Page 46 - CEN 13 Apr.indd

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FromApril on the VDMAwill have a representative
office in Sao Paulo/Brazil. The association will
be represented in all of the so called BRIC-States
with its own offices.
Brazil has become very important for the German
engineering sector during the past few years. More
than one fourth of German exports are machines
and plants, especially materials handling
technology, power transmission engineering, as
well as food processing machinery and packaging
machinery which are in great demand. After the
USA Germany is the most important machine
supplier for this Latin-American country.
Connie Molusi has been
appointed non-executive
director of the Basil Read
board representing the
company’s Black Economic
Empowerment partner, SIOC
CDT, with effect from 14
March 2013.
Connie is currently chairperson
of Sishen Iron Ore Company
Community Development
Trust (SIOC CDT).
He brings with him more than 25 years of broad
knowledge and experience of South Africa’s business
sector. He previously held the position of Executive
Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of
Johnnic Communications, formerly Avusa and now
known as Times Media Group.
He holds a Master of Arts from Notre Dame University,
Indiana USA and a Bachelor of Journalism Degree from
Rhodes University. His past board experience includes
Member of the Board Media Development and Diversity
At February’s Board meeting,
the RFA Directors elected
new Office Bearers for a
two-year term. Nico van der
Westhuizen, Chief Executive
Officer of Imperial Logistics’
Transport and Warehousing
Division, has been elected as
RFA Chairperson. Gerhard
Marais, who is Product Group
Manager, Logistics Services at
Roshcon SOC Limited has
been elected Vice Chairperson.
Nico has been a Board member of the association for
four years, whilst Gerhard was appointed two years ago.
appointments
Nico van der Westhuizen.
Connie Molusi.
Joburg school receives record donation
after Volvo Trucks eBay auction
news
Volvo Trucks andDucournau Transports will give the Star
For Life non-profit organisation the largest donation
ever made to a school, for inclusion in its HIV preventive
programme. The €150 000 donation represents all the
proceeds from an eBay charity auction of the first new
Volvo FH. Over the next six years, the money will fund Star
For Life’s educational programmes at the Mpontsheng
Secondary School in Johannesburg, South Africa.
VDMA opens representative office
in Brazil
Left to right: Jean-Pierre
Ducournau, CEO
Ducournau Transports,
Thérèse Ducournau,
Anders Lindblad,
chairman of the board
of Star For Life, and
Jean-Noël Thénault,
President Volvo Trucks
France, holding the
cheque made out to
Star For Life.
APRIL 2013
16
Thomas J.A. Ulbrich
heads office in
Sao Paulo.
Bidvest Panalpina Logistics wins award
F or the sixth consecutive year, Bidvest Panalpina
Logistics has achieved a diamond award in the
Africa Professional Management Review (PMR) survey
on freight forwarders.
PMR conducts an independent survey with 150 respondents
comprising logistics, operations and warehouse managers.
BPL scored 4.11 out of a possible 5.00. Questions included:
ability to offer alternative transport solutions; BEE rating;
electronic access to data; overall relationship with agents;
predictability of delivery; problem solving; reliability; quality
of overseas forwarding services and more.
The survey is conducted to set benchmarks and
acknowledge employees. BPL is thrilled at the achievement
which is indicative of its ongoing determination to execute
supply chain offerings reliably and creatively.
New RFA Leadership to tackle old challenges
Basil Read makes key appointments
Southern Africa remains Bell Equipment’s main
source of revenue and focus area. So says
Gary Bell, CEO of the Richards Bay-based original
equipment manufacturer speaking at the official
opening of a Customer Service Centre at Kuruman,
in the Northern Cape Province.
He says, “We believe our company is in good
shape and with an exciting range of new product
offerings, a new series of Articulated Dump Truck
and investments in upgraded facilities such as this
one, we are showing our loyal and new clients that
their support is well-founded.”
Bell Kuruman branch opens to focus on
mining customers