Sam Matlhola
Hyundai Automotive South Africa (HASA) has cut the ribbon on a more than R3-million solar energy system at its parts distribution centre (PDC) in Ekurhuleni.
PDC parts operations director Sam Matlhola says this was the first solar energy project within the HASA group, with other business units to hopefully follow suit with renewable energy projects of their own.
Matlhola says the PDC project was driven by the rapidly rising cost of electricity and the increasing frequency of load-shedding.
“It was about our energy security.
“However, it is also the right thing to do, and we have no excuse not to do the right thing today.
“I believe the environmental challenges we face now are the unintended consequences of the actions of our predecessors.”
Matlhola adds that the project had to also make sense from a return of investment point of view.
The 6 000 m2 PDC employs 70 people, and houses R100-million worth of stock – or 90 days worth of stock, with another 30 days on the water on its way to South Africa.
The PDC handles 450 containers a year, and moves 200 000 part pieces monthly.
Apart from a limited number of local parts, most parts come from South Korea, India and the Czech Republic.
“We cannot afford any disruption to our supply chain,” says Matlhola. “Any downtime we have impacts our supply chain directly.”
The HASA PDC used to consume 33 000 kW of electricity from the grid a month, with a peak of 37 000 kW in winter.
Prior to the installation of the solar roof system, the PDC used to operate two back-up diesel generators during load-shedding. This provided 14 hours of back-up power, at a cost of R12 000 for the diesel alone.
The hybrid solar system, which allows for battery storage, was installed by Age Technologies.
Matlhola notes that the system should have a pay-off period of six years, as a conservative estimate.
The first year’s saving should amount to around R500 000.