The new Bidtrans Portal provides real-time collaboration and interaction between clients and their deliveries via an online platform.

In a recent story covered in FleetWatch, we reported on Marcus Ellappan, director of road freight for Bidvest International Logistics (BIL), saying that the company has plans in place for an adjusted road-freight service offering which he believes will enable BIL’s road-freight division to offer faster and stronger supply-chain support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We promised to follow up on this and here we go…

The news is that BIL has now launched a new road-freight portal that will allow clients to manage deliveries seamlessly from start to end which, according to Ellappan, “takes away the pain of having to procure transport service providers and still manage them.”

The Bidtrans Portal provides real-time collaboration and interaction between clients and their deliveries – via an online platform – streamlining compliance matters, service deliveries, tracking, transport proof of deliveries (PODs) and invoicing. This will free up clients to spend more time running their businesses rather than managing the movement of their products.

The move online for freight-forwarding hasn’t been entirely without its hitches. This is evidenced via a report released last year by Deloitte’s transport practice in Germany which showed that global freight-forwarding companies involved in digitisation have run up against industry-specific obstacles

These include platform owners’ neglect to offer a customised service depending on the shippers’ specific requirements, a more consolidated way of invoicing, pricing that’s fixed, and guaranteed loading capacity. Other issues referred to in the report include ensuring a service that’s unquestionably reliable and robust; the need to involve several parties in the movement of the shipment; the temptation to expect immediate financial returns from investment in a platform; a conventional way of thinking; and the scarcity of capabilities to simultaneously explore and exploit, coupled with freight-forwarders’ digital talents.

“We’re not for one second questioning the validity of digitisation in freight-forwarding. It’s inevitable and makes business sense, especially in South Africa with the ground-transport issues the industry faces,” says Ellappan. “But we’re aware of the unspoken realities that industry incumbents or start-ups are facing as they’ve tried to establish digital platforms. Often players are swayed by the hype without understanding what the real challenges are, and then not being in a proven, credible position to effectively address them. There’s nothing worse than raising expectations and not delivering.”

The Bidtrans Portal will allow the company to source loading capacity seamlessly and meet client demand throughout the year. This in turn will allow BIL to offer an automated booking space service through the portal. Phase 1 of the platform’s launch is aimed at contracted customers while phase 2 will be aimed at the broader business-to-consumer market which will be more of an ad-hoc tariff structure.

“As the Deloitte report suggests, robust and rigid reliability are critical in transportation so Bidtrans Portal’s simple, easy-to-navigate look and feel will integrate the BIL systems to effectively manage load collection, tracking, delivery, POD uploading and invoicing on time.”

That said, the portal will still be flexible in how it responds to client requests by conforming to agreed service-level agreements that may differ from one client to the next. Most important is that should clients still prefer to liaise with key personnel at BIL, they have the option to do so. Those people are available on a 24-hour basis. The portal will enhance the existing customer experience, specifically for those customers who want to enjoy an automated service offering.

“What many well-intended market disruptors sometimes forget is that the Uber model is based on people ‘loading’ themselves and the reality – and, in this case, our model – is based on a solid understanding of what it is to load a 20kg product or a 36-pallet shipment on the correct transport asset,” says Ellappan.

“We operate a multitude of warehouses, so we’re fully aware of the potential delays associated with loading and offloading points and therefore have incorporated a tracking module to proactively mitigate the risks surrounding a potential miss in on-time delivery in full.”

Addressing the issue of multiparty involvement with moving shipments, a driver will be briefed on new collection points and any special requirements but the process will remain basic and resilient: client – BIL – consignor – transit – consignee – POD – invoice.

“The market has to start eliminating the huge amount of manual administration involved with simply booking a load and we’re under no illusions about that,” says Ellappan. “The phone calls to various parties trying to secure space – or emailing a delivery instruction – can be a lengthy process when compared to the seamless nature of online ordering.”

The Bidtrans Portal will eventually launch an application for mobile use as well and one of the key features to combat a conventional way of working is Bidtrans’s escalations offering – loads not assigned will be escalated for management action in the company.

“As with any new product, users may take a while to warm to it because of an ingrained tendency to use what’s familiar and tested. However, we’re of the firm belief that once they experience the reduction in manual activities, the track-and-trace function, the ease of online ordering and equally important, its ability to uphold solid compliance management, people won’t want to go back to the manual way of working,” says Ellappan.

