Ian K (Agencies) to Deliver Renault CTI Compactor Trucks to NSWMA

Ian K (Agencies) Limited is to deliver 10 of 20 Renault garbage compactor trucks to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), at a ceremony to be held on September 22 at Devon House.
Arrival of the trucks is very timely, coming on the heels of notices sent out by the Authority, advising residents in a number of communities in the Corporate Area and Clarendon, that there would be disruption of their garbage collection, with 24 to 28-hour delays due to the suspension of its supplementary fleet.
The trucks were ordered for the Government under a sole-agency agreement between Renault Trucks and Ian K (Agencies), which since 1978, has seen the company supplying the government with over 100 garbage units, 50 fire trucks, 80 heavy duty trucks, and 80 sprinklers, commencing with the first initiative in 1978, involving 133 trucks.
The trucks are paid for by means of a loan obtained by Ian K (Agencies) for the Government from BNP Paribas of France, at extremely good rates and repayment terms. This arrangement with the French bank dates back to the very first transaction in 1978, which was brokered by Ian K (Agencies).
Although the company no longer provides the maintenance service for the trucks, it stocks a large number and variety of parts, which take approximately five days to arrive in Jamaica from France.
“All the trucks we have brought down are identical, with the exception of the body,” said Director, Matthew Levy. “The chassis and engine are the same, whether it is a garbage unit, fire truck, heavy-duty service truck, or a sprinkler. So all the parts are interchangeable,” he tells JIS News.
Another unique aspect of Ian K (Agencies) business philosophy is its non-involvement with private enterprise, “because we wanted to specialize in government vehicle”, Mr. Levy said.
“In this way, we cut out the potential of parts getting into the wrong hands, and even if they do, the parts would have to be brought back to Ian K (Agencies), as we are the only ones in a position to utilise them,” he added.
Commenting on the suitability of the Renault trucks, he said that over and above durability, they had performed very well, because of their incredibly good engines.
He said the French units were very compact, because they were made for the narrow streets and alley ways of Paris. Also, in the case of the garbage compactor trucks, their compactor ratios were much higher than most garbage trucks of similar size, reaching a ratio of 6:1, compared with 3:1 for other competitors.
“So our small unit will hold the same amount as the bigger unit and can negotiate the narrow streets of the cities, whereas other big units cannot. They don’t have the turning radius and they are too wide. So the French trucks are more compact, and are made for streets like ours in Jamaica,” Mr. Levy told JIS News.
In addition, given that the French trucks were made for France and its colonies, most of which are in Africa, they can be expected to fare well in bad road conditions. With the roads in Jamaica being far superior to most of those in Africa, the Renault trucks are more than suitable for Jamaica. Moreover, because of their gear ratio, they can negotiate hilly terrain better than larger units.
Last but not least, is the overriding fact that the French units are right-hand drive, as against others that are left-hand drive.