Truck manufacturer to relocate plant

22nd November 2013

By: Anine Kilian

Contributing Editor Online

  

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Diesel truck manufacturer Hino South Africa’s truck plant, at the Toyota South Africa Motors manufacturing complex in Prospecton, near Durban, will be relocated to a nearby site during the plant shutdown at the end of the year, Hino South Africa VP Dr Casper Kruger announced last month at the Johannesburg International Motor Show, which took place at Nasrec.

He stated that the relocation of the Hino and Dyna Trucks assembly plant to a dedicated facility would cost almost R50-million and that the existing facility would be used exclusively for the assembly of Japanese car manufacturer Toyota’s Ses’fikile minibus taxis.

“The move will enable the production engineers at the factory to implement the Jundate principle, which involves the assembly of subassemblies separately from the main assembly line,” Kruger said, adding that the assembled components would be sequence- delivered to the assembly line and fitted to units on the line.

Kruger noted that Hino South Africa sold 2 950 units in the first nine months of the year, equating to a 12.8% share of the total truck market.

He added that sales increased by 327 units and shares by 0.3%, compared with last year’s sales.

“Hino retained its position as the second-highest-selling truck and bus company in the country, with continued dominance of the medium-truck category and second place in the heavy-truck category,” he said.

Kruger pointed out that, from 2010 to 2014, 43% of Hino dealers had either invested or were invest- ing in new or upgraded facilities, adding that their total investment over this period would exceed R100-million.

“What is important is that the decision to renew or upgrade facilities was made generally by the dealers, with little urging from us,” he stated.

Kruger added that building a standalone facility with drive-through work bays cost between R15-million and R25-million, while upgrades with four or five double bays usually cost between R4-million and R6-million.

New Models

Kruger also announced several additions to the Hino truck and bus range.

“All models in the 700-Series range are now fitted with Euro IV-compliant engines, while the number of models in the extra-heavy category has increased substantially from six derivatives to 13 derivatives. The extended 700-Series model range will go on sale early next year,” he stated.

The additional models include a new 8 × 4 range and a new 6 × 4 freight carrier, with additional derivatives to enhance the range.

These additions, Kruger noted, include a single sleeper cab 2038 truck tractor, with steel suspension, while the 2841 model is currently available with a double sleeper cab and the 2845 model is offered with air suspension as an alternative to steel springs.

“The engine of the 700-Series 2841 tipper has been improved to suit this application, with the 410 hp engine being replaced by a 380 hp unit and the model designation changed to 2838,” he said, adding that an important addition to the 700 range was the 2841 6×4 freight carrier.

“This rigid truck has a gross combined mass (GCM) of 56 t, including the added trailer, and is useful for operators who require added capacity in this segment. It is fitted with a 16-speed automated manual transmission,” he said.

Meanwhile, the 500-Series range has been extended with the addition of a 2626 6 × 2 freight carrier. This will be the first model in the 500-Series line-up to feature a Euro IV engine, while it also has a full-floating cab and antilock braking, with full dual air suspension on the rear wheels.

“This model has a gross vehicle mass of 26 t and a GCM of 32 t. It will be launched locally in the first quarter of 2014,” he noted.

Other models that were on display at the Hino stand were the two best sellers in the medium-truck range – the 300-Series Crew Cab and the Dyna – and a bus, based on the Hino 300-Series chassis, which was jointly developed with Busmark 2000.

“At Hino South Africa, we are confident that our ongoing intro- duction of models will meet specific customer requirements, with continuous improvements being made to each of our product ranges,” he concluded.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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