New player enters overborder transport route

Leonard Neill THERE ARE several trucks moving every nine days between Gauteng and Zambia carrying much wanted cargo to that country, but the name on the side and front of the vehicles Ð Amalgamated Transport Services (ATS) Ð is somewhat new in the southern African transport context. "It's a change in name and a big change in our operational patterns," says director Ken Foord. What has now developed from a company which was dedicated to refurbishing and delivering used shipping containers to domestic destinations, is a cross border transport company with routes spreading into neighbouring countries. It all started in May when the former PD Nixon Containers was disbanded. Key Containers & Conversions had been part of that operation, and still exists as part of ATS, but strictly in the reconstruction of containers and steel fabricated units which are delivered to a waiting rural market and private sector where they serve as shops, clinics, classrooms and ablution blocks among other needs. Coupled with this is Crane Truck Hire, which operates the self-loading cranes serving the requirements of ATS and leased to outside customers for the movement of machines and abnormal loads. Andre Fourie has been appointed general manager of ATS. "It has all been a period of restructuring," says Foord, whose brother Bruce Foord is co-director. At their rural base on the road leading from Sandton to Pretoria West, they have completed numerous huge contracts for the goverment and private sectors around Southern Africa and are now expanding into Africa.