By Mpho Selepe, Acting Logistics Manager: SPM
When you’re working on a project deep in a mining site or setting up infrastructure for a solar farm, one thing you quickly realise is that nothing happens without the right equipment arriving on time. That’s where our team comes in.
At Southern Power Maintenance (SPM), logistics isn’t something people see or think about much. But in the background, we’re the ones making sure field teams have what they need to keep the job moving. Whether it’s a replacement tool for a breakdown or a fresh batch of PPE, it all starts in the Logistics Department.
I always say, if our warehouse and vehicles stop moving, so does the work out in the field. Picture this: a site team calls late in the day. They need a hydraulic jack delivered overnight to avoid shutting down the next morning’s operations. It’s already loaded in our warehouse, checked, and ready to go. One of our tracked Isuzu bakkies heads out before sunset, and we monitor the delivery through the night. There’s nothing better than hearing the message in the morning: “We’ve got it—work’s back on.”
That’s a normal day for us.
Our vehicles, whether it’s GWM bakkies, trailers, or mobile oil plants, are always moving. They’re tracked constantly, so we can respond fast when a project needs something urgently. It’s not about filling up trucks and hoping for the best. It’s about knowing where every piece of equipment is and when it’s going to arrive.
In the warehouse, we focus on making sure nothing slows down our teams. Tools and materials are stored properly, PPE is packed in advance, and everything is easy to load and dispatch. When a call comes through, we don’t scramble. We’re ready.
One thing people outside logistics don’t always realise is how carefully we look after the equipment itself. Hydraulic valve banks, lifting gear, jacks—these aren’t everyday items. Before they leave the warehouse, each one gets checked and secured for the trip. I’ve seen what happens when something fails on-site. It’s not just frustrating; it can stop work for hours, sometimes days. That’s why we treat every tool like it matters. Because it does.
Every delivery is carefully planned in collaboration with the project team. We examine the routes, site conditions, and what’s needed—not only to deliver the equipment, but also to ensure it arrives safely and is ready for use. Logistics is about avoiding surprises, not reacting to them.
Of course, like any part of the business, we’re always working on doing things better. Over the last few months, we’ve made some changes that are already helping:
- We’ve introduced new Isuzu and GWM vehicles equipped with comprehensive tracking and inspection systems.
- Regular maintenance on all our logistics equipment keeps breakdowns from becoming a problem.
- We’ve improved our warehouse and added new vehicle shelters to protect gear from the weather.
- And we’ve tightened up our management of fuel, PPE, and materials so that nothing gets lost or delayed.
What I’m proud of is this: we’re not moving parts for the sake of it. Every delivery helps keep a mine running, gets a solar plant online, or supports the infrastructure that keeps businesses moving. We’re not the ones out there tightening bolts or connecting power lines, but none of that work happens without us.
If you’ve ever stood at a project site at sunrise and watched a logistics truck roll in after a long night on the road, you’ll know why this work matters. It’s not flashy, but it’s the reason many projects can keep going.
And that’s why we do it.