Author:focus-on-transport
Ironman competitor Annah Watkinson shares her story of balancing a career as a chartered accountant with her accomplishments as a professional athlete Ironman athlete, Annah Watkinson, this week addressed employees at Isuzu’s annual Women’s Day celebrations held in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. The Isuzu-sponsored athlete, who finished third in the professional female category in the African Ironman Championship held in Nelson Mandela Bay earlier this year, shared her story of balancing a career as a chartered accountant with a demanding […]
From this month, Ford’s assembly plant at Silverton, Pretoria, has begun to operate around the clock Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has introduced a third shift to its vehicle assembly operations at its Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria. The additional shift has created 1 200 new jobs, taking the company’s total employment in South Africa to approximately 5 500 employees. At the same time, it has significantly bolstered employment at supplier companies by adding about 10 000 jobs […]
This month, JARLATH SWEENEY goes face to face with one of the most experienced commercial vehicle executives in the business, Heinz-Jürgen Löw, board member for sales and marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Löw is a true doyen of the commercial vehicle industry, having spent most of his career in top positions at Renault Trucks, MAN Truck & Bus and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. During his time as president of Renault Trucks he oversaw the creation of the multi-award-winning Range T and […]
The latest version of Korean truck manufacturer Daewoo’s Maximus KL3TX 6×4 tractor is scheduled to star at the official launch of the brand next month at the Futuroad Expo at Automechanika Johannesburg. FOCUS offers insights into what drives the Tata-owned nameplate. It’s perceived to be one of the most imposing but stylish-looking trucks on the road. It’s Daewoo’s Maximus KL3TX, a long-haul heavyweight that’s scheduled to star as the brand’s centrepiece at next month’s Futuroad Expo at Automechanika Johannesburg. The […]
Imagine this … no sooner have goods been packaged for transportation than an autonomous-drive, long-haul truck slots into position at the loading dock, waits as the cargo is quickly and efficiently transferred, then checks out digitally and heads for the highway… WANITA WALLACE reports on the future of transport in the making Platooning. It’s a big word in the transport industry. Observers believe it will change the way the world’s road-freight systems operate. For starters, there will be more trucks […]
A sluggish economy, coupled with a rise in the number of violent attacks on trucks, especially along the N3 highway, are being cited as primary reasons for the dip in the sales of heavy-duty vehicles. Will this trend continue? LIANA SHAW investigates “The heavy truck and bus market, which takes up about 1 000 units a year, is seeing a terrible downturn,” states Dave van Graan, head of special projects at MAN Automotive. “Over the past year (ending in June […]
The impact of disruptive technology on the transport industry was a key theme at the 2019 Southern African Transport Conference (SATC), which was held in Pretoria in July. FOCUS reports The annual SATC brings various professionals within the southern African transport industry together to discuss and debate the challenges facing the industry. This year, the conference highlighted the impact of technology on the transport sector with topics on cashless fare collection and electric cargo bikes in the last-mile delivery, for […]
Confidence in the civil engineering industry is down, which means fewer opportunities for construction companies. How will this impact on vehicle sales for original equipment manufacturers? MARISKA MORRIS investigates First National Bank (FNB), in partnership with the Bureau for Economic Research (BER), published its FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index report in June, which indicated a continued low level of confidence in the civil engineering industry. This is expected to impact on the construction industry and other related sectors. The index is […]
Although she hadn’t contemplated a career in the motor industry, 20 years after joining Mercedes-Benz, Maretha Gerber finds herself heading up the brand’s trucking business Nearly two decades ago, when Maretha Gerber arrived at Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s Head Office in Centurion, near Pretoria, to demonstrate the capabilities of a photocopier machine, she had no idea that one day she would return to the building as head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “I was working as a sales executive for a copier company […]
Being a woman in what is traditionally regarded as a man’s world is not without its challenges. Lise Van der Berg, founder and CEO of Tradevest Logistics, a committed Netstar customer, offers some insights Empowerment of women has been a much-discussed topic over the years, especially in South Africa where the number of women who hold executive positions in commerce and industry falls far short of that of men. Equally, 50/50 parity becomes even more challenging in historically male-dominated sectors […]
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