Capital Equipment News JULY 2016

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

JULY 2016

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

tudies show that by 2030 there will

be over two billion vehicles on the

world’s roads, which in turn will lead

to increased carbon dioxide in the earth’s

atmosphere and a subsequent increase in

global warming. According to a UN report

published in July 2014, over half of the

world’s population lives in urban areas and

this proportion is expected to increase to

66 per cent by 2050, with much of the shift

taking place in Africa. The move to urban-

isation leads to an increased use of trans-

port so if we are to limit further damage to

our environment, it is vital that those of us

living on this continent adopt green technol-

ogies. This was the theme at Scania’s 2016

Conference on Sustainability.

Reducing carbon footprint is a major force

behind environmental change and many

companies have built sustainability into

their business strategies so that com-

petitiveness, once restricted to product

development, now includes achieving sus-

tainability levels that are in line with the

ethical, social and environmental stan-

dards in whichever countries they operate.

Scania has a holistic view of the transport

system in which different forms of trans-

port, infrastructure, policy, and business

models are linked. Being part of an indus-

try that contributes to pollution, Scania

therefore believes it has a responsibil-

ity also to be a part of the solution and

spends considerable effort on establishing

‘greener’ ways of powering vehicles. The

company is currently a frontrunner in gas,

ethanol and biodiesel solutions.

A leading a manufacturer of heavy duty

vehicles, Scania has a tradition of consid-

eration for the environment. The company

has introduced various product innovations

that have helped customers dramatically

reduce costs and carbon emissions while

continuously improving road safety. It goes

further though and to ensure that its vehi-

cles can operate across the world, Scania

has extended its approach and works with

partners to reduce dependency on fossil

fuels by involving itself in the creation of

fuel for local transport that is sustainable.

According to Anthony King, key account

manager alternative fuels at Scania South

Africa, the concept of sustainability is im-

mersed in the company. “We are in the

process of establishing a footprint for Afri-

ca and have embarked on a programme of

working with various governmental bodies

to create an awareness of the benefits of

renewable energy by promoting the use of

sustainable transport in all spheres of our

economy,” he explains.

He notes that with more politicians and

businessmen throughout Africa becoming

interested in and aware of the need for

sustainability, there is every chance that

the continent will play catch-up with the

rest of the world and, by focusing on sus-

tainability at this stage, be able to ‘leap-

frog’ from poor quality diesel straight to

Euro-5 and Euro-6 technology, while pro-

viding a social solution through creating

biofuel from first generation biomass al-

though second generation biofuels could

also be an option.

Nomonde Kweyi, Marketing & Commu-

nications Manager; Scania South Africa,

confirms this, adding that when planning

longer term solutions, transport companies

must remember that they can immediate-

ly lower their carbon footprints and save

fuel costs simply by implementing a Driver

Training programme. “A well trained driver

can reduce fuel expenses by as much as

15%, and this will also lead to a reduction

in emissions,” she says.

Because Scania has a global engine plat-

form that is based on a modular engine

concept, customers with access to differ-

ent fuels are able to opt for engines with

outstanding environmental performance

and fuel efficiency, no matter where they

are. The Scania modular engine solution

has standardised interfaces between com-

ponent series, enabling clients to install

solutions with improved performance in

engines that are required to meet differ-

ent fuel types. Through the use of com-

pression and spark ignition technologies,

Scania is able to offer engines suitable for

biodiesel, ethanol, biogas and natural gas.

To ensure the success of its sustainability

strategy, Scania has the technical leader-

ship with the right power train irrespective

of whether it involves diesel, biofuels or

future electrical solutions. On the product

front, Scania’s main focus in the future will

continue to be on sustainable transport

and alternative fuels.

SCANIA:

Part of the solution