Astron Energy provides competitive advantage

The trucking and logistics sectors are key arteries of the South African economy, moving goods across the vast expanses of the country’s landscape to key ports and other transport nodes. However, factors such as political change, unrest and global conflicts, economic shifts and pressures, infrastructural issues, and climate change all impact the sector.

At the annual Road Freight Association (RFA) Convention, which took place in the Western Cape recently, RFA CEO Gavin Kelly spoke of the inevitable change happening to the “rhythm of trucking”.

Leading fuel company Astron Energy was one of the key sponsors of the convention, with the RFA working to support its members and ensure they remain sustainable and competitive in a changing landscape. 

According to the RFA, the four biggest challenges facing the trucking industry are borders, ports, crime, and rates. Long queues at border posts and ports, for example, impact productivity and profitability for companies.

In such a complex and challenging operating environment, businesses and operators seek out every advantage to optimise operations and profit margins.

Astron Energy is at the cutting edge of providing innovative solutions, using its decades of commercial business experience. “We understand the impact that downtime can have on a customer’s operations in the road freight industry,” says Axola Myendeki, Astron Energy commercial and industrial general manager.

“This is even more pertinent when the sector faces significant other challenges; we believe we can provide bespoke solutions to customers to help them achieve those critical marginal gains. This is the difference between commercial success and sustainability of the business, and failure.”

According to Myendeki, Astron Energy’s portfolio of transport solutions has considered the holistic operations of its customers and identified areas where it can add value along their value chain. “We are committed to partnering with all our key customers, including members of the critical Road Freight Association of South Africa, to understand their challenges in a difficult operating environment, and to co-create solutions,” he emphasises.

The Astron Energy refinery in Milnerton, Cape Town, has a daily processing capacity of 100,000 barrels of crude oil, and produces various products including petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and LPG, as well as very low sulphur marine fuel.

The company’s lubricants plant in Durban, meanwhile, produces innovative and flagship brands and specialised lubricants for industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.

“High quality lubricants are critical in optimising truck performance across vast distances and across various stress factors. Using high quality lubricants ensures your engine and other moving parts operate more smoothly for longer. They not only optimise performance, but also extend the life of key components,” says Myendeki.

Effective lubrication reduces downtime for maintenance and contributes to the optimal performance of the business. “Trucking and logistics are fast-moving sectors that play a critical role in driving the South African economy. As such, the requirement for dependable, high-quality products is critical to support and maintain operators in this demanding sector,” he adds.

“At Astron Energy, we believe we have the resources and products to support the aspirations of the trucking and logistics sector to allow these to function optimally and sustainably,” continues Myendeki. “We partner for long-term sustainable growth of customers’ businesses, as well as for the South African economy.”