to be a mechanic, ever since I built go-karts as a boy and bought my first car, an old Anglia, for R250 when I was 15.”

After lovingly repairing and spray painting the old jalopy, Constant – then with no driver’s licence – recalls having to be satisfied with driving it up and down his driveway at home.

Once he matriculated in 1979, he joined the army as a permanent force member, where he completed his trade as a mechanic. Following a decade in the industry, he started working as a test officer in 1989 at the Automotive Laboratory of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).

Like everyone else Constant had to work his way up, honing his skills on a wide variety of complex safety tests before being promoted to the Section Head and later to Manager of the lab. He was at the forefront of recapitalising the laboratory, so was granted permission to spend R2,5 million on repairing the equipment and a further R6,5 million on upgrading and refurbishment.

Currently the SABS Automotive Lab is responsible for ensuring that components and systems produced by the auto supply industry in new trucks and vehicles are tested to comply with certain compulsory safety and quality specifications gazetted in the Road Traffic Act. Constant explains that all new trucks have to go through a homologation process for approval in order to be registered on the Natis system, which in turn enables them to be licensed.

30 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Constant Pretorius (centre) demonstrates the anchorages of bus seats to the floor and to the safety belt, to operator Jeffrey Nkuna (left) and student Shaun Larkin (right)

Constant Pretorius shows a student how to set up disc pads to test replacement friction material

Specification Compliance While the SABS’ Automotive Lab has jurisdiction over testing new trucks that come off the manufacturing floor, this does not extend to those already on the road, as these are regarded as second hand vehicles that have to go to testing stations.

Constant points out that according to law, trucks have to undergo a roadworthy test at a testing station every year, where core components such as lights, brakes, rear underrun, windscreen and mirrors are investigated.

If trucks fail to comply with legislative requirements, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) has the power to prevent companies from selling non-

“The most important aspects of running a successful testing lab are functional equipment, resources and qualified personnel”

compliant products and can destroy existing stock or send imported products back to the country of origin.

“I would say that approximately 70% of trucks comply with our specs the first time. If a truck fails, we report it to the customer for corrective action so it can be brought back for a retest,” he remarks.

Following some recent tragic truck accidents, Constant comments that most of the errors he sees involves brakes or brake design, adding that the lab ‘seems to be getting more requests to test replacement brake friction material’.

In the absence of the lab having a mandate to regulate second hand trucks on the road, all Constant can do is to offer assistance to a separate SABS division tasked

Safety belts being tested in accordance with SANS1080 specs*

with monitoring test stations and be willing to accommodate traffic police if they ask for advice on what to look out for when stopping trucks on the road.

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Truck safety tests done at the SABS Automotive Laboratory The SABS is a state-owned company, which together with three other organisations, falls under the DTI’s umbrella of technical infrastructure institutions.

Tests conducted at the SABS’s Pretoria premises include: • Anchorage tests • Impact test – steering wheel and frontal • Safety belts • Interior fittings • Tow bars • Rear under run • Number plates • Door latches and hinges • Brakes • Mirrors • Roll over protection • Mud flaps • Replacement friction material • Audible warning devices • Noise emission • Tyre testing is currently in the planning phase

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Personality >>

Since his core responsibility at the Automotive Lab is to generate revenue, maintaining relationships with clients such as manufacturers, importers and truck body builders’ takes up a few hours every day. In addition, Constant teaches people to do the various tests and still conducts some testing himself. For him, the most important aspects of running a successful testing lab are functional equipment, resources and qualified personnel.

While he confesses that ‘managing people’ is his biggest challenge, Constant has fortunately surrounded himself with ‘knowledgeable individuals that can transfer their expertise to younger employees.’

He believes the knowledge he has gained through the years has stood him in good stead: “In this field you have to be very objective, stick to your viewpoint and be extremely strict in interpreting the specs, because that is your bible. You also have to continually be on the lookout for people who attempt to bribe you into producing false test reports.”

This comprehensive test, which all new trucks have to undergo before being sold, comprises investigating numerous components such as frontal impact, energy dissipation, safety belts and belt anchorage, static and drive-by noise, mirrors, brakes and audible warning systems.

While there are different specs for trucks and trailers, Constant points out that not all the tests are conducted at the lab itself. A specially designed test track outside Pretoria is used for various road tests, and destructive tests are conducted on trucks to determine loads and rollover protection capabilities.

