GRW
GRW
At the Cutting-Edge of
Tanker Technology PRODUCTION: Benjamin Southwold
GRW is a leading South Africa-based transport equipment designer, manufacturer, and service provider of a wide range of quality tankers and trailers. As its product line has grown, so too has its global reputation and footprint, with operators in vital outposts the world over. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3
INDUSTRY FOCUS: MANUFACTURING
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GRW was founded in 1996 after its founders - Gerrie van der Merwe, sons Gerhard and Wentzel and long-time family friend and associate Roussouw van Eeden found that existing manufacturers of road-tanker transport were producing inferior models. In its infancy GRW built tankers for the wine industry but now, following the application of technology, innovation and teamwork alongside a highly-skilled workforce, GRW is the industry leader and widely known as one of the best tanker manufacturers in the business. Its product range has grown markedly along with its reputation; today, customers can acquire anything from fuel tankers to flat deck trailers, and from specialised liquid tankers to refrigerated trailers. “We believe that our success lies in our uncompromising
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// WE SEE OURSELVES AS A GLOBAL COMPETITOR MANUFACTURING IN AFRICA - WE COMPETE WITH THE VERY BEST IN THE WORLD // approach to quality on the production floor,” says GRW. “Our products are manufactured in an ultra-modern facility with automated welding procedures and state-of-the-art equipment, which provide for perfect alignment and dimensions.” GRW’s main hub is its Worcester manufacturing complex, where expert engineers deploy the finest technologies and procedures in the
vast ultramodern production facilities to produce world-class trailers. Each one is specifically configured to meet the unique transportation needs of individual customers. From construction and mining to petroleum and chemical, fastmoving consumer goods to perishable temperature-controlled goods, or palletised goods to break-bulk general cargo GRW is committed to enhancing the productivity of its customers across numerous industries. BULL RETURNS To great fanfare, GRW Trailers has launched the next generation of its tautliner trailer series, the Inkabi 2.0. Inkabi is Zulu for bull, and here is employed to show the sheer strength of the model, with the new iteration building on the experience gained with the original version launched in March 2015. The
DISTRIBUTORS OF
The Energy Business of JBT South Africa is a specialized business that is concentrated in custody transfer measurement systems. JBT South Africa’s partnership with TechnipFMC Measurement Solutions and TechnipFMC Loading Systems in Southern Africa has resulted in an unequalled solutions orientated provider to the oil industry in the region. As a world leader in flow measurement and control of petroleum products since 1933, today’s TechnipFMC Measurement Solutions delivers technical superiority with a complete range of liquid and gas custody transfer solutions. By combining the strengths, capabilities, and experience acquired over many years with a diverse product offering, JBT in South Africa is able to provide a broad range of solutions complemented by application engineering, installation, commissioning and after-sales support in all segments of the petroleum industry that we serve. Through it extensive product lines, including its highly esteemed Smith Meter® and Sening® heritage brands, TechnipFMC sets the standard for petroleum supply chain management. TechnipFMC accurate and reliable measurement solutions make the daily routine of petroleum product transportation and delivery faster, safer and more economical. Proper systems design is essential for accurate loading and unloading of straight and blended refined products at the Terminal. TechnipFMC products and systems provide the ultimate metering solutions for all liquid products, such as: • Multiflow, Flow computer • Vapour recovery • API Couplings • Discharge valves • Multiseal Sealed Parcel delivery systems JBT South Africa recognizes the critical importance of maintaining accurate measurement to ensure fiscal accountability. Whether the requirements are on-site commissioning, planned maintenance programmes, or refurbishment assessments, JBT South Africa is able to assist.
Branches: Cape Town : (021) 982 1130 Johannesburg : (011) 422 2290
Director Measurement Solutions: Kevin Jamison kevin.jamison@jbtc.com
Account Manager: Stephen Pelser corne.stapelberg@jbtc.com
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: MANUFACTURING
second coming features many advanced design elements from GRW’s new partner, the aptly named German trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull (SCB). Key among these is the use of the SCB bolted technology. Instead of welding, the assembly of the entire chassis and all other functional components is bolted, unique because its splined section shears through both bolting surfaces, which means there is no need to secure the bolt head during fastening. The hole diameters have a very small tolerance ensuring accuracy and a tight fit, and the bolted assemblies offer superior fatigue life over welded assemblies. According to GRW CEO Gerhard van der Merwe, this bolting technology will be applied across the GRW product range as it allows for dissimilar materials to be joined, which responds to a key component of the Inkabi 2.0’s design: modularity. “Modularity allows for scale-ability,” van der Merwe clarifies.
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“These bolted structures can be economically assembled in other locations. Modularity with bolted technology also ensures accuracy, as all of the components are manufactured in high-precision jigs and welded robotically.” Various models of the Inkabi 2.0 will be available, while customers will have aces to a range of specification options from which to choose. Just
some of these are an overhead loadsecuring system to easily securing of high loads, rear doors and inter-leading doors for through loading and a GRWdesigned adjustable racking system. “The best word to describe the Inkabi 2 compared to Inkabi 1 is ‘more’,” says van der Merwe. “More payload, more options, more money in your pocket, more peace of mind, more aftersales and service offerings.”
GRW
GLOBAL LEADERS With operators across Southern Africa, the Middle East, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom, GRW’s expertise extends well beyond the production line. The company has once again shown that South African outfits can reach the highest levels of excellence on the global stage, via investment into the company by Europe’s largest and most renowned trailer manufacturer. It is fairly rare in the manufacturing sector to read of an overseas company investing into a local, home-grown South African organisation; with Schmitz Cargobull AG acquiring 33% of the shares in GRW Holdings (Pty) Ltd in August 2017, the trend was officially bucked. This development is a huge milestone in the progress of GRW as it seeks to consolidate its presence on the world stage. It also speaks volumes of the ability of South Africans to engineer and design products that serve to attract the best in the world
- this is a huge accolade not only for GRW but also for wider South Africa’s manufacturing capabilities. “We find a lot of negativity towards Africa when dealing with foreign people,” states van der Merwe. “While we are a proudly African business, we are often perceived as a Third World company, which we are certainly not. People often don’t realise how professional we are until they come visit us and see what we are all about. “We see ourselves as a global competitor manufacturing in Africa. We compete with the very best in the world, which in turn gives us an advantage in the local and African market – not the other way around.” The benefits to GRW are clear; not only does it give the company access to all the latest technology coming out of Europe, but it also opens up markets through Schmitz Cargobull’s extensive footprint in Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia where the company has 440 sales points, while it produces a
colossal 59,000 trailers per year. This somewhat dwarfs GRW’s current 1400 per year rate which, van der Merwe says, they plan to more than double, rising to 3000 per year within a three-year window. He also hinted at the building of another manufacturing plant in the Gauteng area, which would serve to greatly solidify GRW’s presence in its home country. For Schmitz Cargobull, on the other hand, suddenly the tanker market will be opened up for them in Europe - as it stands the company does not manufacture tankers, whereas GRW certainly does and its quality is globally accepted to be among the best. The obvious synergies between and multiple benefits to both companies make this deal, and the future of the partnership, well worth keeping a close eye on.
WWW.GRW.CO.ZA
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