FAW builds solid fleet foundation

The Cape Town-based DSD Group has 26 FAW concrete mixers in its fleet – and is looking to add more to the line-up. Group CEO Andre Mostert explains why

Die Sement Depot (DSD), part of several companies in the Andre Mostert Vervoer (AMV) Group, is a proud FAW truck customer. The Cape Town-based company supplies ready-mixed concrete, sand and stone to clients throughout the Western Cape.

Group CEO Andre Mostert says DSD is the fastest-growing ready-mix concrete supplier in Cape Town, with a fleet of more than 90 trucks acquired over the past five years. He adds that he has plans to expand the company into Durban and Saldanha Bay, which will mean that more trucks will be required.

“Initially, I had little trust in FAW,” he says, “but the vehicles have stood the test of time. They are fuel-efficient and durable. And modifications that have been made to recent models in the range, particularly the fitment of ZF transmissions, has helped to change my mind,” he says.

In total, the DSD Group now operates 26 FAW concrete mixers and is likely to increase the number to 30 in the near future. The group initially bought two mixer trucks – a FAW 35.340FC and a FAW 33.330FC – which had been factory fitted with drums.

“We picked up the complete trucks, which had been built to the specifications I had stipulated,” says Mostert, explaining that, in order to meet unique operating conditions, he had asked for changes to the air-filter design.

“FAW is a flexible company. Decisions are not set in stone. We see the brand as fair value – certainly, the company produces the only truck that is affordable in these difficult economic times.”

Mostert says he appreciates the fact that the outlet at which he buys his trucks – FAW Cape Town – employs experienced sales staff. “People there go the extra mile,” he says. “It takes one call to sort things out – and we can have trucks on the road within two weeks of the date of an order.”

He describes FAW as representative of a superior truck in his fleet. “We haven’t had to replace a single FAW in five years,” he maintains.