If there is one company that can look back on 2013 with a great deal of pride, it is New Century Transport (NCT), part of the Bulk Commodity Services division of Imperial Logistics.
We say this because not only did the company net a number of prestigious awards and accolades but it also successfully transformed an underperforming coal depot for Exxaro, South Africa’s second largest coal producer.
Certainly we all know the essential role that trucks and other transport modes play in the movement of goods around the world. We know, for example, that trucks carry the bricks and cement necessary to build our houses; that they carry manufactured products to the harbours for export; and agricultural products to the mills. But what about human eyes and butterfly larvae? Yep, transport also plays a role here.
It wasn’t an easy task but, according to Thinus Erasmus, divisional CEO of Imperial Logistics’ Bulk Commodity Services division, through a two stage solution and by establishing a supply chain partnership with Exxaro, the inefficient depot has been transformed and now has the ability to optimally plan its operations, manage and control costs, realise efficiencies and measure productivity.
Exxaro is a JSE-listed, SA based mining group with a diverse and world class commodity portfolio in coal, mineral sands, base metals and ferroalloys, as well as a growing exposure to iron ore. It is the second largest SA coal producer – with a capacity of 47 million tons per annum – and the third largest global producer of mineral sands.
NCT’s success at Exxaro’s Inyanda depot was recognised at the annual Logistics Achiever Awards when the Exxaro and Imperial Logistics partnership was presented with a Silver Logistics Achiever Award.
Further kudos for NCT came in the form of the company receiving its Road Transport Management System (RTMS) accreditation for its Exxaro fleet deployed at Inyanda.
“Overloading has traditionally been a scourge of the heavy vehicle industry and the RTMS has made outstanding progress in achieving a drastic reduction in this issue,” says Erasmus. “This accreditation reflects our commitment to safety in our company and also to maintaining the health of both our employees and quality of our vehicles.”
NCT was evaluated on several key points for the RTMS accreditation. These included vehicle loading and driver wellness, which encompassed working conditions and social health issues like HIV and Aids. The company’s vehicle operations were also assessed and this included vehicle maintenance and training standards for operators. An evaluation of NCT’s productivity also formed part of the process.
RTMS – which FleetWatch has long promoted as the way forward for Best Practice transport – is a nationally recognised, self regulating scheme for heavy vehicle road transport, resulting in a safe, equitable and competitive heavy vehicle logistics value chain.
It is an industry led, voluntary self regulation scheme that encourages consignees, consignors and transport operators engaged in the road logistics value chain to implement a vehicle management system that preserves road infrastructure, improves road safety and increases the productivity of the logistics value chain. This scheme also supports the Department of Transport’s National Freight Logistics Strategy.
To NCT, we say well done. You have set a fine example for others to follow during 2014.