In essence, the company is providing a digitised platform that’s sustainable and makes a meaningful difference for its clients, without losing the all important personal contact and query resolution that has always been the cornerstone of the company’s success.

Bob Dylan sang it: “The times they are a’changing.”

MAN Automotive has come up with an extremely novel concept: a limited edition of trucks painted in the colours of the South African flag. CHARLEEN CLARKE reveals the story behind the creation of these extraordinary vehicles

From bad to good. That’s what the SA Flag Limited Edition trucks personify, as Eren Gündüz, chief operating officer at MAN Automotive, says: “They symbolise the incredible success of the MAN brand in South Africa.”

As recently as 2016, MAN’s market share wasn’t anything to write home about. “We were sitting at a little less than 7%, and we were obviously not happy with that. Our team worked incredibly hard to change that situation and, last year, we achieved 14%,” he reveals.

Gündüz and his team decided that they wanted to show their appreciation to customers. “MAN has been in the country for a very long time – uninterrupted. Especially given the fact that we were facing a pandemic, we decided that we wanted to do something very special for South Africa. We love and appreciate the country and we wanted to show this. We decided to come up with something that would pay tribute to South Africa and its people. Our trucks are our lifeline. All our goods and commodities are moved by truck! We thought about all sorts of different ideas and came up with the SA Flag Limited Edition. The flag exemplifies the spirit of the country, after all,” he notes.

There are 12 SA Flag Limited Edition trucks, says Robbie Virgili, head of retail truck sales at MAN Automotive. “We took the six colours of the SA flag and painted two trucks in each colour. We selected the 26.480 Efficient Line, which has the best fuel consumption in the country,”
he explains.

“The trucks have been pimped up with all the bells and whistles. We fitted leather seats, bullbars, stone guards, roof bars, special floor mats and side skirts. The whole vehicle is colour coded outside. The hubs and side skirts employ the same colour.”

On the tool compartment flap of each truck, there is a South African flag and it also highlights the colour of that specific truck.

The trucks were kitted out at MAN’s new modification centre in Pietermaritzburg, which was opened just before lockdown. Gündüz explains that this centre is great news for local customers.

“When we sell a standard truck to a South African company, they often add extras. Then we have to send the trucks to various suppliers. A couple of times we experienced problems with suppliers drilling in the wrong place. The damage is irreversible. To stop this situation, we opened our own modification centre. We have our own technicians and they use MAN-approved fitment methods and tools. A full warranty is offered,” he says.

While the trucks were undergoing their metamorphosis at the modification centre, they were under the watchful eye of Hayden Wright, senior salesman at MAN’s Pinetown branch. Virgili and Gündüz are unanimous: “He managed the whole fitment process and did a fantastic job.”

Modifying the trucks was an effortless task, thanks to the skilled team of technicians. Getting MAN from 7% to 14% market share required considerably more effort. “We decided on a process of continuous improvement. It has been a huge amount of hard work. We have implemented a massive number of projects aimed at improvement. In aftersales alone, we introduced 22 projects,” reveals Gündüz.

For the MAN team, the top priority was uptime. “This has increased our customer satisfaction. Even in lockdown, our focus on uptime and customer satisfaction never waned. In fact, we started working two shifts at our workshops to support essential services customers. Whenever there was a requirement, our teams were there to support the customers. This made a big impact. When the market is difficult for customers, special support is so important. We tried to do everything possible for our customers – and this has paid dividends. Our customers will never forget this,” he contends.

Prior to lockdown, the MAN team doubled their truck stock (kit orders). “It was difficult to convince Germany to support us, but they did. We did not know if the ships would be working and whether or not the containers would arrive. We didn’t want to take any chances that could result in us disappointing customers. Yes, this was a massive investment, but it was the right thing to do,” notes Gündüz. The parts inventory was also increased by 25% before lockdown – for exactly the same reason.

He believes that good teamwork helped the company along its path of success. “When I look at 2016 versus today, we have only changed two senior managers. The right people were in the right place. We empowered and supported them. The team has done a great job. MAN has four values – team, respect, integrity and determination – and this governs every aspect of the way in which we do business,” he says.

“We respect the market, which has its own dynamics and challenges. We are determined to grow market share. We always work with integrity. Instead of giving the customers what we have, we try to listen and give them what they need. Sometimes big corporate companies forget the customer. But we put our customers at the very centre, and everything is around uptime.

