FleetWatch - Market Watch

Copyright © 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.
	MarketWatch	May 2001

	Return that license In the March 2001 edition of FleetWatch, we published an article titled Don't trust that Licence which highlighted the fact that some driving licence centres are issuing driving licence cards with the endorsement "D" included. The endorsement "D" on a driving licence card indicates that the holder has been trained, has passed a prescribed test and has been issued with a professional driving permit authorising the driving of a vehicle conveying dangerous goods. more...

	SADC trade likely to double Significant new export opportunities are opening up for the industry with the upgrading of long-neglected road networks and the building of new highway trade routes in southern Africa. So says Keith Clarke, export manager for Hudaco Friction, South Africa's largest manufacturer of original equipment vehicle brake pads and linings. "Neighbourhood demand for technical know-how, products and services is increasing, particularly in Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Botswana. Our southern Africa neighbours are becoming increasingly important trade destinations for the South African auto components industry as the upgrading of existing links and the building of new highways put more traffic on the roads," says Clarke. more...

	GRW Engineering goes solo GRW Engineering, the specialist tanker manufacturer, has been unbundled out of the holding company, Cuvée Holdings, and is now owned 100% by the van der Merwe family and R van Eerden. The main reason for the unbundling was the perceived conflict of interest by the market regarding the association between a tanker operator and a tank manufacturer building tankers for opposition companies. This had a negative influence on the tank manufacturing company. more...

	Value buys Fleetrent The Value Group, one of the country's leading logistics service providers, has purchased the entire operations of Fleetrent taking on board the total fleet of some 7 000 vehicles including around 90 fridge trucks. The deal has been approved by the Competitions Board. Commenting on the significance of the purchase, Steve Gottschalk, MD of the Value Group, says not only does this give Value an entry base into opening a wider distribution market but it also brings into the group another niche market via the fridge trucks. more...

	Industry eyes the Eastern Cape With the Eastern Cape's dominance as a vehicle and components producing region and the Coega Deep Water Harbour development zone on track, many up-country supply companies are eyeing the region for expansion. So says Janet Coom, GM of Reed Exhibitions SA, the company organising the largest-ever Eastern Cape Industrial Trade Show being staged in Port Elizabeth from October 17th to 19th. more...

	Advantages claimed for air springs Trucks and trailers operating on Africa's roads are subject to severe vibration and stress. So too the drivers of the rigs. Goodyear Industrial reckons there is a simple solution to the problem - replace steel springs with air springs. According to a press statement received by FleetWatch, Goodyear Industrial's rolling lobe air springs and the sleeve type Super-Cushion for trucks and trailers are claimed to offer a number of advantages over the traditional steel spring. more...

	Federal-Mogul gets world award Federal Mogul Sealing Systems in Port Elizabeth has become the first South African automotive industry supplier to earn a Ford World Excellence award. The specialist gasket manufacturer was recognised as one of Ford Motor Company's top international suppliers when it was presented with the Ford Silver World Excellence Award at a recent function in Detroit, Michigan USA. Peter Smith, director of supply for Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, says this is the first time a South African supplier has received this award and reflects the world class quality that South African businesses can achieve. more...

	The FleetWatch Quiz And the winner is.... While we got many phone calls from people commenting that they thoroughly enjoyed our tongue-in-cheek FleetWatch Quiz run in our February edition, the following were the only people to put pen to paper in answering the questions. A big thanks to them and here are their answers: more...

	The Volvo Ocean Race Win a trip to Cape Town to meet the world's most daring yachtsmen One of the world's greatest and most demanding sporting events is due to kick off in September and FleetWatch - in partnership with Volvo Southern Africa - is getting you, the South African trucker, involved. The event is The Volvo Ocean Race which starts in Southampton on September 23rd and goes on to cover 32 000 nautical miles (60 000 kms) taking in ports on four continents. The first port of call after Southampton is Cape Town where the yachts are due to arrive around October 23rd after covering 7 350 nautical miles - the longest of the nine legs of this nine month race. more...