A speedometer accuracy test at the lab’s racing track outside Pretoria*

Rapid Testing Constant is justifiably proud of the progress that has been made in the lab and the fact that it is able to conduct the biggest range of independent tests in the country, while offering a quick turnaround.

He comments that brake tests take two weeks, while a noise test takes two days and a mirror test three days to complete. “Apart from the Automotive Lab in Pretoria, our East London lab houses the equipment for emissions and battery testing,” he adds.

In addition to introducing computers into the lab, Constant has upgraded the testing equipment so the facility is now able to conduct a full range of homologation tests within two months – compared to the 12 months it takes in busy laboratories overseas.

32 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

With his love of all things mechanical, it is not surprising that Constant still repairs his own cars at home. His fascination with mechanics also means that if he sees someone struggling with any technical machine, he wants to jump in and help. “On weekends, I enjoy a round of golf or playing with my six-year-old granddaughter, and no, I have not yet taught her how to fix a car,” he quips.

Constant says that having personally designed about 80% of the testing equipment in the Automotive Lab, it’s very close to his heart. He is especially upbeat about new tests and technologies such as the Dot system that the lab will hopefully be introducing before the end of the year. This unique branding system entails invisible barcodes – in the form of microdots placed in 300 different places on a vehicle – and is only visible under certain light. “We’ll be the first lab in South Africa to do this test,” he says proudly.

“Since both SABS automotive laboratories are accredited

by SANAS, I hope that in the future, our lab will be able to test for the whole world to obtain the E-Mark, the compulsory specs system used throughout Europe. We are some way behind, but I’m excited because there is still a lot of work for me to do here.”

Photos with * provided by the SABS PR & Communications Department. Balance of photos by Lauren Copley

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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TRAINING >>

From Storerooms

to Boardrooms

As the logistics industry has evolved in South Africa, so too have educational requirements. Leon Schnell spoke to Richard dos Santos about training, SAPICS and common misperceptions Representative of the fresh thinking which continues to rejuvenate the organisation, Richard dos Santos was elected to SAPICS’ Executive Committee over a year ago because of his dynamism and insights he could provide into web-based training for Africa.

“What SAPICS is trying to do is broaden its offering to the marketplace,” Richard explains with enthusiasm.

“Instead of just being traditionally focused on materials handling, the revolution in the logistics environment has seen fleet management organisations, for example, now possessing skill sets that are more akin to an outsourced solution that bundles warehouse and fleet management as well as trucking.

Richard dos Santos, SAPICS Executive Board Member, in CLX’s simulated warehouse training environment

I

n a sector flooded by acronyms, SAPICS is one which often needs a little explanation. Not nearly as snappy off the tongue, the South African Production and Inventory Control Society was founded in 1966, and has, over the years, evolved into SAPICS – positioned as ‘your supply chain network’.

The association is presently active in South Africa as a Section 21 Non Profit Organisation, and boasts 1 300 members comprising the full gamut from students to professionals and corporate members – with a number having been involved and active for over 30 years.

The SAPICS Annual Conference, traditionally hosted at Sun City, has also become the definitive meeting place for local and international logistics professionals from a broad cross-section of industries.

34 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

“That’s the direction that the logistics industry is moving towards and SAPICS wants to align with that; we’re not just trying to be one thing that was a historic legacy, but rather broaden our offering to bring supply chain skills to not just logistics providers but also diverse industries for which SAPICS has a natural offering.”

In addition to hosting important networking events such as its aforementioned conference, an industry Golf Day, and the annual Supply Chain Management Education Excellence Awards, SAPICS is also well-known for its role as an agent for supply chain and logistics training material.

SAPICS provides training courseware to authorised education providers across Africa, some of which is locally-developed and the balance American content primarily from SAPICS’ parent in the United States, APICS – the Association for Operations Management.

“SAPICS is one of the APICS non-profit association channel partners that has a higher penetration of APICS certification numbers ever achieved per country, relative to the manufacturing output,” reveals Tracy Cheetham, former SAPICS President and currently Director of New Partner Development at APICS.

has taken the decision to focus on knowledge-transfer programmes – its qualifications are well accepted by South African businesses. They range from entry-level courses dealing with the basics of stock control, all the way through mid-level courses to APICS’ ‘Certified in Production and Industry Management’ (CPIM) and ‘Certified Supply Chain Professional’ (CSCP) designations.

