Business is Best Learned in the Real World, Not in the Classroom

Oct 20, 2018 | General News

A former lecturer, Steelbro’s Regional Manager for South East Asia, Andy Ersalle shares his experience and aspirations in the equipment industry.

“You cannot just study business in a classroom. You have to go out and do things, get things done, make profit, and experience it. That is what a real businessman does.”

Although he was himself a student of Business Administration at the University of Lincoln in United Kingdom where he obtained a master’s degree in 2002, Steelbro Container Handling Solutions (Steelbro) Regional Manager for South East Asia, Andy Ersalle had always believed that hands-on experiences are the best teachers. During his master’s degree programme, he went through a management training programme at an Ivy League group company where he was the personal assistant to the managing director.

“I gained a lot of experience and knowledge in the business industry from working with him. We did a lot of business projects and negotiations with local and international projects, as well as government ventures. I also learned to manage up to 400 manpower, which is something you cannot learn in university. I was lucky to learn all of this from someone whom I consider a mentor, for five years,” he told Asian Trucker.

In 2004, Ersalle worked as a lecturer at Sunway University for two years but thought that position made him feel stagnant. “Everything was just theory for me. I always considered myself a businessman and as a businessman, I wanted to go out and do things, so I looked for a conglomerate and got the opportunity at UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd.” There, he took up many challenges and described working with the Japanese as a tough experience as their culture is very field-oriented. Ersalle was in the after-sales team. “The Toyota way of running business is the kind of real-life situation that you need to be trained as a businessman,” he said.

After that Ersalle ran his own equipment business before coming across the opportunity to join Steelbro in 2012 where he started again from the ground level. He had helped to transform the company and initiated a sustenance programme which included financial support, after-sales services, production and spare parts. Steelbro also managed to control its credit collection through a new system and stock programme. “Steelbro used to be focused more on dealership, no after sales, but we have to be current and applicable to the Malaysian market,” he said.

Before becoming the Regional Manager, Ersalle managed sales operations where he brought in a new sales team. The business was then 40 percent sales and 60 percent after sales and parts. His team was careful about their expenses, ensuring that they did not spend on unnecessary things. “If cost was high, we would burden our customers. We always think about our customers but at the same time try to benefit our shareholders as well,” he added.

Although the brand has been in Malaysia for over 20 years, sideloaders were not very popular in the general market but Ersalle and his team have been convincing transport operators on the importance of sideloaders not only for their businesses but for the nation’s economy, too. Today production has increased and Ersalle is looking for a bigger space and planning to grow his team.

He acknowledged that the industry is not a glamorous one that attracts the younger generation but for the aspiring businessmen and businesswomen who love the challenge, Ersalle said that the transportation and equipment industries are the places to be. “This is hardcore business. People tend to look at the luxurious side of business, but it can be gruelling. In the car business, you deal with the general public, they are your customers but here (equipment business) you deal with other business people in the market, they are hardcore business giants. Working with them is a real adventurous journey. This is better than any certificate. Whether you win or lose, the experience is yours. People can take things away from you but not your experience.”

“If our youngsters want to be real business people, they should venture into this industry. It took me a while to understand the concept, but it has enhanced my soft skills as I managed our limitations in order to achieve our target. These challenges shape a person and increases critical thinking skills. At Steelbro we solve at least 10 problems a day without compromising our target. The service industry market is such that everything is urgent, and every decision is money. Also, of course, this industry can offer you big packages. If you are good at what you do, you can really make money here,” Ersalle said.

First published in Asian Trucker Trailer Special – Thought Leaders

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Steelbro’s SB450 on the Job

Aug 14, 2018 | General News

The Steelbro engineering team have invested a lot of design time to achieve the best possible geometry for the SB450 crane. The demanding requirements brought on by the various tasks a sidelifter must be capable of completing means that the position of the arm pivot points and the actual arm length had to be optimised to ensure all of the tasks could be completed.

This is a challenging job as any small adjustment has a major effect on the final performance and often one small adjustment to improve one function has a large negative effect on another function.

The Steelbro team had to develop a geometry with a large outreach. This is a vital element as often it is difficult to position the trailer close to the container that is going to be lifted. Having the large outreach allows the operator to be able to pick up the container even though the trailer is some distance away.

This large outreach is also an important feature when performing a trailer to trailer transfer. A trailer to trailer transfer is when the sidelifter is used to load/unload a container onto or off from another trailer. During this process the companion trailer is parked as close as possible to the sidelifter and the container is then transferred. Having the large outreach allows extra distance between the companioning trailer and the sidelifter, making alignment much easier and avoiding collision damage.

