Since September 2015, CIMC Vehicles SA has produced trailers that are reported to elevate the level of quality and service seen in South Africa. The OEM’s focus, according to CEO, Joheine Els, is on constantly refining its trailers to be innovative, efficient and capable.
“We achieve this by focusing on integrating technology and efficiency into our manufacturing processes,” he said. “Developing next-generation ideas for durability and longevity as well as incorporating a higher level of organisation into our corporate structure.”
The company is owned by China International Marine Containers (CIMC) International, one of the largest commercial industrial conglomerates in China.
“With over 50 per cent share of the international container business, CIMC has been the biggest container manufacturing company in the world since 1996,” said Els. “The Shenzhen-headquartered, public-listed organisation has since branched into the manufacture of road transport vehicles, including logistics and construction vehicles. CIMC Group – with an employee complement of over 60,000 people – also designs and manufactures energy, chemical and food equipment, airport facilities, off-shore equipment, and is engaged in the real estate and finance industries through its more than 300 subsidiaries in operation around the world.”
The company’s global reach means that a wide product range is on offer in South Africa. “CIMC persists in the management idea of ‘Intercontinental operation, local manufacturing’,” said Els. “Accordingly, the company provides first-class road transport equipment and services to the global market, mainly all kinds of special vehicles and related parts and service. With CIMC’s worldwide factories and research and development centres in the US, Europe, Australia and China in support, over 1,000 different models of transport vehicles and logistics equipment can be designed and sourced right here in South Africa.”
Despite leveraging a strong international network, CIMC Vehicles SA continues to face global supply chain issues as well as other pressing domestic matters.
“Given the instability of our country and the rampant crime and looting, transport vehicles have become targets,” Els said. “This results in downtime and thus additional costs to supply chains.”
CIMC Vehicles SA works to offset the effects of this situation by providing superior products. “We are proud to say we build vehicles that are not only innovative but also extremely reliable,” Els said. “Reliable vehicles reduce downtime and thus negate some of these negative consequences. Supply chains thus regain some of the lost efficiency.”
The company can achieve this because of its highly competent team.
“We have an experienced and visionary global management team whose industry and corporate management experience has allowed us to establish a track record of strong financial performance,” Els said. “Core members of our senior management team each have an average of over 24 years of professional experience in the related industries, and an average of over 14 years of experience with us. Since our inception in 2002, we have worked together to build our company from the ground up and led the strategic direction of our operations along the way. We intend to continue to draw on our management’s industry expertise and professional management skills to successfully implement our growth strategies. We believe that the proven capability, leadership, vision, loyalty and consistent efforts of our management team and their extensive experience in the trailer industry are key to our success and will continue to drive our future growth.”
Going forward, CIMC Vehicles SA expects the popularity of its side tippers to continue. “While you will find all our vehicles in most efficient fleets, our side tippers are by far the most popular,” said Els. “This is because they offer a weight-optimised chassis design, disc brakes, aluminium bumpers, a unique huck bolt design and uniquely designed bins.”
These features culminate in a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
“Many fleet owners are reviewing their operations in an attempt to lower their TCO,” Els said. “We welcome this approach as we are confident that, thanks to our various product offerings, we can help to reduce TCO. Given the fact that the economy isn’t as strong as many would like, efficiency improvements are key to successful operations. CIMC – via its global footprint reinforced by local expertise – is confident that lessons learned on a global scale can be applied locally to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and ultimately improve fleet utilisation.”
Fast Fact
The latest Tridem 30-pallet reefer from CIMC Vehicles SA is built to last and designed to work in any environment. Using reduced welding techniques through mechanical engineering and innovative design, the refrigerated trailer is built to high quality standards. The OEM assembles a European box body onto CIMC’s proven chassis. Combining global technology and local knowledge, CIMC Vehicles SA delivers a modern reefer suited for African applications.
Fast Fact
Suitable for general freight, CIMC Vehicles SA offers the Curtainsider 6m-12m Link which typically includes a 800 GSM PVC tarpaulin roof, 28mm WISA plywood floor, curtain buckles with 600mm spacing, anti-theft mesh curtains, roof support pillars, rear underrun protection, plug and play electrical system and more.
Fast Fact
CIMC Vehicles SA also supplies tri-axle aluminium fuel tankers featuring LAG dual cradle and fully integrated chassis design, quality brakes and suspensions, axles, landing legs and more. These tanker builds can be tailored to accommodate lettering, reflective and mandatory decals in addition to their primer coating and paint finish.
Fast Fact
By mounting the side tipper fifth wheel on a raiser plate, CIMC Vehicles SA ensures a longer product lifecycle by eliminating the need to drill and weld what would be considered a high-stress area. The OEM also offers a rubbing plate assembly that can be completely bolted on or off. These side tippers also feature rear underrun bumpers, weight optimised chassis design, a uniquely designed bin top rail, bolted shafts and bushes for easy replacement. Operators can also tailor their build by choosing from a variety of axle, disc brake and suspension options.
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