“It’s not just a case of trying to get people to buy into the concept of training, but to buy into the concept of what supply chain management is,” explains Richard. “On one hand you’ve got companies that see supply chain management to only be logistics – and that includes truck and fleet management – and on the other hand, particularly aligned to parastatals, they look at it as just supply management; only concerned with procurement and purchasing activities.”

“Along with France, SAPICS also has the highest number of APICS Recognised Instructors outside of North America. They have also played an active role in the development of APICS awareness and accessibility to APICS exams in locations further afield, such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and even Mauritius, amongst others.”

Addressing Systems Failure When he’s not occupied by his duties for SAPICS, Richard is the General Manager for one of SAPICS’ authorised education providers, the Centre for Logistics Excellence (CLX).

While working for a business consulting organisation engaged in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Richard says that he and his colleagues discovered that typically ERP systems’ failure would frequently be traced back to a lack of understanding by the people operating them or providing the input to the original configuration.

“We said if we are going to carry on with these systems’ implementation, we need to tackle the education aspect when we implement the system, not just the system’s training component,” recalls Richard. When a year later his company acquired CLX, he was presented with the perfect opportunity to develop skills on a much broader level throughout the sector.

Although it is important to note that SAPICS and APICS training material is not locally accredited – SAPICS

For Richard, supply chain management has a more encompassing definition. “I look to it instead as being the coordinating function between all those various activities, including finance, marketing, sales, procurement and logistics,” he says.

“Supply chain management really is the role within an organisation that coordinates and ensures that all other players are aligned to a common strategy.”

Starting Point According to Richard, another common educational stumbling block which education programmes – such as those offered by SAPICS, APICS and his own CLX – seek to address is a lack of organisational process awareness.

“If I’m going to be concerned with merely pickingand-packing or dispatching a vehicle, there’s a lack of upstream and downstream activity awareness. ‘Where did the information come from for me to load that vehicle, or what happens when I process that order?’” he elaborates.

“Everybody that is involved in the supply chain has an impact on what the customer satisfaction level will be at the end of the day. To understand that properly will enable you to not rush the order past your desk, or process that document in any given fashion, as you’re aware of the implications of your actions on the rest of the supply chain.”

At present SAPICS is preparing for its 36th Annual Conference, the theme of which is Resilient Supply Chains.

Registration details are available, together with the full

education offering including the international certifications, on its website at www.sapics.co.za.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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RECRUITMENT >>

Talent’s Next In the fast-paced world of transport and logistics, skills are vital. One local company is at the global forefront of shaking up the industry’s acquisition model.

Leon Schnell spoke to the CEO, Georgina Barrick

Big Thing D

on’t be fooled when Georgina Barrick from Humanity Search and Select hands you her business card: her title on it may well read ‘Chief Connector’, but in reality she is the Bryanston-based company’s CEO and one of its founders.

Although Humanity – as Barrick refers to the company in shorthand – was established in 2010, it already plays a significant role in South Africa’s transport and logistics industries. Humanity has been responsible for placing key individuals from executive officers to assisting clients in populating entirely new teams in the supply chain and logistics sector.

While a common complaint throughout the industry regards a lack of skills amongst job candidates, this is not a problem which Humanity typically suffers from.

Rather, as a ‘search’ or (more crudely) ‘head-hunting’ business, Barrick notes that her company does not experience the skills shortage as much as recruitment companies might.

“Recruitment is designed to reveal the best available candidate,” she elaborates. “Search is designed to reveal the best candidate, so they’re most likely not available. They are being loved and courted by their current employers. It is our job to identify these high performers and to engage them on our clients’ behalf.”

Humanity is so confident that they are capable of sourcing the most suitable candidate that they guarantee all their placements for 12 months – four times as long as the traditional recruitment industry norm of three months.

To understand what underscores that confidence, however, one must first look at Humanity’s history.

Barrick explains that while her personal background lies in traditional recruitment and search, and she has the greatest respect for it, she was motivated by an irony she discovered.