“Just consider the telematics systems in Europe. They simply don’t work here. Therefore, we created a local solution that gives the customers exactly what they need. In South Africa, security concerns are paramount. Therefore, we designed our system around this need.”

The system is provided free of charge for three months with every new MAN truck purchased. “We also offer stolen vehicle recovery as standard. This is what our customers need. If the driver goes off route, alarms automatically go off. In Europe they don’t have these security concerns,” he notes.

These policies, coupled with lots of hard work, have really paid dividends. “Last year we were rated number one in truck sales. This year, I am thrilled to announce that we are number one in the market in terms of the combined results – truck sales, parts and service,” says Gündüz with a big smile. “In fact, four of our branches received 100% customer satisfaction in August.”

While truck sales, parts and service are flying, so too is the TopUsed organisation. “When the market is tough (and it is right now), used sales always grow. Plus, new vehicle prices are increasing due to the currency devaluation. The same has not happened to used. Accordingly, we knew that the business would grow. This is going to be a record year for TopUsed. We’ve never sold more than 90 used trucks in a single month. But we sold 119 in July and 92 in August. September is also looking good,” he reports.

He acknowledges that “staying at the top is more difficult than getting there. But we will work hard and come up with innovative ideas.”

One such innovative idea, of course, is the SA Flag Limited Edition concept.

“Seven have already been sold. Interestingly, bus fleets are buying them to transport cargo. This is because bus commuters often have lots of luggage when going cross-border (especially to countries such as Zimbabwe). Typically, a trailer has been towed behind the coach. But now, that’s simply inadequate. Accordingly, bus and coach operators are now going into the trucking business too,” Gündüz reveals.

Virgili adds some customers are rewarding their top drivers with a SA Flag Limited Edition truck. “We are putting a lot of money into them and, yes, they are more expensive than a regular truck. But it is a great driver incentive. Those drivers are beyond excited at the opportunity to drive one of these striking vehicles,” he says.

Customers can only purchase one truck; no more than one SA Flag Limited Edition MAN is being sold to a single fleet. “We wanted to make them as exclusive as possible,” Virgili explains.

And what if a customer approaches MAN and wants to order 100 of these incredible trucks? “We won’t take the order; there will only ever be 12 of these trucks,” he insists.

Now, the challenge is to come up with an even more innovative concept for 2021. “That’s going to be tough! But we have a great team of people at MAN. I am sure that we will come up with something,” predicts Gündüz.

Hopefully, they will. But one thing is certain: it’s going to be very hard to top a SA Flag Limited Edition truck.

DACHSER says thank you – over the past few weeks, our customers have informed us in good time about their current transport requirements and included us in their planning. This has enabled us to quickly adjust our capacities to the actual demand. Due to the sharp decline in transport volumes in recent weeks, we have temporarily reduced transport capacities and installed special schedules.

The many measures taken to reduce new infections with the coronavirus have had a positive effect in many European countries in recent days. Initial easing measures, for example a partial reopening of retail outlets, are making everyday life easier for people. Since many industrial companies are also resuming production – albeit mostly at lower output levels – we expect transport volumes to remain volatile, but to increase again in principle.

With the active support of our customers, we are very well prepared for the coming period and will also be able to handle rising transport volumes again with the well-known DACHSER quality. It will continue to be very valuable for us in the future, too, that our customers continue to provide us with all the planning information that will enable us to adjust transport capacities and planning in line with demand.

We would like to thank you for your active cooperation during this very challenging period and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration, in which you can continue to rely on DACHSER.

Mato is set to unveil a range of new belt cleaners at Electra Mining Africa 2022, in Johannesburg, in September, using the platform to highlight plans to expand its supply footprint.

Having been founded with a specific mandate to manufacture and supply mechanical conveyor belt fastening systems, Mato Products, a Multotec Group company, says it has become a household name in belt lacing equipment and clip fasteners. The two product ranges remain the company’s bread and butter, confirms Managing Director Benjamin Sibanda.

However, when Sibanda took the reins at Mato, initially as General Manager back in 2015, one of his immediate tasks was to diversify the company’s offering, which prompted the move into belt cleaning systems. To mark its first foray into this market, the company displayed its first units at Electra Mining Africa 2016.

In 2019, Mato landed its first major contract to supply and maintain belt cleaners for a leading colliery in the South African coal region of Emalahleni. This was immediately followed by another major contract, this time at a Botswana colliery for both the plant and underground operations. Since then, the company’s belt cleaning range has gained significant momentum in the market, particularly in the coal sector.

