Power outages ratchet up generator demand

THIS YEAR’S power outages impressed upon many perishables shippers the need for generators to ensure a steady supply of electricity for reefers and cold storage facilities. Since January 1990, the Midrand firm Generator and Plant Hire, with offices in Cape Town, Durban and Richards Bay, has provided this equipment. At first servicing factories with 600-700 kv generators, so large they must travel on flatbeds as abnormal loads, the company in more recent years has also serviced the needs of perishables movers and cold storage operators. “Over recent weeks the situation has stabilised, but earlier in the year, around February and March, there was a huge demand for generator rental and sales,” said company managing director Dave Pretorius. The firm has 100 500 kv generators on hire to various perishables companies, and new customers’ needs are assessed to custom-fit a power supply to their operations. “For reefers we might fit the generator to the trailer or use a ‘clip on’ model for the container. At dockside the reefer is either patched into the power point of the port generator or the municipal power supply,” said Pretorius. Some companies find it prudent to purchase generators outright. “Depending if cash is available, they will buy, or they can enter into a longterm rental of three to five years with the option to purchase at a minimal cost at the end of the period,” Pretorius said. Generator and Plant Hire’s five large Mercedes Benz trucks are equipped with cranes to move the large units throughout SA.