Scania and Unifreight Transport strike gold

For the second consecutive year, Scania exhibited at the Nampo Agricultural Expo held in Bothaville from May 14 to 24. To add to the splendour of the Scania stand, Kobus van Tonder, managing director of Unifreight Transport, took delivery of his two new shimmering R580 V8 “Liquid Gold” limited edition Scanias.

Amongst the buzz of farmers and their families enjoying all that Nampo has to offer, from an array of exhibitors to yummy boerekos, one trucking company struck gold.

Kobus van Tonder and his wife, Elaine, started the successful cross-border business with only three trucks back in 1992.  Today Unifreight Transport, based in Harrismith, has a massive 80 vehicles in its fleet, which largely transports commodities, textiles and agricultural products.

The two new limited edition “Liquid Gold” Scanias have been well received by the Unifreight team, so much so that one of the vehicles is already on the road.

“The main reason why we purchased the trucks is to add a dash of glamour to our fleet. We have many trucks and we just wanted to do something a little different. Also, the new trucks will serve as an added incentive for drivers who go the extra mile,” Van Tonder explains.

Unsurprisingly, Scania’s R580 V8 limited edition vehicle is in a class apart and with all 30 vehicles in the edition sold, it is leaving buyers wanting more. The “Liquid Gold’s” specs are very similar to that of the rest of the series but boast fancy features, not to mention the “bling-bling” finish. “Clients are very impressed with their new trucks and it is something we will repeat in the future, obviously just with a different theme,” advises Scania’s area manager: promotions & communication, Gideon de Swardt. The limited edition truck attracted many interested buyers and proved to be a successful marketing exercise. “It was the right time at the right place with the right product. Nampo is a business-to-business show, where real business is done,” he adds.

Nampo is the largest privately owned agricultural show in the southern hemisphere and attracts visitors, both local and international, by the thousands. This year’s attendance was just under 70 000, an all-time high for Nampo. The Bothaville show is an event that key players in the industry simply cannot afford to miss, as it creates a base for huge networking possibilities.

The visitors provide a unique opportunity for truck suppliers such as Scania to do business because anyone involved in the farming business in any way comes to the show. “They are very technically minded, they’re well informed and they know how to ask the right questions,” confirms De Swardt. Farmers visit the show to make deals and products are sold almost immediately as a result. Post-show sales are also an increased benefit of exhibiting at Nampo; in fact, Scania has already delivered several vehicles, and there are many more units in the process of being delivered – all a direct result of the show.

In addition to the attention the “Liquid Gold” vehicles attracted, by displaying two second-hand vehicles Scania’s stand lured interested buyers to such an extent that they were sold within the first few hours on the first day of the show. “Second-hand units typically find favour with operators who don’t utilize truck tractors all the time. In this instance, a used unit makes sense – a new truck tractor is an expensive asset; you don’t want it to stand around idle,’ explains De Swardt.

All in all, it was a very successful four days for Scania. This is an event that the company will definitely capitalise on in the years to come.