
The leading cleaning care group in the UAE and Gulf countries, Intercare, recently secured a significant contract for street cleaning equipment in Abu Dhabi. The company signed an agreement with West Coast Group for the delivery of the latest models of Dulevo 6000 street sweepers in a phased manner. Swaliha Shanavas speaks to key executives at these companies regarding this major development.
“Against quite fierce tendering details, together with the positive and totally open approach of West Coast, Intercare was able to prevail and secure this valuable partnership well into the next few years,” says John Colley, Chairman, Intercare.
Dulevo International is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of street sweeping vehicles and the company is active in over 80 countries worldwide. It is also worth mentioning that Intercare holds a majority market share in the street cleaning equipment sector. The new development is 'quite exciting' as they managed to secure a fairly sizeable order from West Coast, notes Venkatesh Manjeri, Joint Managing Director, Intercare Ltd. “I am confident that the 6 cubic metre sweepers from Dulevo will meet all the requirements of The Centre of Waste Management and the contractor West Coast.”
The company received an order for 36 units of the machine and has already delivered 24 units, with the remaining to be handed over to West Coast soon. “Within a month of the contract award, Intercare was able to deliver the first 10 units of Dulevo 6000 street sweepers, which are the latest models from this Italian partner,” notes Colley. “I am certain that West Coast will be totally satisfied with its choice, and Intercare will assuredly provide all the necessary after-sales service, with its unblemished history of over 45 years’ presence in the UAE,” he comments. The waste management company did its own product evaluation. “They also wanted the delivery on time,” says Manjeri, adding that manufacturer could meet all necessary parameters commercially, and in terms of quality and delivery timelines, “so naturally the product was selected.”
Technology
Highlighting the capabilities of the road sweeper that aided in securing the contract, Mario Pepe, Global Sales Director at Dulevo, says, “Our technology is the best in the field and we have sold our machines in more than 80 countries around the world.” The unique “mechanical suction” system makes this street sweeper most suitable for this region, especially considering the climatic conditions and scarcity of water in the Middle East, he remarks.
The Dulevo sweeper’s USP is its mechanical suction system which permits the sweeper to manage its water spraying system much more efficiently than other conventional machines, and emits virtually no dust residue, as the mechanism for the waste pickup keeps this down to a minimum. “This sweeper uses minimum amount of water. So the technology is sustainable and increases the working autonomy of the machine, thereby allowing one to operate a full shift of eight hours without any issues,” Manjeri explains. Further, he says the advantages of this technology have been well documented in this part of the world and that everybody understands this system has huge benefits, particularly under the prevailing environmental conditions.
After-sales and training
Their association with the manufacturer has worked well and they offer great support in terms of after-sales service and spare parts, “two critical factors in maintaining the machines,” the divisional manager highlights. The technicians undergo regular training at Intercare and also attend the specialised training programmes organised by the manufacturer in Italy. In addition, specialist trainers from Italy fly out to Dubai to provide specific training as and when required. This expertise is then passed on to the customers in this region.
Partnership
Commenting on their collaboration, Pepe says, “Intercare is our strong partner in the UAE and this long-term partnership has been strategic for us. They understand our system well and have very good knowledge of our machines. We provide necessary training to their technicians both at our facility in Italy and here in Dubai.” “We have been collaborating with Dulevo for almost 20 years now and it’s been a win-win partnership for both of us,” says Manjeri.
They have moved one step ahead with this new order from West Coast, states Dulevo’s Global Sales Director. “We entered the emirates about 20 years ago and aim to grow further in this market. Not only do we supply the machines, but we also provide great support to our partners. This has helped us succeed in the long run,” he concludes.