Georgina Barrick, CEO of Humanity Search and Select

36 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

“I started to realise that in the 21st Century, the talent selection methodologies we were using hadn’t evolved, but in fact everything else in business had, including the people,” she recalls. “Surely we needed to have new and more relevant methodologies to assist in the selection of our teams?”

Georgina Barrick, CEO of Humanity Search and Select

While planning towards founding Humanity, Barrick says that through her conversations with various executives she realised that there were a significant number of employees who simply weren’t thrilled by their jobs: “I looked around me and quite frankly didn’t see people whistling on the way to work, so to speak.”

“Imagine if we could fill a company with people who love their jobs: imagine the differences to profitability, cross-team functionality and happiness in that organisation!” she still states with undiminished enthusiasm. “Also, what would it mean to this country that consistently performs so poorly in the world competitiveness index?”

And so it began: enter what Barrick describes as ‘Executive Search 2.0’.

Talent Selection’s New Wave “We’ve developed a behavioural competence tool that more scientifically assesses up-front the candidates who are most suitable for particular roles in the context of clients’ organisations.

Behavioural competence together with functional competence against the requirements of the role gives us a Performance Predictor™ – that’s the 2.0 part of it,” explains Barrick. “It’s very exciting, and we’ve found a lot of favour within the supply chain and logistics industry doing this.”

Humanity’s ‘secret sauce’ is known as a Consciousness Quotient (CQ)™ tool, and according to Barrick there are only two such tools in the world: Humanity’s, and one that is being used for research purposes.

“In recruitment and selection we are groundbreaking as the only firm in the world to use consciousness, your basic level of awareness that informs everything about you, in the assessment of a candidate’s suitability for a role in the context of a company,” says Barrick.

With South Africa’s entire skill base at her fingertips – in addition to skilled employees internationally looking to return home – Barrick is spoiled for choice when it comes to filling any vacancy. Rather, her challenge is to study both the employer and corporate culture as

much as the job profile and list of suitable candidates to ensure a happy, long-lasting and productive match.

Booming Job Prospects For anybody already working in the industry or studying towards a supply chain or logistics degree, Barrick has encouraging news.

“Supply chain specialists are in demand. We’ve had a number of assignments to assist companies in identifying those people, either as specialists or more generalist,” she reveals. “It’s been unbelievable for us to see how many of the candidates get counter-offered or move on very quickly for high – almost six-figure – salaries. These are people with a degree and four years’ experience.”

Although Barrick says the 2008 economic contraction did see a drop in the number of available jobs in this sector, as supply chain and logistics needs were reduced following large-scale rationalisation, she feels that the sector is steadily returning to its boom-time employment potential.

She describes large parastatals such as Transnet as a ‘vacuum for staff’ driving this growth, with Transnet alone employing 55 000 individuals and under Brian Molefe’s new leadership being prepared to pay for the best talent on offer. Interestingly, Humanity is playing a proactive role in promoting skills within the local transport and logistics industries, not just through their acquisition services but also at a grass roots level.

Barrick happens to also be a council member of the Federation of African Professional Staffing Organisations (APSO), and through Humanity’s shareholding from the Community Investment Development Trust, is also responsible for offering career guidance to graduates from the Maharishi Institute – one of the first free Universities in downtown Johannesburg.

“With matriculants who are thinking of studying, we’re advising them to go into this space. With the aspect of the integrated solutions that firms are offering rather than merely a product sale, the career opportunities really are huge across the spectrum,” she concludes.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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TECHNOLOGY >>

Cutting Through the Smoke There is a world of difference between a ‘running’ diesel engine and an ‘efficient’ one, and Chris Crookes explores the role of a pioneering South African aftermarket company in this field

A

nybody familiar with the diesel engines prominent in light delivery vehicles (LDVs) in the 1980s will recall their propensity for making up for lost performance with excessive exhaust smoke.

Even when manufacturers eventually introduced better-performing turbocharged engines boasting improved fuel consumption, exhaust smoke still remained a problem.

Cue South African SAC Trucks, currently based in Centurion and with branches around the country.

“During this period we wanted to improve engine performance and reduce the amount of exhaust smoke,” recalls SAC Trucks’ Andre’ Walters. At SAC Diesel, Hein Lategan and a small group of specialists set out to take on this challenge.

