Windhoek — Pupkewitz Truck Centre sells Chana trucks, Nissan forklifts, Hino trucks and Nissan trucks all under one roof.

According to Mr Louw van Heerden, the combination of the four brands enhances the viability in terms of selling and after-sales service for all brands in the stable, but he points out that although the four brands are operating under one umbrella, each brand has its own product specialist.

Stiaan Knouwds is responsible for Chana trucks and Nissan forklifts, Heini Strauss for Hino trucks and Michael Marais for Nissan trucks.

Pupkewitz Trucks changed its name in June this year to Hino Windhoek.

The new name makes the brand immediately recognizable by any person in the trucking business and it also make life easier for users of this brand. Hino Windhoek is a sub-division of the Pupkewitz Truck Centre which, in turn, is responsible for all four brands at several branches across the country.

Van Heerden said the market for trucks went down in South Africa by nearly 48%, while Namibia had a growth of about 30%. They are satisfied with their performance so far and proud of the fact that they achieved a steady growth. Prospects for 2010 are also very positive. Van Heerden experiences the country's economy as in good shape citing this as a contributing factor for their success, the upgrading and construction of roads by RCC, the opening of new mines and the construction of new developments on a large scale.

"We do very good business in the Angolan market, not just with the big operators, but also with the smaller operators as well as individual buyers," he said.

Asked which brand is the best seller, Van Heerden said that both Toyota and Nissan are well established in the market and obviously both are good sellers.