Local commercial trailer manu- facturer Paramount Trailers last month unveiled its new 75 000m2 manufacturing facility in Midvaal, Johannesburg, which has expanded the company’s production capacity from 40 to more than 250 trailers a month.

The R150-million investment was conceptualised in 2011, when the family-owned business decided to buy land in Midvaal’s Kliprivier Business Park to develop a new manufacturing plant and accommodate expansion.

Paramount Trailers MD Warren Marques says the company has outgrown its former premises in Alrode, south of Johannesburg, adding that the facility had become disjointed during its 17-year existence, as Paramount Trailers acquired several new premises around the initial office space to accom- modate company growth.

These premises covered a mere 16 000 m2, which impacted on production efficiency. “The new premises, however, will not only significantly increase the number of trailers we manufacture on a monthly basis but also impact on the efficiency of our operations,” he says.

As a result of the company’s increased capacity, its staff complement will also increase from 120 employees to 200, which could grow to 400 when the facility reaches full capacity.

Marques says Paramount Trailers has already increased its staff complement by 41% over the past four months, with the additional employees joining the workshop, administration office and sales and design departments. This is the result of a registered increase in demand, which Paramount Trailers attri-butes to clients’ anticipation of the new facilities and the subsequent increase in manufacturing capacity and production efficiency.

In addition, Paramount Trailers has bought new equipment to the value of R30-million to ensure that the company manu-factures the latest in trailer manufacturing. This includes the development of a production line for the company’s range of customised trailers and the acquisition of specialised vehicles that are built to complement the trailers.

Other investments include spray booths, forklifts, com- pressors, guillotines, band saws and a high-definition plasma profile cutter, which will start operating this month.

“We are also planning to buy robotic welders for the future, which I hope to implement towards the end of next year, or in early 2015,” Marques tells Engineering News.

Despite the company’s positive growth since its establishment in 1997, Marques emphasises that the company remains committed to supplying a high-quality service, affordable products and innovative design and will continue to pursue personal relationships with its clients.

“Our reputation and success can be attributed not only to our trailers but also to the superb client relationships we foster,” he says.

Paramount Trailers founder and CEO Fernando Marques says the new facilities are a reflection of the company’s commitment to investing in the industry and becoming a leader in customised trailer manufacturing across the African continent.

He adds that the company has entered “the premier division” of the industry and he is proud of what it has achieved over nearly two decades. “Nevertheless, the time has come for us to increase our footprint in South Africa and the Southern African Develop-ment Community region,” he says.

New Business Venture
With the unveiling of its new production facilities, Paramount Trailers has also established a new preowned truck and trailer division, owing to several queries from customers about trading in used trailers.

“We want to provide our clients with a second-hand or new vehicle, depending on their funding capacity,” says Warren Marques, adding that customers should regard the division, which was developed on 10 000 m2 of land opposite the new facility, as a “one-stop shop”.

Paramount Trailers will start the division’s operations with the refurbishment of preowned trailers and is looking to sign joint ventures with truck dealers to supply preowned trucks on a consignment basis.

Marques says the company is also considering the establishment of a rental business. “We hope to offer rental trailers to existing customers who are waiting for the production of new trailers, which could take three months to manufacture. We aim to offer this to them so that they can at least continue with production or fleet management until the new trailers are available,” he explains.