Mobile cranes allow container delivery to rural backwaters

DELIVERING REFURBISHED containers to rural regions of the country has its problems when it comes to offloading. There is seldom an available workforce to do the task, and rarely a crane in sight. The answer? Equip your vehicles with cranes to load and offload the goods.
"That's what we have done and it makes us the only company in the country with this specialised service,' says Bruce Foord of PD Nixon Containers.
Its fleet of six vehicles is fully equipped to meet these demands, all within the borders of the country. No over-the-border deliveries for us, says Foord, with subcontracting undertaken when this service is required.
Situated on a smallholding on the R55 soon after it travels northwards to Pretoria West after crossing the Krugersdorp-Pretoria highway, the company settled there three years ago after deciding that its previous Benrose base was too open to criminal elements.
At that stage it was known as Key Containers, but brothers Bruce and Ken Foord decided a year ago to link forces with Philip Nixon to form the new company. Both Bruce Foord and Nixon are
former Containerlink employees.
"My brother and I launched on our own five years ago when we realised there was a growing market in the sale of second hand containers. The problem these days is that the demand has reached a stage where these containers are becoming a scarcity. We have to work hard to find them to meet orders.'
All types - standard and refrigerated - are refurbished on the premises and then delivered for a variety of needs ranging from cooling operations to spaza shops and schools.