Renault Trucks has been offering one of the largest and most comprehensive range of trucks worldwide including the Middle East. The company has delivered a wide range of waste management trucks to some of the top players in the region. Waste & Recycling Middle East spoke to Fady Assaf, UAE Fleet Manager, Averda about their waste management fleet and the innovative aspects that help them deliver bespoke services to their clients.

Tell us about Averda’s waste management solutions.

Established in the Middle East in 1964, Averda has grown into a global waste management integrated services business, serving government entities, residential properties and businesses. We excel at city cleaning, specialise in recycling and waste-to-energy activities. We turn organic waste into agricultural compost and we build and operate both general and hazardous waste landfills while providing state-of-the-art medical waste services.

What gives Averda its competitive advantage?

We prefer to refer to our competitive advantage as ‘what makes us different’. We have a fully tailored and bespoke approach to the entire range of our services; we do not tell our clients ‘you should do this’; we tell them ‘we know why you do this and we know how we can make it better’. To help us do this, we make sure that we have the right tools to make it happen.

Does technology and innovation play a key role in Averda’s business?

They are extremely important – technology and innovation are the future for any business, not just a waste management business. For instance, our fleet is chosen mainly on its technological advantages. Renault is our preferred partner as our machinery needs to be state-of-the-art and meet the needs of highly demanding conditions. For instance, picking debris and litter from the Aqaba beaches without removing the sand requires the very best technology.

How has Averda’s partnership with Renault Trucks allowed it to deliver those bespoke services to its clients?

Renault Trucks provide an ideal platform to serve waste management fleet activities and requirements with a flexibility that helps operators like us work efficiently, with a high degree of versatility. This is why we have invested significantly with Renault Trucks - a third of our 1,100-strong fleet of trucks across the globe is made up of Renault Trucks. Renault Trucks provide assistance in pre-purchasing vehicles configuration, to follow up on delivery and registration with later aftersales support. They also provide us with driver training and technical response. Furthermore, the Training facility at Renault Trucks’ Regional Office is well prepared to train Averda’s maintenance teams that conduct the simple daily service and preventive maintenance schedule.

Does Averda see Renault Trucks as fuel efficient compared to the other fleets?

First, Renault Trucks have the right combination with regard to their drivetrain between the engine, transmission and add-ons which help waste management operators protect the vehicles from excessive usage and even overuse. It is up to the operator to carefully select the vehicles and their components to that end, making sure the drivers are provided with tools for efficient productive utilisation. Secondly, the Infomax system has started to allow us to manage the fleet’s fuel consumption. With the data provided, we can follow and analyse the efficiency of the entire fleet, and educate drivers on the impact of fuel consumption by means of graphics and tables with indicators, encouraging them to drive economically.

How does Averda see Renault Trucks’ total cost of ownership?

To us, total cost of ownership does not stop at the truck price and the expenses linked to its operation like fuel, service and repairs, admin and driver expenses, but we do also consider the truck utilisation and calculate the downtimes.

We run our trucks 24/7, so basically we need our trucks and machines to be constantly up and running. Therefore, we plan our services in advance with our respective Renault Trucks dealers in the different territories to make sure the trucks will be operational for as long as possible without hassles of unexpected failures or prolonged downtimes. Renault Trucks are not only efficient when it comes to total cost of ownership; but the utilisation percentages prove to be better than others. Renault Trucks are reliable and robust so they are a strong match for our application and deliver real cost savings.

Renault Trucks has awarded Averda in recognition of the high standards of service and workshop operations in Abu Dhabi. How do you feel about this?

We are proud of the appreciation awarded by Renault Trucks to our teams in recognition of their efforts, learning abilities and performance, reflecting Averda’s professional image we continuously strive to maintain.