Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Mister Wong
Bookmarks.cc
Digg
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Netscape
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Diggita
Hear this text
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
Fleet management in Africa – not for the faint-hearted
As more South African companies explore and expand into Africa, the need for a comprehensive fleet risk assessment has almost become mandatory.While one can be adequately covered in South Africa, the moment a loaded truck crosses a border different insurance risks come into play.
Beyond SA borders, political risk becomes a major consideration. In some African countries, civil war is a constant threat while in others, invasion or the threat of invasion makes headlines every day. Transporters have evolved to managing risk actively in response to the dynamic nature and rapid changes that happen in the emerging markets.
Brendan Horan, General Manager Sales and Marketing for MiX Telematics, says that trading in the global village has a very different set of dynamics to those governing the unique African village and businesses have had to adjust to the demands that an unstable and unpredictable environment presents.
The improvement in cell phone network coverage in Africa and subsequent roll out of GPRS and GSM has created a demand for higher-end fleet management.
“Customers want to have access to live-tracking facilities where they are able to monitor their vehicles on a real-time basis.
Where there is no cellular coverage, MiX Telematics makes use of satellite communication to track vehicles. The satellite solution is more expensive so GPS positioning communicated via GPRS is first prize. Our technology makes use of least cost routing to optimise the cost of satellite communication and GPRS,” says Horan. Horan says as living standards improve however, the need to advance technologically grows too and since fixed-lines are so limited many Africans have laptops and 3G access which has facilitated the growth in fleet management.
MiX Telematics offers fleet manager’s two unique feature-rich products to not only reduce fleet costs but to track and trace your fleet anywhere in the world.
The FM Communicator has been specially designed for high-end fleet management. It is a full-package solution starting with a driver identification feature and including driver performance monitoring, advanced movement management and vehicle utilisation features. “All the functions of this product are essential for advanced and accurate fleet management.
Fleet managers want to know firstly who is driving the vehicle, then how to manage driving performance based on specified criteria and have the ability to track and monitor vehicle movement. All these bases are covered. It is interesting to note that owners can save significantly on the cost of maintaining a vehicle by simply monitoring speed, revs, braking, acceleration and excessive idling. Being able to monitor these aspects and finding ways to save costs is essential in today’s economic climate,” said Horan.
The FM Tracer is scaled down in terms of its features and is ideal for entry level fleet management or smaller fleets when cost to function is crucial. It offers limited but essential features including tracking and utilisation and is still an excellent solution for managing your fleet with real time or historical vehicle and driver information from any Internet-enabled computer anywhere in the world.
Data for both systems is hosted at Mix Telematics’ hosting centre in Cape Town site, including all data pertaining to Africa.
Horan says MiX Telematics offers a stand-alone or home-based solution but experience has proved that customers in emerging countries cannot source the skills to do the administration themselves so are more likely to do the fleet management side and leave the data hosting and delivery capabilities to the MiX Telematics team.
Commenting on the success of the product to date, Horan says the secret to effective fleet management is heavily reliant on the usage of the information delivered. “At MiX Telematics the method of service delivery is pro-active and the product is completely transparent, there are no hidden costs. Other companies may offer a perceived lower introductory cost but what the customer gets in the end is far more expensive. We take the no-nonsense, single-fee approach,” he says. Moving forward Horan says he believes the current increase in cargo versus vehicle theft is expected to continue. “Fuel theft is also a major challenge in the industry. There is an understanding that it is far more lucrative to hijack trucks than cars which has led to an increase in this type of crime. We are working on solutions to combat this growing trend,” he says.
Last years economic downturn resulted in a noticeable drop in the activity of line haulage and transportation and a reduction in fleet sizes or a stagnation fleet growth. He anticipates this trend will stabilise but the impact of the recession is still being felt. “However, as long as there is a poor rail infrastructure in SA and parts of Africa there will always be a need for trucks and there will always be a need to protect them,” he concludes.
