When dusk starts to settle, the Highway Junction Truck Stop at Harrimsith becomes a hive of activity as more than a thousand truck drivers descend here to park overnight, refuel, fill up on essentials, take a shower, socialise with friends and get some much-needed rest from their grueling jobs moving freight along South Africa’s busy highways.

Operating 24-hours a day, seven days a week, the Highway Junction Truck Stop is not only Africa’s largest truck stop, but it is also its busiest. Many truck drivers passing along the N3 corridor make Highway Junction their preferred stopover.

The Highway Junction Truck Stop was started by Ben and Amanda Deysel in May 1998. Since 2015, Highway Junction is proud to have partnered with the Transport Sector Retirement Fund. Its facilities have recently been revamped and expanded to offer three forecourts, convenient and secure overnight parking facilities to our country’s trucking fraternity. “We aim to serve the transport community with quality accommodation-, warehousing-, trucking service centre (workshops)-, refueling-, healthy food-, primary healthcare and recreational facilities,” explained Ben Deysel, CEO of Highway Junction.

“It is the only truck stop of its kind and size on the continent with in excess of 1 500 vehicles passing through this facility daily.” It is for this reason that Hollard Insurance, and their co-sponsor the Transport Sector Retirement Fund, chose the Highway Junction Truck Stop as the ideal venue to promote the annual Hollard Highway Heroes competition to truckers last week. Searching for South Africa’s best truck driver – the Hollard Highway Heroes competition

For the first time since the inception of the competition in 2015, the Hollard Specialist Insurance Company, Hollard Trucking (this year) opened its Highway Heroes competition to all truck drivers in South Africa, affording the Transport Sector Retirement Fund and other partners the opportunity to come on board to recognise trucking excellence.

For the duration of the competition, the driving behaviour of entrants in the competition will be closely monitored by the Hollard Trucking Bureau through the utilisation of fleet tracking technology. Through careful monitoring, a pro-active driver-centric approach is followed to manage risk from speeding to fatigue, harsh braking patterns and other high-risk alarms to ultimately improve driver decision-making and actions.

Hollard and its partners are committed to help the transport sector move towards better futures. In this endeavour, we are convinced that initiatives such as the Hollard Highway Heroes competition will go a long way to encourage skills development and excellence in the industry, which in turn will bring about systemic change and improved safety standards, lowering individual risks and help to make our country’s roads safer for all.

“Every day, on the roads, our members carry the responsibility of not only keeping themselves safe, but to also safely transport the goods entrusted in their care, ensuring their employers’ assets are protected, and their fellow road users are considered. Our truckers keep the country’s economy moving forward and the Hollard Highway Heroes competition helps to recognise the key strategic role they fulfil,” said Mandla Nkosi, member of the TSRF board of trustees who also attended the activation at Highway Junction on Tuesday night.

“The awareness drive at Highway Junction was hugely successful with numerous entries into the competition being received on the night,” confirmed Nkosi. Entries into the Hollard Highway Heroes competition close on 31 May 2019. Thereafter drivers will be monitored until 31 July when the top 50 drivers will be chosen and monitored again for a further 45 days. The winner will be announced on 14 November 2019 and will walk away with R 100 000.00 in prize money.

“Together with the TSRF, we are proud to be associated with the Hollard Highway Heroes initiative to recognise South Africa’s best truck driver,” ended Deysel

 The Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) today announced its support of the 2019 Hollard Highway Heroes competition to search for South Africa’s best truck driver. The TSRF was represented by Mandla Nkosi, a member of the Fund’s board of trustees, at the official launch of the Highway Heroes competition in Johannesburg.  

“The TSRF is proud to be associated with this initiative to recognise South Africa’s best truck driver and we encourage our employers and members to enter the competition and show the country the grit, determination, professionalism and commitment with which our truckers tackle their jobs,” said Nkosi at the launch.

“This initiative will help elevate the good standing of the trucking industry, whilst building capacity, promoting road safety and recognising individual excellence.”

TSRF is committed to responsible investment for the benefit of our members

The TSRF is acutely aware of the occupational demands placed on its members in the transport industry.The Fund provides retirement savings for 70 000 members from 3000 employers earning their bread and butter in this industry.

