TOP TRUCKS HELP SOW SEEDS OF SUCCESS
Fertiliser company Westfert Logistics is getting the most out of a fleet of FAW trucks
Occasionally one comes across a fleet owner who sings the praises of a truck brand and is passionate about getting the logistics near-perfect — from manufacturing the product to bulk loading or bagging, and the “best drivers in the best vehicles to the best clients”.
The end result for clients of Westfert Logistics is low operation costs and a fair profit.
Westfert produces and distributes fertiliser in one-tonne bags or in bulk — about 34 tonnes when bagged at full load — and transports these using a fleet of FAW 28.380FTs.
Jakobus (Kobus) de Wet is in partnership at Westfert Logistics in Hoopstad in the Free State, where the plant has a delivery radius to about 350km, mostly west of the N1.
“We are the farmers’ favourite supplier because we do exactly what they ask, when and where,” De Wet says. This is said not with arrogance but simple joy at keeping an enviable logistics model “on the money button” for his business and his clients, who are acutely aware of every cost, especially in times of drought like now.
“Today, even an amount of R50 makes a difference to some of my farmer clients. Many of them work their own cost models on a per-hectare basis, so it’s important that the fertiliser we supply is not only perfectly mixed — to each farmer’s own formulation — but that it is 100% evenly mixed without unnecessary clots or grit. In field, our fertiliser is spread and worked finely. Beware a farmers’ wrath if any agricultural equipment experiences downtime resulting from our fertiliser mixture.”
The five FAW 28.380FTs stand neatly parked every night in the fleet yard next to Westfert’s fertiliser plant. If a client wants his load dropped by 7am on his farm 350km away, a driver will get on the road by 3am to ensure he is on time.
CLEAR DATA
With the tri-axle trailers fully loaded, the farm drops can be as short as 50 minutes. Fleet management systems from C-Track provide clear data on idling time, geofencing, driver behaviours and load/unload data.
“Our best fuel consumption across the fleet of five trucks, based on my calculations of seven full 34-tonne loads delivered in a one-day cycle compared to our previous fleet doing the same job cycle, is 31% on fuel alone,” De Wet says.
One of the drivers explains why his favourite vehicle to drive is the FAW 28.380FT. “It’s easy to steer and controls well, with the simple manual gearbox, which on the stretches I keep around 90km/h, usually in gear seven and eight, which give me the best road-holding and smooth driving combination.”
The raw materials for the various secret fertiliser recipes of each of the clients include the natural fertiliser elements — nitrogen, potassium, urea and potash. Almost all the urea is imported from Russia, which Westfert does for themselves and on behalf of farmers who do their own mixing.
The fertiliser production plant has been expanded and is managed by sophisticated computer programmes, which ensure the exact mix in the exact quantities ordered per farmer is deposited into special bins.
These bins are cradled onto specialised trailers and at the drop site can deposit exact quantities in a few minutes.
SPECIALISED TRAILERS
These specialised trailers are being built to Westfert’s specifications. With this trailer, the FAW 28.380FT can release all the bins simultaneously in minutes or like break bulk — separately — if loads are for different clients at different destinations.
In this manner the full 40-tonne payload can be optimised and turnaround time minimised as there is no need to wait for forklifts which could be out of commission or work too slowly with the pallets.
This strangely named trailer — fertiliser tender trailer — with a pipe belt or auger for dropping the product can also be equipped with chutes for direct loading of the fertiliser into a farmer’s in-field equipment.
De Wet is so entranced with the logistics and details of the process — from fertiliser production plant to happy farmer client — that he gives generous credit to the FAW dealer representative, Dawie Naude.
Based at FAW’s Welkom dealership, Naude has been a willing participant in the concept of continuous improvement and is always looking for ways to enhance savings for Westfert and improve performance.
“Dawie is also on call should we need any additional service or maintenance support — virtually 24/7. This is over and above the excellent maintenance and servicing we already enjoy from FAW,” De Wet says.
“These FAW 28.380FTs are so good — affordable, good performance, exceptionally low cost of operation and truly rugged enough to deal with the potholed roads in the region. [There are] no difficult or overcomplicated electronics, simple and easy.
“Ours is a drive-and-stop operation, so a truck will last us 14 to 15 years before replacement is needed.”
As for the future, De Wet says it is looking bright.
“Seeing as 85% to 90% of our farmers in the area concentrate on maize, we’re very positive about expanding our client base. Our aim is to become the main provider of fertiliser in this region. A tall order perhaps, but as we grow we’ll take our trusted partners at FAW with us. Perhaps we can look to a fleet of 50 trucks running these challenging roads and fields in the next few years,” De Wet says.
WE ARE THE FARMERS’ FAVOURITE SUPPLIER BECAUSE WE DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY ASK, WHEN AND WHERE