Their breakthrough came from aviation, where an old light aircraft was fitted with an exhaust temperature

38 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

gauge. During flight the pilot manually set the airfuel mixture until the exhaust temperature gauge remained within a certain temperature range.

This ensured that the combustion temperature was correct and that the engine was performing optimally.

The key to their success was to understand the relationship between air-fuel mixture, injection timing and combustion processes and exhaust gas temperature (EGT). When analysing exhaust gases at varying temperatures, they discovered differing proportions of un-burnt oxygen and fuel.

“During vehicle tests the exhaust temperature varied between 750˚ C and 850˚ C,” says Walters.

At this stage, LDV diesel fuel injection systems were mechanically operated and adjustment to fuel settings was done manually.

Combustion temperature is critical in the conversion of energy and it is the source of power: too low and the engine is inefficient and wastes fuel; too high and the formation of harmful nitrogen oxide is unacceptably high. The entire combustion process has to be monitored and controlled with uncompromising precision.

After many hours of dynamometer testing and adjustments to the fuel injection system, the SAC team discovered the optimal exhaust temperature of 620˚ C. At this temperature exhaust gas analysis showed minimum levels of un-burnt oxygen and fuel.

There was also a noticeable improvement in vehicle performance and fuel consumption, with exhaust smoke almost eliminated.

The team then made an exhaust gas temperature gauge that was fitted to the dashboard – it was the beginning of temperature band driving. The group had finally cracked the code of exhaust gas temperature and its effects on efficient combustion and improved engine performance!

Eager mechanics take note, however: the ideal exhaust gas temperature varies according to the make and type of engine and the torque and power characteristics.

There is no one set temperature for all vehicles, and SAC Trucks regard the ideal exhaust gas temperatures as their intellectual property.

From Good to Great It was a short time until SAC Trucks posted the ultimate question: can we improve performance on trucks? The answer was yes, thanks to the team building a specialised truck dynamometer that measures a wide range of parameters and shows torque and power curves.

“We assembled a team of experts comprising SAC Truck personnel and external expertise to design and build a computerised dynamometer,” says Walters.

This dynamometer was initially used for testing Volvo trucks and later was adapted for other makes of trucks, with its wheel rollers adjustable to suit various rear bogie wheel bases.

I had the opportunity to spend a day working alongside and observing how SAC Trucks’ Diagnostic Technician, Peter Du Preez, conducted three performance tests on a vehicle.

Firstly, vehicle specifications are entered into the computer, which then displays the specified torque and power curves. Next the vehicle is set up to

1

2

3

1 Peter du Preez, Diagnostics Technician 2 Run-up on the dynamometer 3 Measuring crankcase blow-by 4 Exhaust gas analyser for levels of

4

unburned fuel and oxygen

measure the following broad range of parameters: engine revs per minute, fuel pressure, oil pressure, coolant temperature, air temperature entering and exiting the intercooler, turbo boost pressure, crank case blow-by, exhaust gas temperature and levels of un-burnt fuel and oxygen.

We analysed the first test’s results and found a deviation in the torque curve at 1 250 rpm, with the exhaust gas temperature appearing high at 850˚ C. Remaining parameters were all within specifications. Du Preez made adjustments to the engine and the fuel system and the vehicle was made ready for the next test. Du Preez conducted test two; again we analysed the results and found a noticeable improvement in the torque curve. Exhaust temperature now measured 780˚ C. I asked Du Preez whether it is possible that exhaust gas temperature can change when a mechanic changes a set of injectors. “Whenever an engine is rebuilt or a set of injectors changed; the vehicle is tested on the dynamometer and engine performance evaluated,” he answered.

December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics

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TECHNOLOGY >>

Another School of Thought Since the introduction of electronics to trucks, integrated engine management systems have become increasingly sophisticated and this has opened the way for mechanics to use alternative methods of testing vehicle performance.

The fuel and performance tests used by some Original Equipment Manufacturers are conducted according to product specific methods, usually on road under specific conditions and with a fully loaded vehicle.

Firstly, the test vehicle is thoroughly checked and all defects are corrected. An electronic compression and cylinder balance test are carried out to establish the mechanical condition of the engine and fuel injection systems. A sample of diesel fuel is extracted from the fuel tank and tested for impurities and density, to ensure that the test results will not be impaired.