“The majority of our members, at least 70%, are truck drivers, transporting goods on our country’s road networks,” said Joe Letswalo, the Transport Sector Retirement Fund’s principal officer.“We are keenly aware of the numerous challenges our members face on a daily basis to earn their living. In this regard, the TSRF is committed to responsible investment to not only help grow our members’ retirement benefits (and death- and disability cover), but to also help ensure their well-being and safety while they are still gainfully employed.”

Truck crashes cost the transport industry up to R 18-billion annually and have a devastating effect on individuals, their families, transport operators, aligned industries and indeed the whole country.

“Four years ago, we determined that good-quality truck stops are sorely lacking along SA’s major transport nodes, and given that a major cause of road accidents is driver fatigue, we launched a strategy to ensure that our members, and indeed the broader transport community, would have transport facilities to park and sleep safely,” explained Letswalo.

The TSRF entered into a 50/50 joint venture with the Deysel Family’s Highway Group to expand the Harrismith Highway Junction Truck Stop into a multi-brand, high-end park and sleep facility providing auxiliary services to truckers which include restaurants, primary healthcare and recreational facilities, warehouse space and a vehicle service station (workshop). The Highway Junction Truck Stop is now the biggest and busiest facility of its kind in Africa.

Following its success, the TSRF is in the process of developing similar hubs along major routes throughout the country. Sites have already been earmarked near Cape Town, East London, Colesberg and Musina for project completion during 2020-21.

“Our investment in truck stops brought us closer to our members and provided a keen understanding of the challenges they face. In this regard, their safety is always top of mind. In an attempt to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and enhancing overall road safety, the TSRF entered into a partnership with Arrive Alive to support the transport sector through pro-active measures to mitigate the risks our members face daily whilst performing their duties,” continued Letswalo.

This partnership brought the TSRF to Hollard Highway Heroes Competition.

Hollard Highway Heroes Competition – searching for South Africa’s best truck driver 

For the first time since the inception of the competition in 2015, the Hollard Specialist Insurance Company, Hollard Trucking (this year) opened its Highway Heroes competition to all truck drivers in South Africa, affording the Transport Sector Retirement Fund and other partners the opportunity to come on board to recognise trucking excellence.

For the duration of the competition, the driving behaviour of entrants in the competition will be closely monitored by the Hollard Trucking Bureau through the utilisation of fleet tracking technology. Through careful monitoring, a pro-active driver-centric approach is followed to manage risk from speeding to fatigue, harsh braking patterns and other high-risk alarms to ultimately improve driver decision-making and actions. 

“The TSRF is committed to help the transport sector to move towards better futures. In this endeavour, we are convinced that initiatives such as the Hollard Highway Heroes competition will go a long way to encourage skills development and excellence in the industry, which in turn will bring about systemic change and improved safety standards, lowering individual risks and help to make our country’s roads safer for all,” said Letswalo.

“Every day, on the roads, our members carry the responsibility of not only keeping themselves safe, but to also safely transport the goods entrusted in their care, ensuring their employers’ assets are protected, and their fellow road users are considered. Our truckers keep the country’s economy moving forward and this competition helps to recognise the key strategic role they fulfil.”

Entries to the competition are now open and will close on 31 May 2019. Thereafter drivers will be monitored until 31 July when the top 50 drivers will be chosen and monitored again for a further 45 days. The winner will be announced on 14 November 2019 and will walk away with R 100 000.00 in prize money. 

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) with its 70 000 members from 3000 employers is keenly aware that the majority of its members (70%) earn their bread and butter whilst transporting goods and people on our country’s roads.

“As much as our aim is to preserve the livelihoods of our members and their families (through their retirement funds and death- and disability cover), we are also committed to help ensure their comfort and safety while they are still actively employed,” says the Fund’s principal officer, Joe Letswalo.Truck crashes cost the transport industry up to R 18-billion annually and have a devastating effect on individuals, their families, transport operators, aligned industries and indeed the whole country.

“As a retirement fund, we continually look for ways to improve members’ lives. In this endeavour, the TSRF has developed a responsible investment strategy to build more truck stops to enhance the safety and standard of overnight parking facilities for truck drivers; and to create transport hubs along major routes where transporters can easily access quality restaurants-, primary healthcare-, refuelling and auxiliary services,” explains Letswalo.There are an insufficient number of truck stops, and no established truck stop brand in South Africa; and often the existing truck stops do not provide adequate rest and security facilities.

