Darryl Macdougall, Managing Director, Verder Pumps South Africa

The transport sector is a very demanding industry where the adage "time is money" certainly applies. 

Locally, road freight plays an important role in this sector and the economy. In fact, a Land Transport Survey released in 2018 indicated that 77.3% of freight in South Africa is hauled on the country’s roads, which also accounts for 73.8% of total land freight income. 

That being said, road freight, like many industries, has faced a gruelling year in 2020 – not least of all due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on lockdowns, restrictions, reduced trade volumes and ongoing supply chain disruptions. It is also important to note that the prevalence of the current pandemic has in no way changed or diminished prevailing issues that transporters are faced with, linked to rapidly increasing urbanisation and global warming and the pressure these are placing on transporters to rethink and reform their business models, operations, cost management, and even down to their trucks and onboard equipment. 

Despite this, however, there can be no doubt that - and due to the heavy reliance on road freight as the predominant form of transporting products within the country - the road freight industry will forge ahead, albeit changed, as we move towards a post pandemic ‘new normal’. And, as many of these businesses are already undergoing restrictions to map to current market shifts, they should also consider advances in equipment critical to the truck offloading or unloading process that can bring immense value in improving the operational efficiency potential.

Investing in future-proofed equipment

When it comes to offloading or unloading, it is well understood that low weight equipment, high flow rates, reliability and efficiency, especially for a short unloading time, are the prominent considerations to equipment selection. So how do you choose the right pumping solution for safe and efficient unloading every time? 

As with every application, the starting point is to look at the medium being pumped and the situation on-site. Is it food, chemicals or oily liquids that need to be unloaded? Must the pump be able to work in reversed direction? Is compressed air available? All these factors should be taken into consideration to choose the best fit-for-purpose pump. 

A poorly designed pump system may, for example, lead to lags in unloading due to blockages, premature wear or failure of components – as this is not isolated to the pump itself – and can impact piping, valves and ancillary equipment too. With this, there is also the risk of work-stoppage or excessive breakdowns – which could render the truck unusable – and depending on the problem, could impact the product being transported. Any of these possible scenarios are guaranteed to hamper operational efficiencies and potentially fulfilment of contracts, which could drive up the cost to customer, or impact operational expenses and the profit line.

On the other hand, the right advanced pumping solution that is integrated onboard or onsite supports operational efficiency objectives. As these solutions are fit-for-purpose, not only are they suitable for pumping sensitive or abrasive, low or high viscous fluids, but while doing so also bode added benefits in water and energy efficiency and savings - thereby supporting the business’ operational efficiency objectives too.

Navigating the technical obstacles of selecting the right pumping solutions for specific applications can be complex. Yet, the effectiveness of the transportation and unloading process partially depends on the longevity of the equipment – where lower lifetime cycle costs of the equipment translates into higher efficiency, greater productiveness and cost savings for the customer and the business in the long run. 

Transporters therefore need to look to a trusted and reputable brand that can offer not only a wide range of pumping solutions, but solutions that are long-lasting, cost-effective, reliable and energy efficient – because they are 100% fit-for-purpose for the application – thereby ensuring a high-quality product is delivered and unloaded, every time.