Author:focus-on-transport

On Tuesday this week, FOCUS attended the launch of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa’s (SRSA) Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) factory in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. This is the second phase of a more than R2-billion investment in the Ladysmith facility, which began in 2014. The first phase concentrated on developing the capacity to produce Dunlop, Sumitomo and the increasingly popular Falken brand of tyres for passenger vehicles, SUVs and light trucks. The TBR plant opened in July this year and currently produces approximately […]

The month of October will be chock-full of industry-related workshops. Successful Fleet and Transport Management Workshop The two-day workshop will be held at HB Connect, Sandton, Johannesburg on October 4 and 5, as well as at Protea Hotel by Marriot Edward, Durban, on October 18 and 19. The Vehicle Fleet Development and Management training course will examine the transportation function in a holistic manner. The training will start by outlining the requirements of successful fleet-maintenance programmes and workshops. The course […]

With operators seemingly stuck in a cycle of cost management and sweating of assets, Cummins has embarked on a concerted campaign to educate its customers about the disadvantages, and even dangers, of using non-genuine parts. “While many customers believe that doing so incurs an upfront cost-saving, our aim is to expose the detrimental long-term impact on engine lifespan in particular,” comments Marco Gouveia, parts marketing lead: southern Africa. “The immediate risk is never apparent upfront, as the engine will continue […]

Earlier this week the Automobile Association (AA), in partnership with Ford Motor Company Southern Africa, launched its 2018 #ISeeYou pedestrian visibility campaign in Mamelodi, Pretoria. The campaign was initiated with funding from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in 2017 through its Road Safety Grant Programme, an international road safety initiative which aims to reduce road deaths throughout the world. Pedestrian deaths in South Africa account for up to one third of all deaths on the country’s roads each year. […]

As it gears up for the official world launch of the sixth-generation Triton (set for November, in Thailand), Mitsubishi Motors is also celebrating 40 years of success in the demanding pickup segment of the market. “Now in its fifth generation, the Mitsubishi Triton currently is our best-selling product in the local market,” says Nic Campbell, general manager at Mitsubishi Motors South Africa. “When you look back at the development and changes over the past 40 years, it’s clear that each […]

The new generation of vans by Groupe PSA – including the Peugeot Partner, Citroën Berlingo van, Opel Combo and Vauxhall Combo – has been awarded the 2019 IVoY Award at the IAA Commercial Vehicles trade show in Hannover, Germany. “The new line-up is the most significant small panel van development in years,” commented Jarlath Sweeney, chairman of the IVoTY jury. Now in its 26th year, the IVoY Award brings together a jury of 25 journalists and publishers from independent magazines […]

MAN Truck & Bus has won the inaugural Truck Innovation Award for 2019 in recognition of its aFAS Level 4 automated driverless safety truck. The award was handed over to Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany, yesterday. The new award acknowledges the enormous technological change that is evidenced within the field of commercial vehicles. It is awarded by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) jury, a group made […]

The new F-Max, produced by Ford Trucks, has been elected International Truck of the Year (IToY) for 2019 by a jury of 23 commercial-vehicle editors and senior journalists, representing 23 major European trucking magazines. The prestigious award was handed over to Haydar Yenigün, Ford Otosan GM, at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany, on yesterday. With a winning score of 126 votes, the new F-Max heavy-duty tractor fought off the challenges posed by Scania’s recently launched L&P Series […]

While the announcement earlier this week by the Constitutional Court that marijuana is now legal in South Africa for private use may be the highlight of the year for some, there are a number of concerns and questions around regulation and control that still need to be addressed to ensure the safety of both users and non-users – particularly when it comes to road safety. This is the view of Rhys Evans, director at Alco-Safe, who suggests that testing for […]

For some time now, owls have been employed in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township to curb the prevalence of rats. Owl nesting and release boxes have been installed in five schools in the area since 2012 and one has been in Marlboro since 2006. Unfortunately, owls still carry a bad reputation among many cultures in South Africa, due to superstition and folklore. Earlier this year, after rescuing an injured owl in Alexandra from children throwing rocks at it, the Sandton Society for Prevention […]