TSRF’s truck stop investment strategy aligns with the CSIR’s research findings and recommendations, including more and better rest areas; facilities for regular safety checks; improved integration of road safety and fleet management systems; and improved regulation.

“We, at TSRF, consider truck stops to be this missing link in the country’s road transport and safety strategy.”The Transport Sector Retirement Fund aims to develop a national truck stop brand which will create a strong, recognisable identity as an endorsement of standards and regulations that support the transport and logistics industry. The first truck stop upgraded and further developed by the TSRF is the Harrismith Highway Junction Truck Stop on the N3 corridor. This expansion was done in a joint venture with the Highway Group.  The Highway Junction is now the first multi-brand facility of its kind in South Africa and undoubtedly one of the biggest and busiest truck stops on the continent, with more than a 1000 trucks parking at this facility every night. 

“We have the advantage of being the first mover and believe truck stops will support the creation of efficient transport hubs,” explains Letswalo. The TSRF, through its Truck Stop Fund, has already earmarked sites in Cape Town, East London, Colesberg and Musina for development. The new truck stop sites are expected to be completed during 2020/2021.

“Further to this, our partnership with the Arrive Alive Online Initiative will assist us to cross share knowledge and information in the transport sector, and to create a greater awareness of the challenges faced by transporters, and the steps taken to address these challenges to ultimately limit the risks and exposure our members face on a daily basis,” says Letswalo.

Advocate Johan Jonck, owner of the Arrive Alive Online Initiative, shares this vision. “We look forward to close cooperation with the TSRF and our joint efforts to enhance safety for all the valued members of the Fund. We believe that an informed road user is a safer road user and information portals can contribute to the safer sharing of roads by all road users, irrespective of their modes of transport,” ends Jonck.

Relevant news updates and more information will be made available on www.arrivealive.co.za; as well as on the following blogs: roadsafety.co.za; accidents.co.za; truckandfreight.co.za; insurancechat.co.za; and on Facebook: @ArriveAlive.co.za and Twitter: @_ArriveAlive.

As South Africa recently struggled with a sluggish economy, the Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) experienced the effect thereof on some of their small medium enterprise (SME) employers.

The transport sector was one of the industries affected by the constricting economy which resulted in some employers in this sector experiencing a slow-down of their business operations leaving them cash strapped. On-going fuel hikes compounded the problem.

Of the Fund’s 3000 employer-members, 3% of businesses became non-compliant in terms of the stipulations of the Pension Fund Act.

At the time (2017/2018), the Office of the Pension Fund Adjudicator (OPFA) experienced the same trend, reporting that as much as 70% of all complaints received (by the adjudicator) concerned the non-payment of withdrawal benefits or dissatisfaction with benefit amounts paid out. In terms of the Fund rules, benefits can only be paid out to a member/s once a participating employer is fully complaint.  

Joe Letswalo, principal officer, of the TSRF said the Fund and its administrators, also noticed that employer-members (mostly SMEs) were buckling under financial strains and that these pressures were filtering through to the Fund. “Although 97% of members still managed to navigate the economic downturn, we realised that a small percentage of our members were finding it difficult to honour their legal obligations to pay their monthly contributions to the Fund and we, therefore, determined that pro-active steps had to be taken to address the situation,” explained Letswalo.

The Fund’s Board of Trustee are committed to serve the best interests of all their members.

“It was clear that more damage would be caused if we simply brought High Court applications to have these smaller non-compliant employers liquidated (as the Act and the Fund rules allow). Liquidating non-compliant companies would result in individual members losing their retirement benefits, and it would also affect their conditions of employment. With the unemployment rate already at 27.5%, we considered this option to be an ineffective solution,” stressed Letswalo.

The Financial Sector Regulations Act makes provision for an Ombud Council (the Office of the Pension Fund Adjudicator) which is a statutory body and which is tasked to ensure effective, independent, fair and timely dispute resolution on behalf of its customers.  In this regard, the OFPA provides a vehicle to enforce overall compliance and effectiveness.

“The TSRF is unique in that the Fund was initially established under the Bargaining Council, and thus (at the time) membership to the Fund was compulsory. This places the TSRF in a different position to other big umbrella funds. Normally, umbrella funds will just liquidate non-compliant employers because it is a voluntary association. The TSRF, on the other hand, is committed to first and foremost making every attempt to rescue non-compliant businesses before taking any further actions,” explained Letswalo.

