According to Charleen Clarke, editor of FOCUS on Transport and Logistics magazine and who convenes the awards on behalf of the industry, the objective of the “FOCUS on Excellence” awards is to acknowledge the overall contribution made by various role players within the road transport and logistics industry in this country.
“We evaluated commercial vehicle and service suppliers by assessing the views of the people who use them every day. It is a highly competitive market, but now we know who is the ‘best of the best'!” she explains. The other finalists in this category were Caltex, Engen and Shell.
BP/Castrol provides a wide range of diesel motor oil products and services for on-road vehicle fleets including trucks, buses, coaches and taxi fleets, as well as off-road vehicles. The company has been active in the local market since the 1920s and it has captured approximately 31% of the South African lubricants market, making it a significant player in this competitive industry sector.
The awards evening was sponsored in part by Motorite, the largest independent motor-related insurance administrator in southern Africa. This year, a number of new awards were announced, including Best Removals Company, Best Supplier of Vehicle Tracking and awards for excellence in the fields of parts and service support. Companies were also recognised for their efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS and their programs aimed at preserving the environment.
The comprehensive opinion poll, which entailed over 3 400 questions, was conducted by respected market research company, Scott Byers. Operational for 20 years, the company produces the quarterly Comparative Customer Satisfaction Monitor (CCSM), which names the transport industry's top achievers in the all-important field of customer satisfaction. Opinions were sought from owners and managers of road transport fleets who own or operate at least 10 vehicles with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 3 500 kg. These names were randomly selected from thousands of current records drawn from the Scott Byers truck database.
• The Best Tyre category was won by Michelin, a finalist along with Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Firestone and Goodyear
• Maxiprest the chief truck, bus and off-road retreader and new tyre distributor in South Africa, was judged the Best Supplier of Tyre Services.
• The Best Supplier of Trailers and the ultimate accolade went to Henred Freuhauf, which pipped Afrit, CTS Trailers, SA Truck Bodies, Serco and Trailord to the post.
• The Best Supplier of Bodies category was a tie, with Marcopolo and SA Truck Bodies named as joint winners. The other finalists in this category, in alphabetical order, were M'Kondeni Motor Garage (MMG), Nash Bodies, Serco and TFM.
• Altech Netstar – a company that pioneered the stolen vehicle tracking and recovery industry in SA in 1994, and is the market leader in terms of size, product range, and an unsurpassed private recovery infrastructure – was named the Best Supplier of Vehicle Tracking.
• There were five finalists up for the Environmental Excellence Award: Barloworld, Engen, Goodyear, Sasol and Toyota. This important accolade went to the tyre company. Goodyear's commitment to improved environmental health – for its employees, customers and the planet on which we all live – is the driving force behind global corporate policies and the South African manufacturing plant's particularly progressive, aggressive change programmes.
• The award for the Best Social Responsibility Programme went to Scania, which was nominated for this accolade along with Cummins, Goodyear, Imperial Holdings, Lubrication Equipment and Toyota.
• Yet another important accolade was that of Best Contribution to Fighting HIV/AIDS and this was contested by DaimlerChrysler South Africa, Ford, SKF, Volkswagen and Volvo. The award ultimately went to truck and bus manufacturer, Volvo.
• Crown Relocations was named Best Removals Company, after being nominated as a finalist in this category along with Elliott International, H&M Removals Worldwide, Pickfords Worldwide and Stuttaford Van Lines.
• Finally, Unitrans was named the Best Transport Operator for the second consecutive year. The other finalists for this sought-after award were Fast 'n Fresh, Hestony Transport, Imperial Cargo, Manline and Value Logistics.