The diagnostic computer is plugged into the vehicle’s electronic system and all vehicle specifications are checked and confirmed: tyre size and tyre pressures, engine torque and power bands, gearbox type and gear ratios, differentials type and gear ratio, fuel pressures, engine oil pressure, turbo boost pressure, inlet manifold temperature and engine operating temperature.

1

1 Tyre temperatures being measured 2 Andre Walters, Marketing Manager for SAC Trucks

Should the acceleration test results fall within the specified time limit, exhaust smoke level normal and all other parameters within specification, the vehicle performance is considered acceptable.

Where any parameter falls outside this, the mechanic must perform a fault diagnosis, after which the vehicle is re-tested to ensure that no other problems occur and performance is good.

The fuel and performance test does not, however, measure exhaust emissions and exhaust temperature, nor does it show torque and power curves. In principle vehicle performance is perceived to be good simply when a vehicle pulls and drives well.

The secret lies in the burn time of the air fuel mixture, combustion temperature and rate of expansion of combustion gases. All this is influenced by injection timing, air density, fuel quality and quantity, compression pressure, crankcase blow-by and mechanical condition of the vehicle.

Parting Thoughts Credit must be given to Hein Lategan and the small group of SAC Trucks’ specialists for their research and development, ingenuity and innovation.

Dynamometer testing is an all-inclusive analysis of mechanical condition and engine performance.

Vehicle performance when correctly maintained ensures operating efficiency, fuel savings, reduced operating cost and prolonged vehicle life.

Given the increasing – and refreshing! – focus on truck drivers in South Africa, it’s also important to note that tests such as those described here have a knock-on effect that impacts the drivers’ efficiencies every bit as much as their trucks’ engines.

2

Heavy vehicle long distance driving is an arduous task and drivers become impatient and physically tired when a vehicle does not perform properly.

This will lead to over speeding, high engine revs, harsh braking, increased fuel consumption and other bad driving habits.

After all that I have experienced, I am more convinced than ever that it is imperative that a truck be dynamometer tested annually to ensure that performance is according to manufacturer’s specifications. Dynamometer testing can also detect problems with trucks’ transmissions, drivelines and differentials.

40 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

YOU DON’T BUY A TRUCK, YOU JOIN A TEAM.

Crash Safety >>

Author Biography With nine years spent working as a specialist in the SAPS Accident Unit, Craig ProctorParker has owned and run a private practise – Accident Specialist – for the past 12 years, where he travels across the country analysing crash scenes and compiling reports for government, corporate and insurance clients. In an exclusive series for Future Trucking & Logistics, he will present valuable analysis relating to commercial vehicle accidents – supported by years of empirical data.

Highway, not High Risk

Every long-distance driver knows the dilemma: pay for a tolled highway, or opt for a riskier back route? Craig ProctorParker breaks down this debate from a transporter’s perspective, weighing up the M13 and N3 Choice of travel by any means of transport, be it private homeward commute, business deliveries and perhaps even emergency driving is almost always made primarily on the basis of speed of arrival.

Following suite, ease of travel and costing would probably be chronological criteria.

42 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

The philosophy of choice of route is a key issue in the success of any transport business: greater distance, longer time and difficult terrain causing delays and unnecessary stress to vehicles equates to bottom line cost. Perhaps it is this understanding that has not been grasped by some in the decisions made on routes travelled.

I have mentioned previously that use of statistics and empirical data can be of huge benefit to the transport industry. That said, as much as there are many factors that can be gleaned in favour of, there are usually just as many issues that can be raised from this data against an argument. Even so, use of data usually forms the basis of a successful company.

With the transport industry and most notably the heavy

vehicles side being at the forefront of many untoward comments of late, given the catastrophe that occurred in Pinetown, Durban, we could consider many main and alternate route sections as a comparison.

However, let’s look analytically at the parameters and actual statistics of the section of the M13 versus the N3 between the N3 and M13 split and the Pinetown / Westmead area, with three specific considerations in mind:

1. Simple distance: Here we see that the M13 route via Fields Hill is 15,5 km in length against that of the N3 route at 12,5 km;

2. General vertical alignment of the road: It

is visibly evident that the N3 is a far straighter section of route than that of the M13;

3. Horizontal alignment: Here it can be plotted

from tracking that the M13 is generally a combination of extreme downhill and uphill sections for almost the entire length.