Going forward, however, the focus is to further grow the supply footprint into other commodities beyond the mainstay market of coal. The plan has already been put into action with a recent contract to supply a gold mine in Gauteng, South Africa. Elsewhere, the company is due to sign a major belt cleaning contract with a Botswana-based diamond mine, which will represent its largest deal to date.

“We have traditionally enjoyed major success in the coal market, but we believe that now is the time to expand into other commodity areas such as gold, diamond, iron ore and platinum,” Sibanda says. “To achieve this, we will pivot Multotec’s existing footprint into areas we have never been before.”

The market expansion strategy will be buoyed by a range of new offerings to be displayed at Electra Mining, which is scheduled to take place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre from September 5-9.

“Our main focus this year will be nothing else but belt cleaners,” Sibanda says.

One of the new offerings on display will be the MDP & MTP primary belt cleaner, which replaces the locally made MCP3-S model. Initially, it will be imported from Mato Australia, the manufacturing hub for the Mato Group, but, following Mato Products SA’s recent appointment as the group’s second manufacturing hub, the new primary belt cleaner will be produced locally.

Unlike the old MCP3-S which used the spring tensioning system, the new MDP & MTP comes with a compression spring.

The downside of the spring tensioning system is that, over time, it gets fatigued, especially in tough ores with heavy vibrations. Once you lose the spring tensioning, Sibanda says, the belt cleaner is deemed ineffective.

“Instead of pulling in the blade onto the drive pulley system as the means of tensioning, the compression spring now allows us to compress the blade onto the drive pulley,” he said. “This approach offers a longer life, even in applications with heavy vibrations.”

Another new offering making its debut is the MUS3 secondary belt cleaner, designed to fit in small and restricted conveyor areas where limited space is available. It is also suitable for reversing conveyor belts such as feeder belts or belts which have roll back.

Completing the new line-up will be the MUS2 Duro, an upgraded version of the MUS2, which has a parallelogram designed into the cushion. This facilitates a constant blade angle attacking the material flow allowing automatic adjustability within the cleaner for when belt thickness varies.

“Previously, the MUS2 had a buffer and the tungsten blade separate from each other,” Sibanda says. “This presented major problems, especially in aggressive applications with high vibrations. As part of our own local design improvements, the tungsten tip is now moulded onto the buffer as one unit and has been implemented for the range globally as the best version, making the MUS2 Duro a more robust and long-lasting belt cleaner than the previous MUS2.”

Represented by Babcock in southern Africa since 2012, Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Company Limited (SDLG) celebrates its 50th anniversary of operating in the construction machinery industry this year. SDLG is listed in the Top 100 of China’s Mechanical Industry Enterprises, and has a 70% shareholding by Volvo Construction Equipment.

Jay Moodley, regional manager of Babcock’s equipment division, says that Babcock has gained considerable market ground with SDLG since introducing the machines to the southern African infrastructure sector 10 years ago.

“SDLG is a quality value brand that complements and supports the premium Volvo range of construction equipment. SDLG machines are developed around the concept of ‘reliability in action’, and are designed to be reliable, hardworking, cost-effective and easy to operate,” says Moodley.

“When we introduced SDLG to the market, Babcock went to great effort in building customer confidence and trust in the brand. Over the last decade, our customers have seen that SDLG machines are competitively priced, fuel efficient and easy to service and maintain. With strong aftersales support from Babcock, the machines have proven their reliability to get the job done, and we have made solid in-roads in the infrastructure sector with the SDLG portfolio.

“Our customers were already familiar with the high standards of Volvo construction equipment, and were reassured that SDLG products are also manufactured to similar standards at the state-of-the-art factory in China. SDLG is very responsive to customer feedback and places ongoing emphasis on innovation in all phases of its design and production to deliver ever more dependable products and services to its global customer base,” says Moodley.

He adds that lead times on SDLG machines are good as the company is flexible with ordering products, rather than working on a build-slot basis like many other OEMs.

As part of its aftersales support, Babcock has streamlined SDLG part availability and holds a constant inventory of spares to provide fast assistance. “We are committed to keeping our customers going and preventing units from standing. We pride ourselves in our aftersales service, and have branches across the country, including the major port hubs,” affirms Moodley.

