Chinese Market Leader NHL Now In S.A.

Rand versus the Dollar, labour unrest, inflation, postponed infrastructure contracts ...quarrying, mining and related industries are a difficult business right now in South Africa and there doesn’t seem to be any short-term solution to the challenges. But certainly, a vital part of the solution is for operators to become more motivated, more pumped up, more hard-working and perhaps most of all, more efficient. And that is why there has been such an interest in the new range of NHL rigid dump trucks brought to you by the Ever Star Industries (Pty) Ltd the distributors in Southern Africa of one of the fastest-growing truck brands in the country, Powerstar.

NHL national sales manager, Bobby vas-Dias says there is a very good reason why these vehicles have an 80% market share in China with tens of thousands of trucks in operation there every day. “They are rugged and reliable machines and have proven their durability all over the world. We know that they will add value to businesses that are going the extra mile to improve their efficiency and increase their bottom line results,” he says.

A brief look at some of the more salient features of the NHL trucks leaves no doubt about their ability to live up to expectation.  

? Smooth-shifting transmission with power and economy shift schedules for best performance.
? Oil-cooled multiple-disc rear brake packs for anti-fade performance and extended service life.
? Dual retardation for excellent operator control and enhanced productivity.
? Abrasive-resistant high-capacity body with exhaust heating shields
? More efficient and cleaner dumping for increased productivity.
? Chassis fabricated from box-section rails with high strength castings for structural rigidity and durability.
? Onboard diagnostics and centralized hydraulic test points reduce downtime.
? Spacious cab ergonomically designed for comfort, safety and productivity.

The range of NHL dump trucks in South Africa include: the 335hp 32t TR35A, the 525hp 45t TR50, the 700hp 55t TR60, the 1050hp 91t TR100, the 1600hp 136t NTE Electric Drive; the 2500hp 220-236t mining truck and others.

NHL (Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock Company Limited) has a proud history. It is one of China’s most successful national entrepreneurs specialising in the manufacture, sales, marketing and R&D of off-highway mining trucks, construction machinery products and related components. The company is one of the China Ordinance Group member units. This joint venture involving entities from China, the U.K and the U.S. was established in 1988 and listed in June of 2000, on the Shanghai stock exchange. With total assets of more than 3.5 billion Yuan it is the leading quarrying and mining dump truck company in China.

NHL is located in a high-tech Zone of Inner Mongolia city, Baotou, covering an area of 1000 acres with the capacity of producing more than 1000 trucks per annum! While it boasts more than 80% of the Chinese market - NHL notably has been involved in iconic state construction projects like the Yangtze River ‘Three Gorges’ project, the Yellow River Xiao hydro power project and the Beijing Olympic venue construction - NHL’s expansion into foreign markets has been most successful and is now 47 countries on four continents including, of course, South Africa.

Ever Star’s CEO Bob Wang who is managing the NHL entry into South Africa says there is excellent synergy between NHL and Ever Star South Africa. “Like us, the company has cultivated core values which include loyalty, innovation and, perhaps most importantly customer service,” says Wang.

He adds that customer service is an element of the business that he is most passionate about. “One has to face the fact that in terms of product there is generally parity between the top competitors. While our NHL trucks are as good as the best, this would not suffice if our service were not better than the others. Service is where we add the most value. We have proven through our Powerstar business that this works and we will do the same with NHL,” Wang says.

And the fact is that technologically NHL is up there with the best. “While adhering to the principle of people-orientation and excellent customer service,” says Wang, ”we have the advantage of NHL’s proven advantage of its renowned culture of innovation that has developed a vast range of high-tech products that meet, and exceed, the demands of knowledgeable and exacting markets worldwide.

In fact so highly is NHL’s innovation and R&D regarded that, In 2011, it was authorised as the ‘National Off-Highway Mining Trucks Engineering Research Centre’ by the Chinese government’s Academy of Science making it the only state-level non-public off-highway mining truck R & D centre in China.

Wang says that listening to customers is part of the culture of Ever Star and this practice will endure with NHL. “South Africa is unique in terms of the type of mining and quarrying that is performed here. It is also unique in the fact that our customers are extremely knowledgeable and justifiably demanding in terms of the quality of product and service that they receive. There’s no point in trying to tell our customers what’s good for them, they know precisely what they need to make their businesses efficient and profitable. To this end we make it our business to meet with our customers to work out how best we can add value to their operations,” Wang said.

NHL head office is based in Centurion, Gauteng and is in the process of setting up service dealers throughout the country. “We recognise that our major task is to set up a national footprint of service and support and this will be done quickly and efficiently. We did it with Powerstar, we’ll do it with NHL,” Wang concluded