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May 2006 |
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The new trucks have been kitted out with brand new bodies and cooler units. The public associates our company with neatness and precision and the appearance of our trucks portrays a clear message that the meat being delivered is of a high standard," says Johan Bester, GM of Roelcor Kraaifontein. |
Just over a month has passed since the launch of the new Mitsubishi/FUSO range of heavy trucks and we get the news that wholesale meat distributor, Roelcor Meat, has taken delivery of twelve new Mitsubishi Fuso medium and heavy trucks for use on its main distribution lines in the Western, Southern and Eastern Cape and parts of the Karoo.
The new trucks - eight of which with payload of 6.2 tons and four with a payload of 2.6 tons each - are equipped with refrigeration bodies. According to Johan Bester, general manager of Roelcor Kraaifontein, with its head office in Somerset West, this move is the start of Roelcor standardising its fleet of refrigeration trucks for distribution on its main routes.
"Although this is the first time we have used trucks from the Mitsubishi Fuso range, we know the product has proven its reliability over the years, that it is competitively priced and that the Mitsubishi Fuso model range meets our specific needs in terms of the various weight distribution we require," says Bester.
Roelcor is the biggest and oldest private meat wholesale company in South Africa. The company was established in 1947 at Koelenhof close to Stellenbosch when Dr. Kerneels Roelofse acquired a single butchery and shop. It promotes a family culture, and despite is size today, is still operated and managed with the hands-on approach of the small family business from which it has grown. Its motto still reads: "Our name is your guarantee".
The fleet of Roelcor trucks delivers beef, lamb and pig carcasses, prime cuts and frozen box meat from the Western Cape to various chain stores and clients in the South Western Cape, Eastern Cape and inland as far as Beaufort West. Roelcor has become the main supplier of fresh meat products to numerous chain stores which include Pick 'n Pay, Shoprite, the Spar group, OK mini-markets and a number of independent grocers.
The trucks cover vast distances annually to reach destinations along the East Coast as far afield as East London, Port Elizabeth and George. With abattoirs in Worcester, George and Malmesbury, a reliable and efficient transport operation is essential. These abattoir facilities operate seven days a week, with full shifts often working to preload trucks at night to minimise the risk of heat contamination of the fresh product. Drivers leave early in the morning to complete their deliveries within the day.
Since on-time delivery is key to Roelcor's business, this calls for a fleet of reliable vehicles guaranteeing quality and consistency.
"We are delighted to welcome Roelcor into our family and are confident that these Mitsubishi Fuso trucks will serve them well," says Johan Cloete, divisional manager of the Freightliner/FUSO division of DaimlerChrysler SA.
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A VIP guest, "Bontle" - which means 'pretty' in Tswana - was present at the handover of the trucks. Bontle is a 20-months-old cheetah from the Cheetah Outreach based at Spier. Roelcor are a food sponsor of the programme which brings the plight of the free-ranging cheetah into full focus in the rural and urban communities of South Africa, especially the Western Cape and provides an international voice for this endangered African cat. Nice one Roelcor. As a food sponsor, Roelcor can't just dish up any old scrap meat. Bontle eats Turkey drumsticks and chicken legs with bones but without skin. She reckons the skin is too fatty! Nice one Roelcor. |
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