“Of note is that the SDLG machines are serviced by our Volvo-qualified mechanics, so our customers know their machines are getting top-class servicing.”

Babcock currently offers three SDLG products in southern Africa: the 9220F grader, and the 938L and 958F wheeled or front-end loaders.

Moodley says that the grader is used predominantly in the public sector for road maintenance, and that the pricing and availability of these machines, combined with the aftermarket service from Babcock have positioned the SDLG grader as a front-runner in this sector.

The majority of the wheeled loaders are used in southern Africa’s coastal belt at ports for material handling, moving of mineral resources, commodities and fertiliser, stock piling, and loading and offloading of vessels. Some wheeled loaders are also used in quarry applications, and clean-up operations in the public sector.

Demand for South Africa’s mineral resources on the back of the electric revolution, and the war in Ukraine has seen an increase in port activities, which in turn is driving the demand for material handling machinery, says Moodley. “There is huge potential for growth in this market, and Babcock is continuously seeking opportunities to supply products required by the industry.”

The SDLG product range currently available in South Africa includes:

• SDLG grader G9220F
• The G9220F is a well, balanced, versatile machine for all grading applications, with good traction and excellent blade down force. The 164 kW Dalian Deutz engine has three power curve settings for the smoothest grade on any surface while reducing fuel consumption. The Machine Blade Control System (MBCS) is controlled by hydraulic mechanical levers in the cab, allowing the operator to swing the blade himself if required. No manual handling is required for improved safety.
• The G9220F is a well, balanced, versatile machine for all grading applications, with good traction and excellent blade down force. The 164 kW Dalian Deutz engine has three power curve settings for the smoothest grade on any surface while reducing fuel consumption. The Machine Blade Control System (MBCS) is controlled by hydraulic mechanical levers in the cab, allowing the operator to swing the blade himself if required. No manual handling is required for improved safety.

Namibia is set to increase fuel prices by 70 Namibia cents (0.04 U.S. dollar) per liter from Dec. 1 due to a hike of global oil prices, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) announced Friday.

The price of gasoline at the pump in Walvis Bay will become 16.65 Namibia dollars (1.08 U.S. dollars) per liter and the price of diesel will be increased to 15.58 Namibia dollars (about 1.02 U.S. dollars) per liter, MME spokesperson Andreas Simon said, adding that fuel prices will be adjusted accordingly countrywide.

The oil subsidy becomes a heavy burden for the government’s National Energy Fund, which paid 110 Namibian cents (0.07 dollar) per liter on gasoline and 106 Namibian cents (0.06 dollar) per liter on diesel for consumers in November, Simon said. “This amounts to approximately over 154 million Namibia dollars (10.1 million dollars).”

The government has to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fund, he said.

OPEC and other oil-producing countries are set to meet on Dec. 2 to discuss production policy for January and beyond, as the global oil prices surged to multi-year highs. West Texas Intermediate crude futures hit a seven-year high of 84.65 dollars in October.

The Federal Government said the reason it wants to unbundle the commercial operation of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is to improve its operations and improve capacity especially for freight operations and boost the private sector role.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, at the Nigeria International Partnership Forum in Paris.

In a meeting with potential foreign investors, she stated that the unbundling will ensure competition in the space and improve service delivery, urging investors to explore investment in the sector, as the FG plans to unbundle the NRC into 4 categories.

She stated that the NRC would be unbundled into four subsidiaries, including Regulatory, Infrastructure (network creation, upgrade and maintenance) Operations and Services (the rolling stock operations, rolling stock creation and procurement and rolling stock maintenance).

“There have been renewed commitments to railway transport as a key component for socio-economic transformation.

“Of note is the 25-year strategic plan targeted at the rehabilitation of all the existing narrow gauge rail lines, construction of new standard gauge lines and connection to all seaports.

“There are also connections to state capitals, mining and agricultural clusters and technological hubs by rail, as well as their operation and maintenance in the country.

“This has led to some success stories such as the commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna, Warri–Itakpe and the Lagos-Ibadan rail lines, as well as the wagon assembly plant in Ogun State,” she said.

She added that Nigeria’s rail projects have the capacity to generate a sustained freight growth of 7.9 per cent from 2021 to 2025.

In the Maritime sector, she told investors that Nigeria has the second-longest length of waterways in Africa, covering about 853km, she said Nigeria is also blessed with 10,000km of inland waterways and an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles as well as additional 150 nautical miles of the continental shelf in the process.

