WOODFORD CAR HIRE
WOODFORD CAR HIRE
Blending Family Principals & Innovation to Stay On Top PRODUCTION: Benjamin Southwold
The car rental industry in South Africa is one which continues to go from strength to strength, with year-on-year growth reported without fail, particularly in the leisure sector. Profiting from this health is The Woodford Group, South Africa’s largest independent car hire company, famous for its warm service and diverse fleet located at all major centres throughout the country. 2 / www.enterprise-africa.net
INDUSTRY FOCUS: AUTOMOTIVE
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The story of South Africa’s largest independent car hirers began back in 1991 in Woodford Grove, Durban, where Woodford Car and Bakkie Hire was started with just two vehicles on its books. “The aim was to provide a low-cost alternative in vehicle hire that placed value for money and service excellence first,” says the company. “We’ve come a long way since our humble beginnings at Woodford Grove,” the company points out, “but those principals are still firmly entrenched in our approach.” Woodford aims to provide innovation, value, and service excellence to its public, private and commercial customers by offering the widest range of vehicles at competitive rates. More than 25 years on, Woodford Car Hire and the Woodford Group remain family-owned entities, ensuring a personal touch to the service and a commitment to growing Woodford’s loyal client base. Woodford Car Hire is now South Africa’s largest independent car hire company, with a national footprint at all major airports and centres and a fleet of over 1600 vehicles across three core divisions. “We believe the process of hiring a vehicle should be as effortless as possible, so we’ve made sure that we shift our focus to streamlining every step in that journey,” the Woodford Group stresses.
// THE HEALTHY INCREASE IN FOREIGN LEISURE RENTALS REAFFIRMS THAT SOUTH AFRICA REMAINS AN ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS // 4 / www.enterprise-africa.net
TOP OF A BOOMING MARKET “Our offerings now cover everything from car and truck rentals to logistics and services, providing flexibility for every need of the consumer in the vehicle market,” the company describes. “We have never changed our approach, however; Woodford has remained a family-owned business that has grown steadily through the retention of a loyal set of clients and key partnerships. “What they all share is our enthusiasm for offering the best value and service,” says Woodford of the key to its success in a market stuffed with rival companies. The competitiveness of the rental industry in South Africa does not look likely to abate any time soon, with industry revenue growing yet again in 2017 this time 3.6%, and reaching an estimated total worth of R5.2 billion. The industry continues to be driven by business car rental, which accounted for 53% of the value of all sales, but crucially the leisure market remains an important sector: during 2017 there was an increase of 16.7% in car rentals by international visitors and a 1.6% growth in local leisure rentals. This follows on from growth of 22% and 12% respectively in the foreign and local leisure segments in the previous year. “Leisure travellers are giving our country a big vote of confidence,” says Lance Smith, executive: sales at Avis southern Africa. “This indicates that South African travel remains popular both locally and internationally, which bodes well for future growth. “The healthy increase in foreign leisure rentals reaffirms that South Africa remains an attractive destination for international travellers.” “The other good news from the latest figures is the geographical spread,” Smith goes on. “The major growth has been in the main metropolitan areas – especially in Cape Town, which dominates with about 50% of car rental – but we have
// WE BELIEVE THE PROCESS OF HIRING A VEHICLE SHOULD BE AS EFFORTLESS AS POSSIBLE // seen growth all around the country.” What is also a source of optimism is that the growth rates in car-rental figures were significantly stronger than those for international visitors released by Statistics SA, the most recent of which show a 3.4% annual increase to 802,252 tourists for the year to February 2018. “This means that tourists to SA are more inclined to use self-drive, which shows they feel safe travelling in our country,” Smith explains. IMPORTANCE OF TECH With such a lucrative market on which to capitalise, major industry players in the industry have acknowledged the increased role of technology in travellers’ lives. The car rental industry has had to improve its services, and respond to the impact that Uber and other technologies are having on the market and traveller behaviour. Information technology plays a growing role in helping companies to meet customer expectations as well as improving profit margins and making informed decisions. From the outset, Woodford Car Hire has been dedicated to bringing customers the very latest technology at the forefront of the industry. It knows exactly how critical thins to providing a continually improved, more streamlined and hassle-free service every time customers book with the rental giants. This does not have to translate to futuristic innovations all the time, however; Woodford also gets the basics right, ensuring the backbone of its service is as strong as possible. With constant research into the latest technological advancements and
