After exceeding sales expectations in the first half of the year, Tools Hardware & Equipment Limited is building additional service space for its eight-month-old Sinotruk dealers.
Managing Director Jalil stated that the company has expanded its truck division to include two other locations-the old Tanners complex at 259 Spanishtown Road in Kingston, and the top of Waterloo Road near Grantsburn Of a bonded warehouse. Dab dub. The dealer also operates outside the Tools headquarters at 138 Spanish Town Road.
Tools Hardware started to sell Sinotruk equipment in May last year. He said that by the end of the year, the service department with three trays and elevators will be expanded to six.
"So far, we have sold nearly 150 trucks, which is better than expected because this is not what we have," Dabdoub told financial collectors, adding that the market's interest mainly comes from word of mouth.
“The most popular is a 10-ton, 14-cubic-yard six-wheel dump truck that sells for less than US$5.3 million,” he said.
Sinotruk is one of the Chinese brands that have recently entered the Jamaican market. Other brands are Shacman, which is distributed by Tank-Weld Group, and Foton, which is distributed by Key Motors.
Jamaica’s trucking sector mainly relies on second-hand trucks purchased from the UK and US markets. However, due to its increasing complexity and Jamaica’s lack of technical capabilities and equipment to provide appropriate services, second-hand trucks have been plagued by maintenance problems and lack of spare parts.
Chinese trucks have been replacing the aging fleet of American and British trucks. Tools Hardware was one of the companies that replaced the company's fleet, and stated that it did so so that if the experiment is successful, it may enter the market as a truck dealer.
Dabdoub declined to say how much his company ultimately invested in establishing new distributors, and his plan to double the number of repair stations this year.
Chinese trucks distributed in Jamaica are priced between 4.4 million and 32 million US dollars, of which Shacman trucks are the most expensive.
According to multiple industry sources, they are cheaper than second-hand British and American trucks, have lower maintenance costs, and have a longer service life, depending on maintenance.
Sinotruk operates 10-ton trucks and 12-wheel and 16-wheel super-heavy trucks. Their load capacity has increased by 50%, and they are mainly used in the mining industry in Jamaica.
The Innovative Trucking Company transports bauxite from the Schwallenberg mine on the St. Ann-St. Catherine border and the Water Valley deep mine in St. Ann. These mines are characterized by steep pits that are far below the level of the road and are among those who make the conversion. To the Chinese unit.
"The result is not only good, but also very good," McMorris declared with a smile. McMorris said: "We eliminated 20 American trucks from the fleet and added the same number of Chinese trucks. The tonnage increased by 100% immediately."
For the old fleet, orders are sometimes vacant due to truck downtime, depriving the company of revenue, but with the switch, McMorris said that his business is now no longer hindered by downtime and ongoing maintenance costs.