“We are a dominant player in the West and Central African sub-region and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), controlling over 70 per cent of shipping traffic in the sub-region.

“As a maritime nation, Nigeria plays important roles through its relevant agencies to check the menace of maritime insecurity and other safety challenges in the Nigerian maritime domain and the GoG region,’’ she said.

“The International Maritime Bureau has severally commended this initiative, and in one of its reports, it noted that the number of kidnappings and robberies in the Gulf of Guinea in the second quarter of 2021 is the lowest since 2019.

“While 33 incidents of piracy were reported in the last quarter of 2020, six cases were reported in the second quarter of 2021,’’ she added.

Leading brand in the motor industry, Toyota Zimbabwe has more than doubled its market share in the country over the last three years, NewZimbabwe.com can report.

According to data compiled by the motor industry, the Toyota brand has maintained a larger new vehicle market share since 2019 whilst Ford has maintained the least market share from 2018 to 2021.

The motor industry tracked the top four brands in the southern African country in terms of new vehicle market share between 2018 to 2021.

The top four motor brands in Zimbabwe during this period are; Nissan, Ford, Toyota, and Isuzu.

In 2018, Toyota’s new vehicle market share was slightly above 15%, and it was the third top brand in the country. Nissan was the top brand with its share slightly below 35%. Isuzu was the second top brand with its share slightly below 30% whilst Ford was trailing at about 4%.

In 2019, Toyota’s new vehicle market share significantly increased thereby making it to the top spot in the country with its new vehicle market share pegged at around 27%. Nissan was second with its share constituting about 24% followed by Isuzu 15% and Ford 10% respectively.

In 2020, Toyota remained on top spot with its new vehicle market share pegged at around 29%.

During this same year, Nissan and Isuzu were tied at the second position as they both registered 25% each new vehicle market share whilst Ford had about 14%.

In 2021, Toyota still remains at top with its new vehicle market share pegged at about 34%. Nissan and Isuzu are tied at second position with 24% each whilst Ford is trailing at about 10%.

The data shows that during the period between 2018 to 2021, it has been a three-horse race of Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu for the top spot in Zimbabwe.

Toyota has enjoyed a larger portion of the cake in terms of new vehicle market share and Nissan and Isuzu have been competing for the second position whilst Ford has always maintained a smaller portion.

Speaking at a media workshop, Toyota Zimbabwe sales manager Carl Varga attributed the growth of Toyota’s new vehicle market share to aggressive marketing and pricing strategies put in place by the company in 2018.

“We have more than doubled our market share in the last three years, mainly due to aggressive marketing and some pricing strategies that we put in place lately in 2018. We are pleased to say that all the strategies we have put in place have paid off,” he said.

“One of the strategies was targeting the single cab market which constitutes the biggest segment of the market. And if you dominate this segment, you will dominate the whole market.”

Buyers of single cab vehicles have the privilege of paying duty in local currency.

The move is part of government efforts to improve the ease of doing business for small and medium enterprises including the farming, mining, and tourism sector.

“We tracked every new vehicle that was sold by model and in the past, it was predominantly a double cab market with SUVs, etc. Over the last four years the single cab has taken over as the number one selling model in Zimbabwe,” said Varga.

“That is mainly due to government policy which makes it mandatory for all vehicle duties to be paid in foreign currency except for the single cab. So every Zimbabwean is able to pay for vehicle duty in local currency only for single cabs.

“The luxury side has really been curtailed and what is necessary for businesses like single cabs are given priority. If you look at vehicles that were sold in the country, half of them are single cabs.”

SAPRO Mayoko  (a Sapro Group subsidiary and the first iron ore producer and exporter in the Congo) and Thelo DB (a partnership company between Thelo Ventures (Pty) Limited and Deutsche Bahn represented by DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH), have signed an agreement of close to US$ 1.1bn for construction of a new 412km Mayoko to Pointe-Noire port railway in Congo in the southwestern region.

The agreement was signed by Paul Obambi,  the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sapro Mayoko SA, and Ronny Ntouli, the CEO of Thelo DB, both of which welcomed the decision.

Expectations for the new rail

Stretching for 412km, the new Mayoko to Pointe-Noire port railway will be constructed within a span of five years after which it will help with the evacuation of about 12 million tonnes of iron per year in southwestern Congo, and as a result improve the activities of the Sapro Group subsidiary, which operates the Mayoko iron deposit.

