Logistics solutions company CargoWare’s Fleet-LogiX fleet management software has been used to manage 1 000 Volvo trucks, tasked with moving millions of tons of imported cement from the Port of Djibouti, in Ethiopia, to cement producer Derba Midroc Cement’s (DMC’s) new plant and, from there, to Africa’s biggest hydroelectric power plant at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project.
CargoWare was contracted in the beginning of 2012 by DMC subsidiary Derba Transport to implement the FleetLogiX software system, which comprised the first phase of the contract. Industrial specialist construction group Salini Impregilo was contracted for the construction of the dam project, which began in April 2011.
CargoWare, a division of JSE-listed log- istics and supply chain service provider Cargo Carriers, assisted in the collection of imported cement from Djibouti port and transported it to the DMC cement plant, situated 70 km from Addis Ababa.
The dam project, once completed, will be the largest dam in Africa, at 1.8 km long and 170 m high, with a total volume of ten-million cubic metres. The dam is located about 500 km from Addis Ababa, in the region of Benishangul Gumaz, along the Blue Nile river.
The dam project involves the construction of a main dam in roller-compacted concrete, with two power stations installed at the foot of the dam. Each power station is positioned on the right and left banks of the river and com- prises 16 Francis-type turbines, with a total installed power of 6 000 MW and an estimated production of 15 000 GWh/y.
The dam will be completed with the addition of a 15 000-m3/s-capacity concrete spillway and a rockfill saddle dam that is 5 km long and 50 m high.
CargoWare GM Charel Schickerling explains that fleet operators typically use the FleetLogiX system to schedule their vehicle movements, manage dispatch and driver allocation, and process orders, as well as manage trip documentation, invoicing and proof of delivery, besides other productivity and profit-geared features.
“The first 750 trucks are fully operational and the balance of the initial order of 1 000 trucks will be fulfilled in the next few months,” he says.
While the cement production plant was being constructed, the full complement of cement had to be shipped to Djibouti port, from where the 1 000 Volvo trucks would transport it to the dam project.
“The first production phase of the cement plant was producing three-million tons of cement yearly. This phase was completed in the first quarter of 2013,” says Schickerling.
He adds that the second production phase, which is currently being constructed, will produce a further three-million tons of cement yearly and is due for completion at the end of this year. “The second production phase will require another 1 000 trucks to transport cement from the plant,” says Schickerling.
The second phase of CargoWare’s involvement will be to implement its OnKey maintenance management system, thereby providing transport operators with control over the maintenance of all assets, management of services and repair schedules.
CargoWare is currently conducting data collection and will roll out OnKey in the third quarter of 2014.
“Our history tells us that companies using our full suite of transport solutions can save more than 10% on their operational costs, which, of course, benefits the bottom line,” says Schickerling.
Derba Transport GM Per Ljungstrand says: “The challenges of managing such a large fleet can simply not be addressed without a computerised fleet management system. Such a system should not only deal with daily driver and vehicle management issues but also ensure that transactional data is accurately recorded and reported. The FleetLogiX and OnKey systems will provide us with these controls to ensure the scalability to enable us to grow in future.”