Polson Vervoer, a Pretoria West-based plant hire company which acquired its first Powerstar truck in 2005, today has 20 of them and owner Derick Polson swears by the brand as contributing to the success of his company.
Polson Vervoer hires out tippers, water tankers, graders, rollers and other machinery to a range of customers across Gauteng, the North West Province and beyond. These include the Tshwane City Council, which has used Polson Vervoer for many years on a host of different contracts including the Kusile Power Station.
Polson, sole owner of Polson Vervoer, founded the company in 1994 after working for more than a decade for Leithcon Machinery – owned by his father Leith Polson – a successful plant hire company in its own right.
“Plant hire is in our blood,’ he says. “My father, brother and I are all in this line of business and apart from being family, perhaps the most important thing we have in common in terms of our businesses is our belief in Powerstar. Together we have more than 60 of these vehicles and they have been an important contributor to our success,’ he says.
Polson bought his first Powerstar truck in 2005 and was so impressed with the performance of the vehicle and the service and support he received from Deon van Rooyen, the Brits Powerstar dealer, that a couple of years later, through van Rooyen, he bought 12 Powerstar trucks from a plant hire company that was going out of business. In December 2012 Polson added another four Powerstar trucks to his fleet, and this year he has purchased six more , bringing the total number in his fleet to 20.
“My experience with Powerstar is that downtime is virtually eliminated. Firstly the vehicles are strong, rugged and reliable and secondly, because they are mechanically simple, my team can often do the repair on the spot. In cases where we need spares, they are easy to get hold of through our Powerstar dealer and most importantly, they are reasonably priced.’ Polson says.
Polson’s main Powerstar choice is the 2628 VX 6×4 which is one of Powerstar’s most popular sellers. The Powerstar 2628 features an improved cab design including air-conditioning, external sun-visor and driver-seat suspension. It is powered by the compact Weichai engine.
While a wide range of specialised bodies can be built on the 2628 chassis, Polson’s requirement, thus far, has been for 10m³ tippers, which carry mostly soil and tar as well as water tanker bodies. “We do an average of 5 000km per month with these vehicles,’ he says.
Polson Vervoer has grown steadily in the past decade and today employs 221 people and runs a fleet of more than 43 vehicles. To cope with the growth, Polson recently invested in new offices which he shares with Leithcon.
Bob Wang, Powerstar S.A. CEO, says he is delighted with the relationship that exists between Powerstar Brits and Polson Vervoer. “This is the how we like to do business. When there is a genuine partnership between our dealers and their customers, the customers are able to get the best out of our vehicles. In this way, there’s a win-win situation created for all involved.’
Wang says that during 2012, the company expanded its team of engineering and technical experts to be able to deliver high-end consultation with respect to early technical trouble-shooting and solutions. “This has paid off significantly with our reliability levels improving even more,’ he reports.
He adds that, in addition, international representatives from Weichai and other suppliers are based at the Powerstar Pietermaritzburg plant to expedite and resolve any required technical changes with their corresponding operational division in China.
“In this way, we are constantly able to ensure our vehicles keep up to date with the demands of local businesses and the local environment in general.’