SAPRO Mayoko SA is the only company operating Congo’s iron mines in Mayoko, near the border with Gabon. It acquired the Mayoko iron deposit back in 2016 from the South African mining company, Exxaro DMC, with an initial production capacity of three million tonnes of iron per year.

The Congolese company has a long-term production target of 150 million tonnes per year.

Rehabilitation of Mayoko to Port of Pointe-Noire rail section

In addition to the construction of the new Mayoko to Pointe-Noire port railway section, part of this funding will be used for the rehabilitation of the old 182 km rail section from Mayoko to the Autonomous Port of Pointe-Noire (Le Port Autonome de Pointe – PAPN).

Reportedly, this old railway section due to numerous incidences where rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails makes it difficult to transport iron from Mayoko to PAPN.

Rolls-Royce and airframer Tecnam are joining forces with Widerøe – the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market, ready for revenue service in 2026. The project expands on the successful research programme between Rolls-Royce and Widerøe on sustainable aviation and the existing partnership between Rolls-Royce and Tecnam on powering the all-electric P-Volt aircraft.

Stein Nilsen, Chief Executive, Widerøe said: “Norway’s extensive network of short take-off and landing airports is ideal for zero emissions technologies. This aircraft shows how quickly new technology can and will be developed, and that we are on track with our ambition of flying with zero emissions around 2025.”

Rob Watson, Director – Rolls-Royce Electrical, said: “Electrification will help us deliver our ambition to enable the markets in which we operate achieve net zero carbon by 2050. This collaboration strengthens our existing relationships with Tecnam and Widerøe as we look to explore what is needed to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market. It also demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s ambitions to be the leading supplier of all-electric and hybrid electric propulsion and power systems across multiple aviation markets.”

The programme will look to cover all elements of developing and delivering an all-electric passenger aircraft that could be used in the Norwegian market from 2026. Due to its topography, Norway makes extensive use of aviation for regional connectivity and has an ambition for all domestic flights to be zero emissions by 2040. Rolls-Royce will bring its expertise in propulsion and power systems, Tecnam will provide aircraft design, manufacturing and certification capabilities. Widerøe’s mission will be to ensure that all competence and requirements of an airline operator are in place for entry into service in 2026.

Andreas Aks, Chief Strategy Officer, Widerøe, added: “We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator, but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero emissions aircraft into service. Our mission is to have all new capabilities, processes and procedures required for a zero emissions operator, designed and approved in parallel with the aircraft being developed and certified.”

Fabio Russo, Chief Project R&D and Product Development, Tecnam, said: “It is incredible to see the interest around the P-Volt, not only coming from regional airlines, but also from smart mobility-based companies. This last year has demonstrated the importance of promoting capillary connections between small communities, while reducing the congestion of the main hubs. The P-Volt, like the P2012 Traveller today, will perfectly fit the scope of this programme. We are honoured and pleased to see the level of enthusiasm Widerøe and our partner Rolls-Royce are dedicating to this project.”

The collaboration offers an opportunity to develop an exciting solution to the commuter aircraft market. Before the pandemic, Widerøe offered around 400 flights per day using a network of 44 airports, where 74% of the flights have distances less than 275 km. The shortest flight durations are between seven and fifteen minutes. Developing all-electric aircraft will enable people to be connected in a sustainable way and will fulfill Wideroe’s ambition to make its first all-electric flight by 2026. The all-electric P-Volt aircraft, which is based on the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft is ideal for the short take-off and landing as well as for routes in the North and the West Coast of Norway.

Rolls-Royce and Widerøe announced a joint research programme in 2019. The aim of the programme was to evaluate and develop electrical aircraft concepts that would fulfil the Norwegian ambition of having the first electrified aircraft in ordinary domestic scheduled flights by 2030 and 80% emission reduction in domestic flights by 2040.

Rolls-Royce also has an existing strategic partnership with Tecnam to develop the modified Tecnam P2010 aircraft with the H3PS[1] propulsion system, the first parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system for General Aviation started together with Rotax in May 2018.

[1] The H3PS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 769392.

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Jones – Marketing & Communications, Rolls-Royce Electrical

sarah.jones2@rolls-royce.com

M +44 (0)7968 906 469

Verity Richardson – Head of Marketing, Vertical Aerospace

verity.richardson@vertical-aerospace.com

M +44 (0)7714 325 851