COMPANY PROFILE
2014
Milltrans
041 404 2000 | www.milltrans.co.za
company profile
The full range of freight services Editorial: Tim Hands Production: Hal Hutchison
Since its establishment in 1997, Milltrans has worked tirelessly to become one of the leading figures in the South African freight and container transport industry. As would be expected of a company with the ability to cover 12,000,000 Southern African kilometres each month, it has accrued in this time a vast range of knowledge and experience of the sector, allowing it to handle even the most exceptional of freight needs. Backed up by its fleet of some 55 trucks and 140 trailers, and with branches in East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, the company is perfectly equipped to provide the solutions to any freight requirements.
The origins of Milltrans can in fact be traced back to 1990, where the J.J Stapelberg-established J+F Vervoer focussed on the transport of maize across South Africa. The key expansion in 1997 saw the company’s acquisition of additional trucks which, in turn, allowed it to begin transporting scrap metal and containers, eventually becoming registered as Milltrans at the coming of the new Millennium. “Over time, our single office in East London has grown to include offices in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg,” states Managing Director Frans Stapelberg, “giving us that all-important cross country footprint which allows us to continue to go from strength to strength. Alongside our unwavering
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passion for what we do, and for providing the very best in customer service, we know that Milltrans is destined to be the leader in the freight and container transport industry.” Its business is divided into several principal activities, aside from this specialism in providing long and short distance road and freight container transport, which sees the company operating along all the major South African routes. “We also specialise in the loading and offloading, as well as the packing and unpacking, of containers for the purposes of customs inspection, subcontractors and clients. We take care of the whole process, from placing these ready to be packed and unpacked to collecting them once they are ready to be transported.
Milltrans
We also, from our depot in Markman Port Elizabeth, offer an extensive container storage and warehousing service. With both the depot and warehouse being bonded, this means that we can take on any warehousing and container work relating to SARS, and transfer immediately to storage or warehousing any goods arriving on container,” says Stapleberg. Milltrans’ provision of services goes deeper still. “Another significant area of business for us is those services involving Side Loader trailers, and equipment loading and offloading containers. This means that the ‘container-lifter’ is able to handle jobs with multiple containers, as these can be loaded from a truck on the ground and reloaded onto another truck for transportation. We are also licensed to transport
loads carrying hazardous chemicals, while perhaps some of the most interesting work we do comes under the Cross Border Transport and Abnormal Loads heading. We have had extensive dealings in traversing the borders to neighbouring countries such as Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Lesotho, and some of these trips have been on behalf of the very biggest companies – Transnet and Coca Cola, to name but two. “We have recently added to this fleet, in fact, so our wide range of abnormal vehicles with a 100 ton carrying capacity now includes a 45 meter extendible trailer capable of carrying 55 tons,” explains Stapleberg. Among these many facets to its operations, the
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company profile
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Milltrans work Milltrans undertakes in road freight, warehouse facilities, and container handling and storage emerge as the three sectors in which it has the majority of its dealings. Stapelberg sums up where Milltrans currently finds itself within its particular industry sector at present: “At Milltrans we have a secure, fair market share in the industry, and we are able to offer both competitive prices and services - we are certainly ahead of the game as well as the competition in most aspects of the business.” Crucially, however, far from allowing the company
“We have a vital cross country footprint which allows the business to continue to go from strength to strength” to remain in its already secure foothold within the industry, there is in fact a strong focus on securing some significant developments within the coming years. “Milltrans’ target over the next two to three years is to expand our operations domestically and internationally. While doing so, we will inevitably be looking at increasing profits, and as such, we are also planning on entering the building and construction industry soon. Milltrans’ specialism in Cross Border Transportation to various countries such as Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Lesotho will also be a significant element of this development of operations,” says Stapleberg. The Milltrans story so far is one characterised by a continual focus on hard work, dedication and the ability to adapt to on-going changes in the industry and company, which has seen the company reap such notable successes. “We also pride ourselves on very high staff morale, while the high standard of service delivery have all helped to produce a successful, cohesive team, propelling a business which works together to achieve the impossible,” details Stapelberg, on the key elements behind Milltrans’ rise to its current status. His description of the competences required of his company’s staff also goes some way towards explaining the extent of the company’s achievements: “Dedication and above average service delivery are expected of the staff. While we of course offer full training in the majority of positions in the company, any relevant background experience is a real bonus, and when we are looking to fill a position this is a notable factor in our decision-making process.”
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A final, perhaps most vital aspect of Milltrans’ sustained development within the industry has been its ability to adapt and ensure that its business is constantly in line with the ever-changing demands its customers have of it and the services it can provide. “The impact of the renewed and sustained drive towards a more ‘green’ way of living in South Africa has been extremely positive on our business. Along with the construction of new wind tower plantations has come an increased demand for transportation of material used in the construction of these towers, and with the extent of equipment and expertise we have at hand, Milltrans has had the opportunity of taking part in these projects as a transporter of the material. This has had the dual effects both of allowing us to gain an active role in an improved way of life in South Africa, and further growing our business and the variety of services we can offer,” concludes Stapleberg.
