CIMC: lowering TCO for operators
CIMC: lowering TCO for operators
Every prudent transport operator works towards achieving the lowest possible total cost of ownership (TCO). Gavin Aboud, Sales Manager at CIMC Vehicles SA, explains that trailers can play a pivotal role in this quest.
According to Aboud, CIMC Vehicles SA has been producing trailers that elevate the level of quality and service currently seen in the industry in South Africa since September 2015. “Our focus is on constantly refining our trailers to be the most efficient, capable and innovative. We achieve this by focusing on integrating technology and efficiency into our manufacturing processes, developing next-generation ideas for durability and longevity, and incorporating a higher level of organisation into our corporate structure,” he tells FOCUS.
The company is owned by China International Marine Containers (CIMC) International, one of the largest commercial industrial conglomerates in China. “With over 50% share of the international container business, CIMC has been the biggest container manufacturing company in the world since 1996. The Shenzhen-headquartered, public-listed organisation has since branched into the manufacture of road transport vehicles, including logistics and construction vehicles. CIMC Group – with an employee complement of over 60 000 people – also designs and manufactures energy, chemical and food equipment, airport facilities, off-shore equipment, and is engaged in the real estate and finance industries through its more than 300 subsidiaries in operation around the world,” Aboud reveals.
The company’s global muscle means that a wide product range is on offer in South Africa. “CIMC persists in the management idea of ‘global operation and local knowledge’,” explains Aboud. “Accordingly, the company provides first-class road transport equipment and services to the global market, mainly all kinds of special vehicles and related parts and service. With CIMC’s worldwide factories and research and development centres in the United States, Europe, Australia and China in support, over 1 000 different models of transport vehicles and logistics equipment can be designed and sourced right here in South Africa.”
This doesn’t mean, however, that business is just plain sailing. Naturally, the transport and trailer industry faces challenges – just like many other sectors. “Given the instability of our country and the rampant crime and looting, transport vehicles have become targets. This results in downtime and thus additional costs to supply chains,” Aboud notes.
CIMC Vehicles SA tries to negate the effects of this situation by providing superior products. “We are proud to say we build vehicles that are not only innovative but also extremely reliable. Reliable vehicles reduce downtime and thus negate some of these negative consequences. Supply chains thus regain some of the lost efficiency.”
The company is able to achieve this because of its highly competent team. “We have an experienced and visionary global management team whose industry and corporate management experience has allowed us to establish a track record of strong financial performance. Core members of our senior management team each have an average of over 24 years of professional experience in the related industries, and an average of over 14 years of experience with us. Since our inception in 2002, we have worked together to build our company from the ground up and led the strategic direction of our operations along the way.
“We intend to continue to draw on our management’s industry expertise and professional management skills to successfully implement our growth strategies. We believe that the proven capability, leadership, vision, loyalty and consistent efforts of our management team and their extensive experience in the trailer industry are key to our success and will continue to drive our future growth,” notes Aboud.
Going forward, CIMC Vehicles SA expects the popularity of its side tippers to continue. “While you will find all our vehicles in most efficient fleets, our side tippers are by far the most popular. This is because they offer a weight-optimised chassis design, disc brakes, aluminium bumpers, a unique huck bolt design and uniquely designed bins.”
These features culminate in a low TCO. “Many fleet owners are reviewing their operations in an attempt to lower TCO. We welcome this approach as we are confident that, thanks to our various product offerings, we can help to reduce TCO,” he says.
Given the fact that the economy isn’t as strong as many would like, efficiency improvements are key to successful operations, says Aboud. “CIMC – via its global footprint reinforced by local expertise – is confident that lessons learned on a global scale can be applied locally to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and ultimately improve fleet utilisation.”
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