Comparatively, the N3 is almost entirely a relative continuous and gentle downhill gradient of around 1,8 degrees against 4,8 degrees.

Looking in further detail, the N3 consists of multiple lanes and a specifically allocated trucking

HeavyHeavy vehiclevehicle accidents accidents on the on M13 the M13 Type of injuries for heavy Type of injuries forvehicle heavy vehicle on the N3

on the N3 accidentsaccidents 30 30

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*Graphs based on publicly-available statistics, for 2013 are only half-year representations, and 2012 and compiled by author. Figures

15 increase in spot checks.

15 2013 declines may also be influenced by an

200

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December 2013 / Future Trucking & Logistics 0

2011 2012 2013

43

Crash Safety >>

lane, against the typical two lanes of the M13.

Services on the N3 are also provided for in terms of monitoring cameras, emergency roadside call systems (although largely redundant with cellular technology), arrestor beds, regular safety patrols and perhaps most importantly, good road conditions. By comparison the M13 does not afford most of these facilities and services.

thoroughly tested, where more than 70% of these failed outright.

On these alone, why then would one argue for this route?

The reality is that you stand just as much chance of having your vehicle checked and diverted to the RTI test centre. Here, complete testing of vehicles can be undertaken, from vehicle mass per axle and overall, to mechanical inspection on the pit and complete brake functioning and capacity on brake roller testing machines. On the M13 route there are two regularly manned stop control points: the first just prior to the Hillcrest turn-off, the second being the compulsory stop at the crest of Field Hill.

Arguing the negative, being the toll fee costs of the Marian Hill Toll – although I am not always in agreement with some of the issues of costs when it comes to SANRAL and N3TC fees – the overriding issue of their generally impeccable maintenance and ongoing (although at times tedious!) upgrades to the national routes must be appreciated.

To this end, the Marian Hill Toll Plaza is currently set at what can only be seen as one of the lowest and reasonable costs of all tolls at R30 per heavy vehicle. Once again, can we really see this as a viable argument to using the M13 versus the N3?

A need for enforcement Looking at what the actual traffic study statistics tell us, we can see where the following comparatives can be drawn. Of the most noteworthy factors pertaining to the statistical review of accidents is that although the number of accidents has most definitely reduced over years, heavy vehicles remain a large portion of the total of accidents on both road sectors.

Notably, an unacceptably high number of accidents involving heavy vehicles persist on both routes despite various upgrades to the route.

This would suggest that stricter enforcement of vehicle condition and driving habits needs to be considered. Continuously and as recent as the week of the 11th November, where I was present, more than 40 vehicles were pulled off and

44 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

Perhaps the only real argument, if we could see it that way (!), is the possible inconvenience of having a vehicle pulled over for a spot check or – of somewhat more inconvenience – a full test at the RTI facilities at Marian Hill.

Regardless, vehicle stopping and checks are relatively sparse on the N3 and are usually done only once a week or so.

I think the above analysis has shown that it would be ludicrous to realistically accept any argument that a transport company would make use of this particular alternative route against the main route, unless for a specific reason; and quite likely the same would apply to the other alternative routes around the country.

Without having done the actual analysis on the same basis, I suspect it would be fair to say that even where only the sections of alternative route are used to bypass tolls and key checkpoints – such as the alternative route section of the R103 from the Nottingham road off-ramp (Exit 132) between the N3 and the Old Estcourt road onramp to the N3 or beyond – that this will definitely add time and general wear and tear to the company and vehicle.

Likewise and perhaps most importantly, the increased risk of incident becomes a considerable factor.

Scania

Photographer: Christopher Crookes

launched at JIMS in October 2013’

Streamline R500,

‘New

Pull-out poster brought to you by

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Afrikaans >> NR

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Truspieël Future Trucking & Logistics bied graag in Afrikaans hooftrekke uit die artikels wat in hierdie uitgawe verskyn

