Ctrack Logistics Barometer gives snapshot of economy
Vehicle tracking and telematics provider Ctrack has joined forces with economists.co.za to create the Ctrack Logistics Barometer, an economic indicator and performance gauge of the SA logistics and supply chain industries.
Said to be an industry first, the monthly barometer intends to provide an accurate indicator of the state of the SA economy, particularly in terms of the goods economy.
The Ctrack Logistics Barometer should help logistics and supply chain players to better understand the factors that affect logistics volumes.
Creating the barometer was a natural step for Ctrack, which provides a number of industry solutions to the government, airports, the transport and logistics industry, the mining and yellow equipment sector, the agriculture industry, small businesses and consumers.
It also provides camera surveillance and mobile asset tracking and fixed plant monitoring solutions.
Ctrack says its customers rely on data to optimise their businesses and need quality management information to make better decisions that can help to drive down costs and improve productivity.
According to Stellenbosch University and the World Bank, the cost of SA logistics is estimated to be 11.8% of GDP.
Total turnover for the logistics
industry for enterprises involved in mining, retail and manufacturing was estimated to be R274bn in 2018.
The Ctrack Logistics Barometer, which includes data from the road, rail, sea, aviation and pipeline sectors, shows that total logistics volumes in the second quarter of 2019 improved 2.7% compared to the first quarter of 2019, the strongest level of growth recorded since November 2018.
The bounce-back is attributed to more stable electricity supply from Eskom, and the positive results were largely driven by the country’s land transport sector, which is up 4.6% on 2018.
Another insight provided by the barometer is that the number of heavy trucks that passed through the Tugela toll gate increased 3.6% in July compared to the same month a year ago. Heavy-truck volumes on the N4 and N1 freeways recorded 6% comparative growth during the same month.
“The Ctrack Logistics Barometer is our way of providing the transport and related sectors with quality, updated information about the state of the logistics industry in SA,” says Hein Jordt, MD of Ctrack SA.
“The barometer allows the business community and media to better understand how the logistics industry in SA is performing,” he says.
“With this information, businesses involved in the sector are able to make better strategic decisions,” says Jordt.
The Ctrack Logistics Barometer can be viewed online at