Considering all these factors, the TSRF launched an initiative to address non-compliance on a number of levels. This included education and awareness campaigns to inform members of their rights; the responsibilities of their employers; provisions made in the various Acts; and how and where to lodge complaints.  The TSRF also started to immediately notify individual members (via sms) when any of their employers became non-compliant. By doing so, members were now in a position to take quick action; and at the same time the TSRF (together with its administrator, Salt EB) could also actively lodge applications to the OFPA to enforce compliance.”

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund’s initiative is without a doubt proving to be successful. Since embarking on this approach, 99% of the TSRF’s referrals have been approved by the OFPA and are now successfully enforced.

According to Leslie Primo, head of Salt EB’s legal, risk and compliance unit, complaints have significantly reduced from 66 complaints in 2017/2018 to the administrator dealing with an average of only eight complaints per month at the end of 2018.  

“We are confident that we have turned a corner. Employers who have found themselves in dire straits have now entered into long term agreements to settle their outstanding debts to protect their business interests and their employees’ benefits. Our collection rate is currently well more than 97% as our employer-members’ businesses are becoming viable again and their chances to full recovery continue to improve.

My outlook for the transport sector in general, and in particular for the members of our retirement fund, is optimistic. We are making good progress. Our investment strategy is proving successful and we have just received an overall Gold Standard Award from the Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA) for meeting all the criteria in the following areas of excellence: governance; transformation; stakeholder engagement and education; investment practice, trustee development; and financial management and reporting,” ended Lestwalo.

 Mover-shaker Transport Sector Retirement Fund recognised as national industry leader 

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF), a non-aligned, standalone fund whose shareholders are its members, has been recognised by its peers as an innovative trailblazer in the industry. In January this year, the TSRF was awarded top honours at the Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA) annual Best Practice Industry Awards for 2018.   

The TSRF received the overall Gold Standard Award for meeting all the criteria in the following areas of excellence: governance; transformation; stakeholder engagement and education; investment practice, trustee development; and financial management and reporting. The fund also won the Investment Practices category and received a Best Practice certificate in the Transformation category. 

Joe Letswalo, principal officer of the TSRF, says the fund differentiates itself from many others with its single-minded focus on maximising members’ benefits and making a tangible difference in members’ lives. “We have a very strict impact-driven investment orientation which enables us to achieve our set growth targets. We recently improved members’ death and disability benefits from two times annual salary to three times annual salary, and funeral cover from R30 000 to R50 000 for the member and spouse at no increase in costs to them. All the proceeds of the funds’ initiatives are reinvested and we pursue ways of finding savings, such as the more than R700-million we have generated through our self-insurance initiative.” 

The fund has about 70 000 members, 70% of whom are truck drivers working in one of the many sectors in the transport industry. “With them in mind we have developed a responsible-investment strategy to build truck stops that ensures our members and the broader transport sector community are able to park and sleep safely and also have access to accommodation, refueling, mechanical services, primary healthcare- and appropriate nutrition facilities,” says Letswalo. “The first of these truck stops, the Harrismith Highway Junction Truck Stop, is one of the biggest in Africa and has provided a more than 25% return on investment over the past 12 months. It is now one of the largest work providers in Harrismith, employing 200 locals.” 

Letswalo is justifiably proud of the TSRF’s engagement and education strategy, which strives to improve members’ knowledge of fund benefits and investments. The preferred communication method is SMSes, with online media, including the TSRF’s website and Facebook, also being successfully deployed in staying in touch with members. Regular clear communication messages help to keep members abreast of an array of financial concepts. “We don’t pay lip service to effective stakeholder engagement,” says Letswalo. “The majority of members access the internet via their cellphones and so we’ve adapted our communication strategy accordingly. Our website is now the top source of information on the fund. Members prefer to access fund-related information by this means. We are talking directly to them.” 

As far as transformation is concerned, the TSRF has placed a target of more than 70% of its assets to be managed by black-owned investment firms. “To date 75% of the fund’s assets are invested with black-owned and transformed managers,” says Letswalo. “We’ve extended this to our stockbroker policy, which gives clear guidelines on the percentage allocation given to black-owned firms. In addition, all the asset managers appointed by the fund allocate more than 50% outsourcing to black-owned business.” 