Die toekoms van Volvo, vandag ʼn Jaar na sy buiging in Europa is die bekroonde Volvo FH, sy kleiner stalmaat die FM, en die FMX veldryervragmotorreekse aan die Suid-Afrikaanse media bekendgestel. Dié bekendstelling verteenwoordig in wese ʼn splinternuwe baadjie vir die volledige Volvo-produkfamilie plaaslik. Die tydsberekening kon nie beter gewees het nie: benewens die feit dat die bekendstellingsgeleentheid ʼn dag voor die mediabekendstellings by die Johannesburgse Internasionale Motorskou plaasgevind het, is die Volvo FH slegs ʼn maand vantevore aangewys as die Internasionale Vragmotor van die Jaar 2014 ... ʼn derde sodanige toekenning sedert 1994. In Suid-Afrika sal die Volvo FH, wat aan Euro 3-emissiestandaarde voldoen, by die maatskappy se Durban-aanleg monteer word, en na verwagting sal die eerste eenhede in die tweede kwartaal van 2014 afgelewer word. Euro 5 en 6-enjinvariante is egter ook op versoek beskikbaar, met hierdie modelle wat die FH se volledige spesifikasieskatkis ontsluit.

Welkom in Suid-Afrika, Hyva!

Tydens Hyva se deelname aan JIMS het dié multinasionale maatskappy nie net sy produkte ten toon gestel nie, maar ook opwindende nuus bekendgemaak: Hyva gaan sy eerste kantoor in Suid-Afrika open. As globale markleier in hidroulika het Hyva ʼn lang pad gestap sedert sy stigting in Nederland in 1979. Nadat Hydra sy produkte – wat hidroulika, hysmasjiene en bewegende vloere insluit – vir 15 jaar aan die Suid-Afrikaanse mark met behulp van ʼn agent verkoop het, het die maatskappy in 2008 besluit om direk aan die plaaslike mark te verkoop. Tot

46 Future Trucking & Logistics / December 2013

op hede het Hyva al sy Suid-Afrikaanse bedrywighede deur die streekshoofkantoor in Dubai bestuur, en die maatskappy se agent, Lift and Shift Equipment, het produkte aan klante gelewer. Hyva se nuwe SuiderAfrikaanse kantoor sal in Durban gebaseer word, en sal na verwagting aan die einde van hierdie jaar sy deure oopmaak. As Besturende Direkteur van Hyva Suider-Afrika sal Boudewijn van Beek Hyva se SuiderAfrikaanse bedrywighede bestuur.

Wanneer die rubber die pad soen Navorsing deur die Wetenskaplike en Nywerheidsnavorsingsraad (WNNR) oor die kontakstresse tussen vragmotorbande en padoppervlakke het vorige aannames weerlê.

Die bevindings dui op beduidende ongelyke vragverdeling wat skade tot gevolg kan hê. Die stres-in-beweging-tegnologie van die WNNR maak dit moontlik om die effekte van multidimensionele stres op beide bande en padoppervlakke te meet en te kwantifiseer. Vervaardigers van bande en padbedekkingsmateriaal kan potensieel die werkverrigting van hulle produkte verbeter indien hulle die WNNR se ontwerpaanbevelings toepas. Die WNNR se navorsing, waarin daar van SIM-tegnologie gebruik gemaak word, het bewys dat beduidende ongelyke vragverdeling voorkom tussen individuele bande en ook die asse van swaar voertuie soos bepaal deur meting wat op die N3 naby Heidelberg plaasgevind het. Dit lei tot die oneweredige vervorming van beide die bande en padoppervlak.

Hierdie bevindinge weerlê ʼn belangrike vorige aanname in band- en padontwerp, naamlik dat gewig eweredig verdeel word tussen die onderskeie bande en asgroeperinge van ʼn gegewe swaar voertuig.

TRUCK BODIES

e-coat BONDED PAINT

1 day BUILD TIME

UNIQUE FEATURES

The Jurgens Truck bodies modular system allows onsite assembly within a day and can be customised to suit any truck. The modular system also allows damaged parts to be replaced quickly.

1 day onsite fitment Reduced body weight Increased payload

ADS12435 - OCT 2013

PLEASE NOTE: A lighter truck body means reduced vehicle registration fees and greater payloads.

DROPSIDE & FLATBED AVAILABLE

2 Year warranty Dropside angle protection

3mm Aluminium floor profiles allow for greater payloads due to 30% weight saving over steel.

Hot dipped galvanized steel floors are available in 3 mm and 4,5 mm thickness.

Hot dip galvanized steel floor panels Floor lashing hooks