Having the large horizontal outreach is great but the sidelifter also has to perform a double stack operation, A double stack is when the sidelifter is used to load/unload a container from on top of another container. During this function the container being moved has to be lifted very high to allow it to get above the lower container. The Steelbro optimised geometry achieves this feat very well and the container is capable of being double stack onto to the larger 9.6’ container.

A further feature of the Steelbro SB450 is its low profile stowed position. The cranes stowed in a low profile helps avoid damage from foreign obstacles when in transport and also helps avoid damage and contact with the container when being loaded by a straddle carrier.

Through relentless optimisation, the Steelbro team have developed the SB450 to achieve a large outreach of 3.9 metres whilst still being capable of performing a double stacking function on a 9.6ft container and keeping a low profile making it the ideal product.

First published in Trailer Tech – Asian Trucker Malaysia Issue 41

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Why Use Genuine Spare Parts?

Aug 14, 2018 | General News

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Moving Containers With the Greatest Finesse

Aug 9, 2018 | General News

When it comes to handling shipping containers using a sidelifter, the last thing you want is a bumpy ride.

Protecting valuable loads is essential, as well as expensive equipment. But, being over cautious when moving containers can prolong the process and potentially waste valuable time.

At Steelbro, the engineering team developed a way of operating a sidelifter with safe and speedy precision. They found a way of achieving smoother, more stable container loading and unloading that would give more ref ined speed control, allow for higher speeds, and reduce stress fatigue on the crane arms. This is known as “Proportional Control”.

The sidelifter is a semi-trailer used to lift and transport ISO standard intermodal containers. A pair of hydraulic powered cranes are mounted at each end of the vehicle chassis to lift the container.

Using “Proportional Control”, loading of a container onto a sidelifter is possible in less than five minutes. The Steelbro design and Danfoss proportional controls built into each system provide for smooth control of the container load at all times, ensuring maximum safety and product reliability. The Steelbro sidelifter can be used to place a shipping container with precision anywhere a truck can access. Containers are handled with fine movements and with varying amounts of speed and can be positioned accurately, quickly, easily and safely, irrespective of weight.

With proportional control, the cranes can be moved slowly which reduces the amount the container swings. There is less chance of the container over shooting and ending up in a dangerous position.

This is all achieved using a joystick controller which can send varying amounts of signal depending on how far the operator moves the joystick. This varying signal is sent to a hydraulic control valve which varies the amount of oil flow to the cylinders and therefore their speed.

The Steelbro SB450 model used in Malaysia has proportional control valves supplied by internationally recognised Danish engineering company, Danfoss. These proportional control valves are chosen for their superb handling characteristics, proven safety attributes and smooth proportional control. The Danfoss proportional control valves give the operator full proportional control of the machine and allows the operator to move their load quickly when required or very slowly to position the load precisely.

Other sidelifters often use a push button system which can give a stop/start experience instead of the smooth operation that comes when using a joystick. This sends an on or off signal to the hydraulic valve. These “full on” or “full off” alternative solutions can provide jerky, erratic and uncontrolled movements. This can put undue strain on the equipment, can cause damage to the load and be an unsafe option. The container movement can be less predictable e.g. stopping suddenly causing the container to swing.

Support for the Proportional Control system is overwhelming. In Malaysia, operators at SMG Mega Sappire described the sidelifter: “As having more customer control than other units. They are more reliable and safer to load and unload heavy containers. They were found to be safer to operate with the joystick.”

Mr Tee Wah Meng, Director of Viva Haulage Sdn Bhd says “The sidelifter has increased the speed of our operation and the volume of containers we can handle. Our operators at Viva have described the Steelbro units as convenient to use and safe to operate.”

Lima A Logistik is currently handling 2 000 containers per month. When asked what they like about the sidelifters, the operators describe them to be: “Safe to work with and reliable to carry heavy containers.”

David Eroglu at Melbourne, Australia based Lawson Sideloader Services runs approximately 37 Steelbro sidelifters. He has been impressed with the proportional control feature of the Steelbro models which he says offers complete confidence for all concerned. “A dual speed proportional control system allows the operator to position the stabiliser and the container with precision. Independent joysticks allow each crane to be controlled separately so that loads can be kept level. This means that misaligned containers can be easily handled”.

First published in Asian Trucker Malaysia – Tech Talk

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