The fund’s achievement of its transformation objectives has not always been smooth sailing. A number of initiatives had to be adopted to ensure the sustainability of the transformation success. The objective was for the fund to walk the transformation journey with its appointed asset managers to ensure success.

“We realised that the playing fields for our appointed asset managers were not conducive to maintain the success levels, especially with regards to competition with the more well-resourced and established traditional asset managers, says Letswalo. “So, the fund convened an indaba with all the appointed asset managers whereby issues related to performance, good governance, resourcing, support and best practice were discussed. It was important that the asset managers understood that the fund’s success is also their success. At this meeting, they again unanimously pledged to uphold best governance procedures and to cooperate to advance the fund’s transformation agenda.” 

Furthermore, TSRF’s robust internal controls, including frequent internal audits to evaluate best business practices and address potential risk factors, allow the fund to excel in good governance and compliance. The fund received clean internal and external financial audits for the past eight years.  

Having grown the TSRF’s assets from R2-billion in 2013 to R7.5-billion in 2018, Letswalo is confident that the fund’s outlook is positive and its various strategies on target. “We are definitely shaking up the industry with our nimble investment strategies and people are really starting to sit up and take notice. We run a clean business where we place our members at the heart of it, and we are grateful that the industry has given us recognition for it,” says Letswalo.

As South Africa gears up for peak holiday traffic volumes experienced during December, road safety is at the forefront of the minds of those who manage traffic flow and all road users.  The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) recently teamed up with the City of Johannesburg to host a Quality Road Markings event in support of Transport Month and to increase safety and user experience on the city’s roads.

Plascon was one of three paint suppliers to demonstrate their road-marking paint products at the event which took place at Hyde Park 6th Road between Jan Smuts and First Road last month.  Road marking paint is critical to ensuring road safety as it needs to be both visible and durable. The paint products showcased by Plascon and the other suppliers had to comply with the following factors required by JRA: 

• Paint products must include crystal glass beads with the strong capacity for absorbing, storing and emitting light.
• Can glow for more than twelve hours in the dark thereby increasing safety for road users.
• All the paints (pigments, masterbatches, and aggregates) are non-toxic with no radioactive additives. They must be harmless to the environment which offers a greater level of social responsibility.
• Paints must be quick drying and suitable for direct application to all types of new or previously painted bituminous and concrete road surfaces.
• Can be applied by brush, roller or road striping machine.
• Must have good retro reflectivity due to excellent glass bead retention.
• Produce a surface with anti-skid properties thereby increasing safety when it is raining.

Rolf Redelinghuys, who heads up Plascon’s road-marking paint division, highlights the importance of using specialised highly visible, durable and long lasting road-marking paints to keep traffic flowing smoothly and minimise driver distraction. “It can be applied to all suitable bitumen, asphalt and concrete road surfaces. The specialised resin technologies used in these products, provide maximum resistance to wear and weather conditions.  

These products can be used for painting traffic lines on freeways, city streets, airport runways, factories, parking lots, playgrounds – wherever durable traffic markings are required. “Importantly, to minimise traffic disruptions during application, these products dry rapidly within 15 minutes."

“Another important feature is that these Plascon road-marking paints are very durable with high visibility during the day and night time and designed to withstand a wide range of road and weather conditions that reduces the repainting frequency of lines within the city. Generally speaking, suitable quality asphalt roads exposed to the high traffic volumes within the city and the varying highveld weather conditions in Johannesburg, traffic line markings under ideal conditions should last up to three years. Furthermore, the product is water based and therefore have low risk to operators and is environmentally friendly.” 

Plascon Brand Manager Mareta Le Roux says, “It was an honour for Plascon to be invited to participate in the JRA and City of Johannesburg’s worthwhile road markings initiative, which highlighted the importance of road-marking paint in improving the user experience and safety of Joburg’s roads.”

In the world of logistics there are those who provide transport, and those who have goods to transport. Goload is the magic ingredient that brings the two together.

Goload is an online platform that connects customers with expert transporters. Think of it as an online marketplace where transporters outbid each other for your load, using our innovative reverse auction bidding system.This could save customers up to 65% on transport costs. By giving transporters a load both ways, they save on unnecessary fuel costs, and also help to reduce net emissions. Clearly, efficiency is good both for profit and for the planet.

