Shamrock Handling Concepts (Pty) Ltd

Established in 1986 by two brothers, Fanus and Hentie Cloete, Evergreen Turf has grown into the largest instant lawn operation in the southern hemisphere. "We supply to landscapers, contractors, municipalities, developers, home owners and golf courses," says Fanus Cloete, joint owner of Evergreen Turf.

The company operate from three locations, situated in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria. The Johannesburg branch grows eight different species of lawn. In order to keep up with the enormous demand stemming from its fertile soil, Evergreen Turf had to make some adjustments to its logistics. "Initially when it came to the rolling and placement of lawn, we used manual labour. This was incredibly toilsome and time consuming. We needed to streamline the way in which we collated the turf, as well as improving the loading and offloading process."

"When we started looking into acquiring truck-mounted forklifts for our operation about 16 years ago, we thought it best to go to Europe to see what was on offer there," explains Cloete. "After scouting out various products available to the agricultural industry, we settled on the Moffett. Though not the cheapest, it was by far the best investment we ever made," he declares. "Evergreen Turf became the first South African company to own a Moffett and, as there was no agency at that time, we had to import it directly from Moffett Engineering in Ireland."

That was until Shamrock brought the Moffett to our shores and became the official agency for these truck-mounted forklifts in South Africa. "We took over the agency 15 years ago, basically because we noticed that there were enormous opportunities in the market for truck-mounted forklifts," explains Marius Schutte, Managing Director of Shamrock Handling Concepts. "Because it is mounted on the rear of the truck, there is no loss of load space, and the operator has the added advantage of being able to control his delivery schedule. Another attractive feature is that there is a substantial decrease in product damage, as there is essentially no direct handling of the product by the staff. What is incredible encouraging is that the Moffetts have generated credibility and confidence within the market."

"I can honestly say that the Moffett has revolutionized the way in which we do business. We literally cannot do without them. Not only has our turnaround time dramatically improved, but the Moffett has also provided huge benefits to the client. Previously, the truck operator could dump the lawn only as close as he could manoeuvre the truck, then a guy with a wheelbarrow had to transport it the rest of the way. Now all we do is lower the Moffett, which is neatly tucked away on the back of the truck, and it can deliver the correct amount of turf directly to the placement point."

"When the job is done, the Moffett is reloaded onto the rear of the truck - the whole procedure takes only 60 seconds! But these are not the only aspects of the Moffett that made an impression on Cloete. "The service and after-sales backup provided by Shamrock is brilliant, I am amazed by the entire package."

Incredible service, excellent product - it is no wonder that Evergreen Turf has been a client of Shamrock's and Moffett's for over 15 years now, and will continue to be a customer for the foreseeable future.