July 2014 | Page 72

industry news Volvo Trucks SA delivers first units of new range Volvo Trucks Southern Africa has delivered the first regional units of its new range of trucks to customers in South Africa. I n Gauteng, Triton Express Group CEO, Eric Corbishley, was officially handed the keys of the two new trucks by Volvo Group SA president, Torbjörn Christensson, at an event which also had members of the media in attendance. The Westmead Group, based in KwaZulu-Natal, took delivery of two new units, making them the first customer in the Eastern Region, to welcome the new Volvo FH to its fleet. The first deliveries to the Western Region are expected within the next couple of weeks. and rear air suspension. Three years ago, the company was also first in the country to acquire a Euro 5 FH Classic, and 8% of their current fleet is also Euro 5 compliant. The second model is a FH 480 HP 6x4 Truck Tractor, also with a high chassis height and rear suspension, with a Euro 3 engine. These units are also equipped with some of the latest safety, security and comfort technology available, from driver alert and lane change support, to Dynafleet support and telematics. “This is very significant for the Volvo Trucks team as it is the culmination of years of planning and hard work,” says Christensson. “And we are very proud to be delivering these first units to some of our most valued customers with whom we have had a very good relationship over a number of years. They both share many of our core values such as environmental care and safety, and we therefore believe these new units will certainly add a lot of value to their business.” Established in 1987, Triton Express is a sophisticated nationwide operation, boasting the latest in technology and vehicles. Triton Express currently provides express road freight distribution solutions for more than 2 500 customers throughout the region. The company has 13 branches throughout South Africa and six in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The first of the units Triton Express received is a FH 500 HP 6x4 Truck Tractor, which is Euro 5 compliant, and has a high chassis height | logistics in action 70 The family-owned Westmead Group also took delivery of a FH 480 HP 6x4 trucktractor with high chassis height with B-ride. The official handover took place at the company group director, Jay Haripersad’s new hotel in Ballito, The Boathouse. Significantly, The Westmead Group has taken ownership of all three generations of Volvo FH models since Volvo’s inception in South Africa. The Westmead Group was established in 1995 with the main aim of delivering a committed and reliable transport service to customers in the logistics industry. The Group currently employs more than 250 people and has offices in Durban and Johannesburg. Going into the future, Westmead’s entire fleet will boast new branding on its vehicles. july 2014