Goload’s founder and CEO, Derek Townsend, has worked in the logistics industry since the early 90s. The experience he amassed while working for many freight and courier companies has given him a unique insights into the shortcomings of the industry. One of his first ventures was to connect independent transporters, such as owner-drivers, with companies as outsourced transport partners. While this filled a much-needed gap in the market, it was still very hard for general public to access reliable transporters without having to complete complicated credit applications and contracts. The only viable option up to now has been to scour classified ads and ask friends and acquaintances for recommendations. Goload was born to make quality transport much more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

“Goload was established with a mission to become the PRIMARY networking platform to the transport industry by empowering customers and transport providers to connect in a safe and neutral environment. Throughout the history of business, people have used data to make informed decisions. Goload endeavours to provide the most ACTIONABLE platform with insight, data and a source of valuable information for both our customers and transport service providers. Oh! And did I mention we on a mission to help eliminate CO2 emissions, one exhaust fume at a time.” - Derek Townsend, Goload Founder.

As a company, we are so much more than just an online platform. We are fully committed to service excellence and ongoing support of all our customers and partners. We also know that, where innovation is sparked, imitation is sure to follow. Therefore we are fully committed to keep developing and refining our products, as well as to keep innovating in order to stay at the forefront of our industry. Above all, we strive to always remain an ethical company, to distinguish us from so many others who put profit above people. Finally, aside from striving to revolutionise logistics for everyone, we want to do it while keeping the fun in the workplace. After all, our happiness is sure to trickle down to our customers. In fact, our friendly support team can always be reached by email or live chat.

http://goload.com

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https://www.facebook.com/goloadonline/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/goload-sa/

We are always looking for good and reliable transporters to join our platform, so if you would like to be a part of the revolution then subscribe to the transporter mailing list - you’ll be the first to know when Goload is live.

APC Storage Solutions SA recently completed a turnkey storage solution installation for a new 7 500 m2 national parts distribution centre to be used by a large Japanese motor vehicle manufacturer in Midrand, Gauteng. The tailored solution had to replicate the company’s strict global logistics standards and procedures for the storing and distribution of its automobile replacement parts, and be completed within just 26 days.

“While the new warehouse had to comply with stringent design and safety parameters in terms of how each product type is stowed, we were still able to suggest and implement certain customised stowage procedures to tailor the solution to the unique requirements of the South African operation,” explains Fred Albrecht, Managing Director, APC Storage Solutions SA.

The inventory, which consists of the complete range of automobile parts and accessories for distribution to all local dealerships and service centres, is shipped regularly from Japan in special containers which are then divided into large parts, small parts and airbags – each being catered for with an item-specific storage solution.

The 4 200 m2 large parts area was fitted with eleven rows of customised conventional pallet racking, all barring one of which is back-to-back, with wooden decking on each level designed to carry maximum loads of 600 kilograms. The racks have a maximum length of 39 metres and consist of five levels giving a total height of nine metres. Specialised dividers were manufactured and installed to support the various part dimensions and a unique in-rack sprinkler system in line with ASIP safety standards was installed to protect the stock in the unlikely event of a fire.

The small parts area of 750 m2 is a two-tier mezzanine system for maximum utility of available floor space. Connected via a gangway system, this section was fitted with Simplos shelving and also houses the high value stock in a dedicated area that is fenced off and access controlled. 

25 000 specialised, variously-sized cardboard storage boxes and barcodes were designed, manufactured and installed for both the large and small parts areas for a more effective inventory management, with the entire warehouse run by a state-of-the-art warehouse management system that identifies the correct logistics for each product item.

APC Storage Solutions SA also custom-designed a separate conventional pallet racking and shelving system to store the highly pressure-sensitive airbags, which in the event of accidental detonation, can shoot up to 160 metres to pose a significant safety hazard.

As part of the full turnkey solution, APC Storage Solutions SA, through its material handling division, IHS Forklifts, also provided a 1.5 ton and a 2.5 ton forklift and stock picker to manage the picking and stowing of unit loads; specialised picking trolleys for large and small parts and various work benches.

“When we received the purchase order at the end of January 2014, with an instruction to be complete by 1 May, the warehouse wasn’t erected yet,” Albrecht explains. “Once construction commenced, our ability to act quickly and flexibly, as a single-source solutions provider, set us apart from our competitors. Apart from the complete system installation, we also supplied training for the operation of the material handling equipment and the sprinkler system in order to ensure a pain-free handover.”

