Project specialist upbeat about future growth

While 2009 signalled the start
of the downward economic
spiral, project work is all
about long-term planning which can’t
be stopped once it’s on course.
For project transport specialist
PLM, which launched in March last
year, business was on a roll until
January, and while there’s been a
definite dip since February, managing
director Carl Webb is upbeat about
future growth.
The company offers a diversified
service, specialising in projects – a
field in which Webb has notched up
some 27 years of experience.
“At the moment we’re busy with
a Sasol project, mostly involving
abnormals and superloads which are a
key area for us.
“In January this year we did four
200 ton pieces for Sasol – two
generators and two turbines for its
power generation programme,” Webb
told FTW. There were also 60 loads
of accessories, both normal and
abnormal.
The planning starts months in
advance, says Webb.
In this instance the cargo, which
was imported from Germany, had
to be moved from Richards Bay to
Secunda.
“As with all project shipments, the
route and all the structures have to be
surveyed to ensure they are capable of
taking the weight – and the vehicles
are planned accordingly.
“We check out the site access,
sorting out the sequence of arrival,
monitoring the ships and making sure
the vehicles are alongside to receive
the cargo, and arranging the police
escorts.”
Project cargo is a complex business,
but in Webb’s view one of the biggest
challenges is coordinating traffic
officer escorts. “They’re generally unreliable and there’s limited time to
travel. And while you’re trying to get
the load to the site, there’s cranage
waiting at a huge cost.”
In a recent instance, a ship awaiting
export cargo had to wait a week to
berth because the police escorts didn’t
pitch up as arranged, said Webb.
“And the cost of a ship standing for
a week is significant.”
Exports are also part of the mix,
with shipments currently moving to
Madagascar.
Privately owned, PLM has offices
in Durban and Johannesburg.
It is non-asset based, outsourcing its
transport needs to a range of reputable
transport providers.