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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
2
T
ransportation plays a crucial role in
the sustainable development of rural
areas and small communities. Wheth-
er building and planning pedestrian orien-
tated main roads in small towns to stimulate
economic development or improving public
transportation infrastructure to enhance
the movement of goods or access to jobs,
transportation literally binds a community
together.
Payloads and kilometres travelled have a
significant impact on ownership costs. Tare
and allowable mass are the determining fac-
tors. Transport efficiency is about optimising
payloads, average speed and kilometres
travelled.
How we use transport has far more impact
than just how much we need to pay for the
components of transport and is severely
compromised by the impact of many un-
controllable factors.
For many agricultural commodities and low
value added manufacturers, the cost of
transport represents a substantial proportion
of total product costs. One study has indi-
cated that in developing countries, transport
costs typically account for between 10 %
and 30 % of final product price.
With this in mind it would be correct to as-
sume that, when referring to transport in
agriculture, trucks would spring immediately
to mind as the obvious method of moving
goods. The capital outlay required to acquire
a vehicle would rate as the highest expense
element of the purchase with the running
and maintenance costs also high on then
expenses list.
The transport industry has been fortunate
in the past few years with the introduction
of Chinese manufactured brands into the
market. In so doing, they have filled a niche
market for economical and easy to maintain
vehicles and construction type equipment.
Not all the vehicles are suitable for every
application but some brands, with their tech-
nical attributes, have proven themselves in
certain applications.
Mechanisation, in agriculture today is a key
driver to sustainable development in food
production. Mechanisation, however, is not
only restricted to food production but also
to the application of mechanical technology,
largely as a means of enhancing the produc-
tivity of human labour and often to achieve
results well beyond the capacity of human
labour.
Farm power in African agriculture relies to
an overwhelming extent on human muscle;
power based on operations that depend on
the hoe and other hand tools which, in a way,
places limitations on productivity.
It is a well known fact that China is in the
forefront of development on the African con-
tinent, having contributed favourably to the
economic infrastructure of many an African
nation. Large populations in Africa need to
be lifted out of poverty and steered towards
sustainability. Mechanisation seems the
only short term solution for encouraging ru-
ral populations to sustain themselves. To a
large extent, China is providing the means
for countries to reach those objectives and,
having already cornered its domestic market
with vehicles and construction equipment,
is now poised for its assault on the export
markets.
There are limitations with Chinese equip-
ment and vehicles in that they are uncom-
petitive in some markets because they can-
not meet the emission standards. This will
not be the case in time to come as more
and more technology is incorporated into
the vehicles and equipment as a result of
the JVs, which most Chinese manufacturers
have entered into with European and Ameri-
can manufacturers.
Many of the world’s major manufacturers
have their sights set on Africa as is evident
by the support that Bauma Conexpo Africa
2015 has received to date. But is Africa, with
its turmoil, prepared to embrace the mecha-
nisation technology available to raise the bar
to improve sustainable development?
Pierre Sanson
Editor
COMMENT
Mechanisation –
the path to sustainability in Africa