Operational monitoring for yellow metal industry, improved with Ctrack solution
Posted on 25 February 2025 in General
Yellow equipment, or “yellow metal”, as it is sometimes refered to, have become a huge target for theft, vandalism and other abuse due to the sometimes isolated locations they are stored at. Yellow metal asset growth has returned to levels seen before the economic downturn, with contributing factors being mainly in the mining sector with the improvement in global demand for base and precious metals, but also general infrastructure development.
Business Monitor International reports a 6% growth for South Africa’s infrastructure industry over 2013, and President Jacob Zuma has announced a new US$462bn infrastructure plan in October 2012 to boost the country’s infrastructure to further heights.
This is great news for the economy and the yellow metal industry, but operational risks still remain to dealers and agents who specialise in the yellow metal fields with regards to theft and general equipment abuse.
Burma Plant Hire, a construction company in the Western Cape province, is one such company who focused on infrastructure development, operating across all nine provinces in South Africa. One of their challenges has been to curb abuse, unauthorised use and to assist with proactive maintenance and optimal operational performance.
In July 2012, the company began installing Ctrack’s Yellow Equipment solution to their entire fleet to assist them not only with accurate billing for their clients, but to ensure optimal operational monitoring for cost saving and life cycle extension of their equipment.
“Our system provides Burma Plant Hire with proactive monitoring to ensure that operating conditions are being optimised.” says Hein Jordt, Managing Director of Ctrack Fleet Management South Africa. Furthermore, Ctrack’s odometer and hour meters record distance travelled, operating hours for billing purposes and maintenance records. Burma Plant Hire’s ability to react to specific problems identified by the monitoring and analyses is providing greater control over their assets and operations.
Burma Plant Hire has found that through proactive analysis, using this Ctrack solution and monitoring of their fleet they are able to save countless hours downtime, maintenance costs and improved service scheduling.
“We are able to involve ourselves with operations remotely, to find solutions to eliminate equipment abuse, the possibility of system failures, and to ensure operator safety with impact and tilt over alerts”. Theuns Burger - Burma Plant Hire Managing Director