As part of the company’s after-sales service, APC Storage Solutions SA will conduct biannual site inspections of the warehouse’s racking to ensure each component offers the full performance and safety capabilities of its OE manufacturing specifications.

While the fuel price has dropped in recent months, it still remains a valuable commodity, call it "liquid gold". Not only is it valuable to you but it is also valuable to thieves who steal it and sell it cheaply.

One would like to trust employees but unfortunately, with the economy in its current state, the basic motivation of people is to survive and if surviving means siphoning off 20L of fuel along the road every few days and selling it for R100, they will do it. The problem is, as a fleet owner, you can only dedicate limited time to playing the policeman game and in all honesty, if your truck holds 500L of fuel and 20L is stolen along the way, you will probably not even detect a problem, but right there is an unknown and unseen cost to you. Imagine losing 20L per filling to theft. What is this cost to you?

One could install cameras on the cab of your truck to pick it up but that would mean reviewing footage daily which requires time and effort... something a busy executive can't often do. The ultimate solution is to remove the temptation where measures are taken to make it nearly impossible to steal.

The Diesel Guard range of products will take the pain out of theft for you with a complete solution including protection for the filler neck, special drain plugs, hose and sender unit covers and even solutions to cover clamps. All Diesel Guard products are made to the highest possible quality specifications and are robust. Clients have reported that even in instances where thieves try and siphon diesel in remote areas from their plant, they struggle to break the units even with a crowbar and eventually give up.

Visit http://www.velisa.co.za/index.php/products/logistical-savings/diesel-guard to watch an introduction video on the Diesel Guard range of products. 100% Proudly South African innovation for Africa, Diesel Guard will ensure that your fuel remains where it should be... in the tank.

Contact Details:

Charl Hoole - Director, 046-648-1089, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Velisa Agencies

Tel: 046-6481089

www.velisa.co.za

Velisa Agencies CC
Tel: 046-648-1089
Site: www.velisa.co.za

Gaining a competitive edge in logistics, mining or construction  

The cost of providing logistical services is constantly on the rise and is expected to continue to do so. Labour costs, tyres, parts, toll fees, competition, regulations and the increasing pressure on companies to reduce emissions will never decrease. The question is, how much more can you cut to stay in the green band of finances and guarantee you will still be operating in 5-10years?  

Today’s environment shows that the cost of fuel is the biggest input to daily operations and becomes an expense as soon as you touch the key, before the wheels even start rolling. The cost of fuel is also constantly rising, faster than other inputs. It doesn’t stop there as the value of fuel has now become such that it is also a target for theft.  

We at Velisa Agencies have a long standing relationship with two major suppliers in addressing both fuel combustion efficiency as well as fuel theft prevention.  

Firstly, we are able to offer clients considerable savings in the usage of fuel by enhancing the combustion properties of it by adding the revolutionary Naf-Tech product. Savings of up to 20% have been achieved in trucks and in some cases up to 25% savings in generators with this nano-fuel technology. It is a fact that fuel which combusts properly also performs better and eases the strain on your injection system since fuel in its native state was never designed to completely combust which causes efficiency issues not to mention reduced engine life. In burning better, emissions are also greatly reduced and the power which an engine was designed to deliver is now attainable. The product has been extensively tested and proven not to damage engine components. For the peace of mind of the client, it is also backed by a considerable international insurance policy in the event that any damage is caused by the product. Our reach currently spans South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia with strategic support in cross-border regions. Applications include mining, road freight, agriculture, construction and others. More information is available at http://www.velisa.co.za/index.php/products/logistical-savings/fuel.

Secondly, we put a stop to diesel theft through the Diesel Guard range of products. These units are made to fit perfectly to almost any application and consist of a complete solution for the filler neck, drain plugs, hose and sender unit covers and more. Fitting the Diesel Guard range lets your fuel in and not out into the wrong hands. All Diesel Guard products are made to the highest possible quality and we guarantee customer satisfaction. For a short video, have a look at http://www.velisa.co.za/index.php/products/logistical-savings/diesel-guard.  

Both the Naf-Tech and Diesel Guard products are proudly South African. We are registered importers and exporters and are also SADC registered. Contact us today for more information and allow us to do an analysis of your operations and fine tune your fuel spend and efficiency.  

Contact details:

Charl Hoole
Director and Logistical Savings Expert
Tel: 046-6481089
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.