As the South African logistics
industry raises the bar in
terms of safety and BEE
credentials, the impact on
already high logistics costs is
inevitable.
“But cutting corners is
not an option,” said Jacobs
Transport managing director
Gys Jacobs who believes that
savvy businesses are seizing
the new opportunities.
The company, which cut
its teeth in the container
business, has diversified into
more specialised areas like
machine moving and rigging
– with a fleet of cranes
capable of handling loads
from 3 tons to 35 tons with its
recently acquired Hidrokon
crane truck.
“We can do a lot more in
terms of rigging, reach and
weight and have moved away
from breakbulk smaller types
of freight because a lot of
other transporters are doing
it.
“While 60-70% of our
business was initially invested
in containers, it’s now down
to around 50%,” said Jacobs.
A key issue, in his view, is
finding ways of maximising
the productivity of the
equipment. “If trucks stand
in the yard you’re not doing
business. We try to make sure
that we have up to three jobs
a day for every truck which is
very unusual for the industry.
And you can only do that
if you have a very efficient
system – which is why at end
of last year we became ISO
9001 compliant.
“It’s a great
tool that allows
you to see
where the issues
are – with a
high level of
accountability.”
And this is
critical when
you’re dealing
with high-value
loads where the
stakes are high.
“We are
now more
specialised and diversified,”
said Jacobs.
“Three months ago we
moved into the transport
of explosives and that’s a
growing sector for us.”
The company has also
taken steps
to improve
its BEE
credentials.
“We have
brought in a
new director
and changed
ownership
to become
BEE level 1
compliant.”
Legislative
changes with
regard to
empowerment would begin
to affect the industry next
year, said Jacobs. “There’s
a lot more focus on BEE
credentials, particularly
when doing business with
government.
“Procurement makes up
44% of your BEE points
which creates a chain effect
– if I supply to my client who
deals with the government
and I don’t have good BEE
credentials it will affect my
client’s ability to tender for
government business.
“And being in this type
of specialised transport,
which is heavily into
civil engineering, site
establishment and special
projects, you often get very
big clients who need a strong
BEE level.”
INSERT & CAPTION
We have brought in
a new director and
changed ownership to
become BEE level 1
compliant.
– Gys Jacobs
CAPTION
Part of the Jacobs fleet – capable of lifting 13.5 tonnes right next to the truck and at 10.25m it
can lift 4.52 tonnes. The booms can be extended to a maximum of 1025m even at an angle, for
example, to place generators on the third floor of a building.
