Goscor in forklift deal for BATSA

Part of the fleet of Doosan forklifts that Goscor Lift Truck Company supplied to Imperial Cargo Solutions for British American Tobacco South Africa.

GOSCOR Lift Truck Company (GLTC,) supplier of equipment and solutions in the warehouse materials handling industry, has concluded a deal with Imperial Cargo Solutions (ICS) – which manages the primary logistics operations for British American TobaccoSouthAfrica (BATSA) – to replace a well-known brand of forklifts at BATSA with Goscor’s Doosan machines. The total number of Goscor machines thatwill be acquired could be as many as 50.

According to Frans van den Heever, GLTC regional sales manager, BATSA has now reached stage three of ten in the replacement programme, and has so far taken delivery of 15 forklift trucks from Goscor. “The machines will be used throughout the plant from raw material loading to the manufacturing division to the loading of trucks for dispatch,” says van denHeever. He adds that the forklifts working in the raw material section have been fitted with tobacco clamps.

“Customising our forklifts to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose is part and parcel of our service, no matter how easy or complicated the customisation process,” says van denHeever. ICS’s Ferdie Baird, business manager for warehouse operations, says that the programme is running smoothly and both ICS and BATSA are satisfied with the performance of the machines and Goscor’s service. “Goscor have proved their mettle in this highly competitive industry, so when it came to replacing machines at BATSA we had no hesitation in using them. Their service is consistently world class, the Doosan product is world class and, given this scenario, which is the most important priority for our clients, we had the added benefit tha tGoscor is part of the Imperial group.” He says that dealing with a company in the group has significant advantages for both the customers and the group.

“The synergies between the various companies in the Imperial group are strong. In the final analysis we work as a team and this enables us to give a better service to our customers. And, of course, if one is giving the best possible service to the customer, using other group companies is obviously of benefit to the group,” Baird says. He adds that the forklift replacement plan has already resulted in operating cost savings for BATSA and expect seven more savings in the medium- to long-term. GLTC MD, Darryl Shafto, says that he is pleased that ICS and BATSA are satisfied with both his company’s product and service. “This is not the first time that we have been called on by a company to replace fleets of very well-known brands. I think this highlights the core strength of GLTC, which is the understanding that what we sell is a total package. Not just good machines or good parts service or good maintenance service, but an overall excellence that makes dealing with us not only a pleasant experience, but also an efficient one – one that ultimately improves our customers’ productivity and their bottom line,” says Shafto. Some of the machines that have been delivered include Doosan 1.8 ton gas forklifts with tobacco clamps and 2.5 ton gas forklifts with container entry masts. One of the unique advantages of the Doosan trucks is their ‘brakes for life’ promise.

The ‘brakes for life’ system is an oil-cooled disc brake system, which, being totally enclosed, eliminates all outside contamination of any humid, abrasive or corrosive dust particles. The system significantly reduces operating costs and GLTC offers on it a 60-month, unlimited hours guarantee. “It’s all about managing the life-time costs of operation,“ says van den Heever, “and the ‘Brakes for Life’ system is a significant contributor to managing costs over time,” he says. He adds that another feature that contributes to managing life-time costs is Goscor’s FMX fleet management system, which is fitted to BATSA’s fleet. “This is a complete forklift management product. Operating via the GPRS network, data is sent via a corporate APN (Access Point Name,) the place where a mobile device can enter an IP network,” says van den Heever.

“There are three fundamental goals of the FMX system: optimisation of fleet productivity, creating professional driver behaviour and monitoring equipment performance. The cost savings from even tiny improvements in efficiency rapidly pay for the equipment. And since the advent of GPRS, the running costs of the system are negligible,” he says. “Our promise to ICS is to ensure a safe, cost-effective and stress free forklift operation at BATSA with a guaranteed 95% operational uptime. With our ‘total service’ philosophy we have now doubt we will fulfil this commitment,” he concluded.