Capital Equipment News January 2015

COMMENT

D uring the past year we have given coverage to a host of new ventures in the automotive industry. There have been no fewer than four major events which have heralded the opening of new and upgraded manufacturing plants in the truck industry. Isuzu, Hyundai, FAW and Iveco have re-affirmed their commitment to the local market with this latest move. A wealth of opportunities for the various man- ufacturers concerned have opened up and created economic opportunities for the re- gions where the various plants are situated. Labour is the backbone of any enterprise of this nature and these new ventures have set the bar for employment opportunities and skills development. We all talk about the skills shortage but what are we doing about it? Many of the larg- er manufacturers have their own institutes that offer first class training for their staff in all aspects of truck and equipment mainte- nance, driver training, and even sales. This is all well and good but many start and few BUILDING a skills platform

finish the programme. Maybe the truck and heavy equipment industry has a less glam- orous appeal than other industries such as motor cars, boats and even aircraft but it’s the construction equipment and truck in- dustry that is showing the growth and sta- bility even in these tough economic times the country is facing. Its a tough business and not an easy one but those that have stuck it out have reaped some rich rewards not only financially but have assured them- selves of long term careers that have taken them beyond their sell by dates and with the added advantage of remaining a useful contributor to the transport network. Attracting school leavers and graduates to the industry requires a lot of hard work by those of us who are stalwarts of trucking and heavy equipment and we should make it our quest to attract the right calibre of candidates, using whatever means we have at our disposal to do so. Heavy equipment and trucking have an image problem in that they don’t have an image. Young peo-

ple need to be made aware that there are some awesome machines out there with 600 horsepower under the hood and capa- ble of hauling 120 tons at any given time. Manufacturers should spend some of those marketing budgets attracting youngsters to the industry by having more promotional activities which are focused on recruitment. There are many opportunities at various shows to create that kind of exposure and even some hard selling at schools and col- leges to attract the right candidates The future development of this country is in the hands of youthful entrepreneurs of to- day so let’s bring them in and give them the tools to succeed.

Pierre Sanson, Editor

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JANUARY 2015 2