Capital Equipment News January 2019

Tata on the up

MONPE masters double challenge Recent improvements to dealer, parts and service networks – with a view to maxi- mising vehicle uptime – have contributed to increased sales this year for Tata and Daewoo trucks, says Len Brand, CEO of Tata Africa Holdings Limited. Vehicle uptime is a critical factor in ensur- ing profitability for any transport operator – and it’s that aspect that has helped to shape core strategies for truck brands Tata and Daewoo in South Africa. “Uptime is the first metric I look at when reports come in from the field,” says Len Brand, CEO of Tata Africa Holdings Limited (TAHL), which also promotes locally vehicles produced by Korean brand Daewoo, which was bought by Tata in 2004. “In any transport operation, sustaining up- time is vital to success – and it’s that aspect that has shaped our South African business philosophy. Everything we do is aimed at helping our customers to keep their trucks moving,” adds Brand. Since Brand’s appointment as head of TAHL in August 2016, he and his team have devised and implemented a number of key strategies to ensure that not only are the right products on offer by the right people at the right places at the right time, but that the means of maintaining them properly and efficiently are in place, too. “About 45% of Africa’s truck potential To move a huge suction pile, Ghanaian company MONPE Ventures put together its orange ModulMAX axle lines from Faymonville. The project included two major challenges: the weight and the dimensions of the load. “When I first got the request to move the suction pile in a vertical position, I was sceptical to say the least. I had seen this been done before but much smaller,” says Peter Everett from MONPE Ventures about this non-typical challenge. The suction pile was 8 m in diameter, 16 m high and weighed 125 t. To build the ideal transport configuration, the 16 modular axle lines from Faymonville were assembled side-by-side in a 4-file configuration – a solution that Peter Everett defined together with Faymonville. “Their engineers came up with the solution. At first, the tipping limits were barely acceptable, so we added 44 t coun- terweights, which reduced the height of the centre of gravity a lot and thereby extremely improved these values,” explains Everett. The piece was fabricated by Belmet

requirements, attending to anything from an accident or roadside breakdown to routine service or maintenance tasks.” b

lies in South Africa,” Brand says. “It’s a vitally important market in which reliability, speed and efficiency are crucial to success. Machinery must be seen to work and to keep on working – that’s the essence of profitability,” he says. In the Tata and Daewoo brands, Brand believes that recently implemented changes to the dealer, parts and service networks – in conjunction with renewed focus on training initiatives – have contributed to increased sales this year, as well as helping to lift performance and delivery platforms as intended. “We have introduced a modern and dynamic parts system which has helped to reduce substantially waiting time for orders – about 92% of items are now readily avail- able for picking, and we have also simplified the selection process, helping to eliminate incorrect choices,” says Brand. “We have also entered into joint ventures and agreements with independent ser- vice providers to increase the number of technicians in the field – people who have been trained in our own, dedicated, local technical academy who are now part of our family. “With more than 90 touchpoints es- tablished across the length and breadth of southern Africa, skilled technicians are able to respond quickly to customer 7 inside Takoradi Port. MONPE Ventures transported it from its yard to the quayside at a distance of 3 km. “There are chambers and ruts on the road, but it was extremely stable. The client was so impressed that a local company had the equipment and support from the manufacturer to do such a job,” says Everett. At the quayside, it was loaded on a vessel to be dropped on the sea bed to be used as an anchor for the FPSO (oil platform) in the Ghana oil and gas fields. Before handling the complicated project, the complete team from MONPE Ventures underwent detailed practical training by Faymonville instructor. Everett is a loyal and satisfied Faymon- ville customer with a high opinion about the well-known manufacturer. “We appreciate the trustful relationship and aftersales service, combined with the premium product quality. I thank Faymonville for their support which is far more than just selling you a trailer but real support from engineers, train- ers and knowledge that comes with being in the Faymonville family.” b

Len Brand, CEO of Tata Africa Holdings Limited.

• Tata pinpoints that vehicle uptime is a critical factor in ensuring profitability • About 45% of Africa’s truck potential lies in South Africa • Tata now has about 92% of parts items now readily available for picking • Has more than 90 touchpoints across southern Africa

The suction pile was 8 m in diameter, 16 m high and weighed 125 t.

• The suction pile was 8 m in diameter, 16 m high and weighed 125 t • To build the ideal transport configuration, the 16 modular axle lines from Faymon- ville were assembled side-by-side in a 4-file configuration • MONPE Ventures transported it from its yard to the quayside at a distance of 3 km

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JANUARY 2019 38