170mm Diameter
FLEET FLEET FLEET
430mm x 70mm
170mm Diameter
170mm Diameter
430mm x 70mm
430mm x 70mm
430mm x 20mm
CANCOM’s I D TECH™ Products & Services Turnkey Solutions to mitigate risk created by operating a fleet of vehicles
CANFLEET Supply of fleet vehicles with a fully automated IoT Fleet Management System. 430mm x 20mm
430mm x 20mm
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CANFLEET RENTAL SOLUTIONS • Rental / Off Balance Sheet as operating expense • No cash outlay AUTOMATED FLEET MANAGEMENT
I D TECH™ LICENCE • Vehicle Licence Renewals Management I D TECH™ e-TOLLS • e-tag & e-Tolls Management I D TECH™ ACCESS • Customised Android mobile solution • Security & Logistics Access Control • Drivers Licence & Vehicle Licence Verification • Vehicle Stock Take • Vehicle Flagging • Vehicle Checklists & Inspection
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Driver Management Vehicle Management Supplier Management Key Management Risk Management Customized Solution
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• • • •
Keyless Vehicles Driver Mobile App & RFID In-Vehicle WI-FI Automated Management & Redirection of AARTO & CPA fines to correct offender
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Gate Scanning Solution Access Control Vehicle Flagging Vehicle Inspections Vehicle Stock take
I D TECH™ VETTING • Personal & Business Credit Vetting
REVOLUTIONARY AUTOMATED FLEET MANAGEMENT LET YOUR FLEET WORK FOR ITSELF • • • • • •
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Tracking / Telematics Proxy e-Tolls Licence & Registration Traffic Fines Damages
CANCOM: 0860 55 55 33 • www.cancomsa.co.za CANFLEET: 086 176 4261 • www.canfleet.co.za
INDUSTRY FOCUS: AUTOMOTIVE
trends in the industry, Woodford is positioned to deliver the easiest, most convenient experience to customers. Twinned with a complete website revamp, for example, Woodford recently adopted a package of trusted rental software from a renowned technology solutions company. This
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offers its clients a complete and perfected suited package by including secure credit card processing tools, integrating loyalty benefits, and the compilation of customer profiles. In turn, it gives Woodford the ability to customise its services nationwide to suit the unique needs
of all customers - preferences and booking patterns are analysed by a supplementary system, and strategic methods are then used to benefit the client. This includes live updating of supply and demand rates fluctuations, so that Woodford is able to offer the most efficient service at the lowest cost. More and more, Woodford acknowledges that customers will be booking its services on the move, and the upgrade also encompasses some great innovation when it comes to mobile: handheld devices can be used by parking attendants and staff to check in a car and obtain boarding passes in a matter of minutes, to ensure the quickest possible service. Woodford Car Hire’s website is now also fully optimised for mobile, meaning that customers can easily make bookings anywhere and anytime from their smartphones and mobile devices. The introduction of Amadeus, a
WOODFORD CAR HIRE
// OUR MAIN PRIORITY IS TO KEEP OUR CLIENTS’ GOODS MOVING WITH AS LITTLE HASSLE AS POSSIBLE // global distribution system making Woodford available to Travel Agents worldwide, is perhaps the latest and best of the company’s recent initiatives. Agents can now benefit from customised tools and better incentives when booking with Woodford, allowing it to also offer real-time connectivity to travel companies, guaranteeing the best rates and availability of specific vehicles to the Woodford clients these partners are servicing.
SECURES SOFTBEV DISTRIBUTION Among the Woodford Group’s strong current fleet are some 145 commercial vehicles, ranging from one- to 36-ton monoliths. Such a fearsome line-up was integral to its securing a 36-month contract with Softbev, a major player in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry that specialises in a variety of soft drinks, including Pepsi, Cooee, and Jive. The contract gives Softbev a total solution for distribution in the Gauteng region via a fleet of 36-Ton Nissan UHD 490 Super Links, and comes with a value of roughly R45 million. It is an extension of the already beneficial relationship between the Woodford Group and Softbev, and follows a similar arrangement that has seen Woodford successfully distributing for the soft drinks manufacturer and supplier in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape over recent years.
“We’re very humbled to have received the thumbs up from Softbev for Gauteng,” said Owais Suleman, Managing Director of the Woodford Group. “Servicing them in three provinces is a sign of the mutual trust between our companies. “We feel we’re the perfect fit for a company that has similar values and ambitions, and will endeavour to service Softbev with the same passion and commitment we have in the past. “Our main priority is to keep our clients’ goods moving with as little hassle as possible,” Suleman continued of his Group’s utter commitment to service excellence. “Our promise is that we’ll handle any issues or situations that may arise, and will get your goods to its destination in good time.”
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