Construction World April 2018

MARKETPLACE

O n the back of seemingly improving economic conditions in several Southern African countries, prospects are high that the region may witness a hive of construction activity this year. The recently-ended bauma CONEXPO AFRICA provided construction contractors with a platform to closely interact with manufacturers to help guide those critical equipment buying decisions, especially at a time when they may be looking at embarking on their overdue fleet replacement programmes. At such a time when construction businesses are shopping around for their construction vehicle needs, Raimo Lehtiö, MD of Scania South Africa, is of the view that single source alliances when it comes to the procurement of construction vehicles – where one firm services all the application needs – can help construction firms gain a competitive and cost advantage. It is for this reason that Scania offers a wide selection of con- struction vehicles to cater for the different needs of the construction segment, all the way from tippers and concrete mixers, to brick and crane carriers. To date, Scania offers a wide selection of 15 con- struction vehicles to the local construction fraternity, according to Theuns Naude, Segment Manager, Construction/Public and Special at Scania South Africa. At bauma CONEXPO AFRICA, which took place at the Johannes- burg Expo Centre from 13 to 16 March, Scania showcased a line-up announced its plans to offer completely-built vehicles to eliminate the long lead times often associated with acquiring new construction vehicles. By Munesu Shoko SCANIA demonstrates CONSTRUCTION APTITUDE At this year’s bauma CONEXPO AFRICA, Scania South Africa demonstrated its ability to offer a wide selection of vehicles to service diverse construction applications. The OEM also

of six construction vehicles. Led by the flagship Scania G460C- B8x4EHZ twin-cylinder mining tipper, the line-up also included the Scania P410CB8x4MHZ brick carrier with a crane; the Scania P410C- B8x4MHZ 15 m³ construction tipper; the Scania P360CB6x4EHZ 12 m³ semi-rock tipper; the Scania P360CB6x4EHZ 16 000-litre water tanker; and the Scania P310CB6x4MSZ 6 m³ drum mixer. Century-long experience Construction has always been an important sector for Scania globally, although it was previously not a big focus market for Scania South Africa. Leveraging Scania’s 109-year experience in the global construction sector, Scania South Africa’s construction range was reintroduced in 2015, under the guidance of a dedicated Construc- tion Division. The renewed focus has led to the introduction of an extensive range to offer a wide range of solutions to the different applications within the construction sector. The special construction focus has also seen Scania grow its market share significantly in recent years. “Since the reintroduction of the Scania construction range in 2015, we have seen 50% growth year-on-year in this segment,” says Naude. “We closed 2017 with an increased market share, and we are confident of doubling that in 2018, due to a number of reasons, including a better construction outlook and some of the key strategies we have in place.” While sales numbers are the conventional measure of success for any OEM, Naude says Scania is of the view that the ultimate suc- cess gauge is customer satisfaction and adding value to customers’ businesses and operations. Bearing in mind that construction is an uptime-conscious indus- try where any form of downtime is out of question, Scania South Af- rica is working on a strategy to reduce its new vehicle delivery lead times. According to Lehtiö, the OEM is looking to partner with a team of reputable and experienced local bodybuilders to offer completely built vehicles. While Scania has a big focus on delivering vehicles built to customer specifications, Lehtiö says the complete vehicle • Single source alliances in the procurement of construction vehicles help construction firms gain a competitive and cost advantage. • Scania offers a wide selection of construction vehicles to cater for the different needs of the construction segment, from tippers and concrete mixers, to brick and crane carriers. • The ultimate success gauge is customer satisfaction and adding value to customers’ businesses and operations.

12

CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2018