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"A World First for South Africa". FleetWatch has, on more than one occasion over the recent past, seen this claim attached to aluminium products designed and manufactured in South Africa. Add to this the increasing use of aluminium in transport products across the board and you are directed not only towards a new trend, but also towards an arena where local expertise seems to be raising a very healthy 'head' in the field of innovation. Here's a competition that will fully explore and recognise the talent and potential of our local aluminium designers and innovators. Read on....
Although the use of aluminium in transport products has been a given for many years in Europe, it is only in the past few years that we have seen aluminium making greater inroads into the South African trucking industry. Evidence of this can be gauged by checking out the production lines of certain trailer manufacturers - specifically their raw materials stockholding - where you will see that aluminium has started to dominate. This is as opposed to years past when steel was the dominant material used in trailer products.
Having travelled to and observed many overseas markets, FleetWatch is convinced that South Africa, although sometimes slow to latch onto new trends, takes second place behind none when such trends are adopted and acted on. Giving this even further benefit is the fact that this country also has a proud and admirable history of innovating to suit our needs. Resourcefulness has always been a big plus in South Africa where the ability to adopt, adapt and to self-innovate has seen South Africa rise to world leadership on many platforms. One example of this can be found in the fleet tracking and management arena where our local suppliers have developed products which are now used in many countries throughout the world. With aluminium now being firmly adopted as a viable material for use in trucking applications,
FleetWatch holds the notion that the innovations we are already seeing come off the drawing boards will escalate and position South Africa onto a platform of quality leadership in this arena.
Given all this - and having followed the trail of aluminium into the industry over the years -
FleetWatch feels the time is right to highlight the innovations that are emanating from our designers - both in commercial employ as well as among our students. It is thus we have embarked on this initiative to provide players in the aluminium industry with a platform to showcase aluminium in a way which takes it beyond the awareness phase into full implementation phase. As the Hulett Aluminium advertisement states: "Aluminium comes of age". Certainly that is true but if it has, where is it now being used innovatively to improve and enhance transport operations. The competition we are running is intended to give more tangible substance to the use of aluminium while showcasing its various applications in the truck industry and to pay tribute to those individuals and companies spearheading the new trend. At this stage of South Africa's development, it is also vitally important that we grow our export markets and it is our firm intention to highlight the capabilities and products that arise from this competition to the rest of the world so as to showcase South Africa's capabilities and expertise in this field. We have so much to offer the world - so let's offer it!
As is FleetWatch's way, having decided to launch such a competition, we then sought visionary partners to join us in this initiative and we are pleased to announce that putting their full weight and expertise behind the competition as our main partners are Hulett Aluminium and Hulett-Hydro Extrusions. We are also thrilled to announce that the following aluminium stockists have also joined us in this venture. They are: Macsteel VRN, Euro Steel, Gammid Trading, Stalcor and Aluminium City. The competition is also fully endorsed and supported by the highly respected Aluminium Federation of South Africa.
On the following pages you will find details on the entry criteria and other rules and regulations pertaining to the competition - as well as the all important entry form. It's now over to you Mr Aluminium Innovator. Let's see what you've got - you could win yourself R25 000. Let the games begin!
Patrick O'Leary
Publisher/Managing Editor
FleetWatch
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