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“The impact of the renewed and sustained drive towards a more ‘green’ way of living in South Africa has been extremely positive on our business” jun 14 PAGE 5
company profile
DEPENDABILITY means we are always by your side
International now has 19 dealers located throughout the Southern Africa region that can provide the support and services every business needs. The Emergency Breakdown Service offers 24-hour roadside assistance 365 days a year (0860 468 222). Dependability at it’s finest.
Find out more at www.InternationalTrucks.co.za or by visiting your nearest International dealer.
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Driving partnerships. Gordon Alexander had already had a long standing relationship with Milltrans when he took over the International Trucks dealership in Port Elizabeth, from Tyco/ Imperial Commercials at end of 2008. “I was working on Frans’ trucks in my workshop. Back then, the trucks were all distinctly painted red with green trailers. It has always been important to Frans that his fleet looks neat and well maintained, including the trucks of his subcontractors. He says it creates confidence with the customer that the load will be in good hands.” Lizette Alexander, Gordon’s wife, says it was just as well that they did not know exactly what running a dealers entails. “We thought we would carry on with the workshop, but just with a brand behind us. Targets, standards, business plans and audits were a bit of rude awakening for us, but we just adapted the parts of the standards that were applicable to us.” The dealership sets itself very high standards. When International rolled out a dealer incentive scheme, PE was the first dealership to achieve the targets set. Gordon says he expects his customers to get the best service, and to be able to give that service you have to comply with the standards. They have also been Parts and Service Dealer of the Year since 2011. “This was part of the Dealer Standards Programme” says Lizette. “What we lack in terms of a smart premises, we make up for by providing customers with the best, personal service possible. Our work days evolve around making the customer experience the best that we can make it.” The dealership also puts a very high premium on customer satisfaction. They not only make it their business to know what a customer wants, they also know what the customer does not want. “Nobody wants to have a truck overhauled, when they just sent it in for a lube service. On the other hand, my customers really appreciate it when we
pick up critical parts that must be replaced before the next service. This saves both time and money. My staff understands the importance of keeping my customer informed, as well as giving him various options. The words ‘we cannot do that’ is not in our vocabulary. We make a plan to deliver, at the right price. Providing the customer pays, of course.” The dealership enjoys the Scot-Byers CSI workshops presented by Nicholas Byers. “He will come in and say your stats show this trend. You need to get these things and place. Sometimes it is a hard decision, but we always take the advice, like when we had to appoint another service technician. He also showed us how to categorise our customers, and respond differently to each category of customer. Milltrans, for instance is an “A” category customer. They pay their account on time, get a special discount, and let us perform any critical repairs we may deem necessary. This minimises downtime, and costly breakdown repairs. “In the transport game these days, you have to keep your running costs to a minimum. International is very good about that. The 9800 has a proven track record for the lowest lifetime maintenance costs. The durability of the truck means it not only has a second life, but often a third and fourth. Our dealers have standard repair times and Inter Dealer Repair Rates. The customer can have an account with his home dealer, and have his trucks repaired almost anywhere in Southern Africa at the price he would pay his home dealer. The home dealer is then supported by the Global Parts and Service Team, which looks at the dealer enquiries that came through to Tech Services on the Navistar Service Portal, and they respond with practical solutions for the dealers.” We recently attended the Navistar Global Parts and Service Summit for Eastern Hemisphere Dealers in Dubai and one of the dealer concerns was about the quality
of aftermarket parts available in the world market. Navistar addresses this issue by providing SA dealers with aftermarket parts with the same warranty as the original OE product. At the close of the Summit, there was a recognition dinner. There were four awards for Outstanding Performance, one for each “region”: Europe, MENA (Middle East/North Africa), Far East and Southern Africa. International Port Elizabeth got an award for Outstanding Parts Sales Growth. The caption on the award reads “IN RECOGNITION OF ACHIEVING THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PARTS SALES GROWTH IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION”. “We are dedicated to great parts and
service support to keep our customers on the road and their businesses running smoothly,” said Dave Allen, vice president, global parts sales, service and operations, Navistar. “Our dealers deliver on that commitment every day and we are proud to recognize International Trucks Port Elizabeth in South Africa as our Eastern Hemisphere dealer with the most significant year-over-year parts sales growth.” Gordon says: “The theme of the Summit was ‘Working Together to Achieve Results’. Our dealership works as a team, also with the dealer network and NC2 Trucks South Africa, to deliver the best results for our customers.”
from left to right: Carlos Junquera, Director, Parts & Service- Eastern Hemisphere; Dave Loakes, Managing Director NC2 Trucks Southern Africa; Lizette Alexander, General Manager International Trucks Port Elizabeth; Gordon Alexander, Managing Owner, International Trucks Port Elizabeth; Tom Clevinger, Sr. Vice President/ Managing Director- Global; Dave Allen, Vice President- Sales, Service & Operations Global Parts Business; John Pfennig, Director Worldwide Development.
+44 (0) 1603 411555 info@industrysa.com East Coast Promotions Ltd, 2 Ardney Rise Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3QH
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