“Despite economic headwinds, leading South African truck and trailer body builder Serco has navigated 2025 with resilience and strategic focus delivering growth through innovation, customer partnerships, and operational excellence.
This is according to Serco CEO Clinton Holcroft who said trends showed customers were stretching asset lives while selectively investing in efficiency improvements. These improvements validated the company’s dual focus on manufacturing quality vehicles and providing strong after-sales services.
“Stand-outs are our on-site repair facilities, and the quick-opening curtain systems which help customers cut down time and labour costs during loading operations.”
Holcroft said during the year Serco completed a complex, multi-site assignment to replace many vehicle bodies for Clover South Africa. They were delivered on time, to strict quality standards and with minimal disruption to their operations.
“That project showed our ability to scale across manufacturing sites, maintain consistent quality and operate as an extension of a key customer’s logistics function –exactly the kind of partnership we want to be known for.”
Growth is visible and impressive at the company which is expanding its Boksburg branch facility to add 1 500 m² for repairs and 600 m² for manufacturing and installing new steel-processing equipment to shorten lead times and improve operation efficiencies.
Said Holcroft: “The added undercover workspace will enable us to increase capacity and service levels to our customers in Gauteng. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2025. It will include use of rainwater harvesting to improve the efficient and sustainable use of water in our business.”
In further developments, the company has also secured larger premises for its after-sales repair business in Durban which is expected to become operational by April 2026. This will enable Serco to significantly increase capacity and service levels for the repair of truck and trailer bodies in KwaZulu-Natal.
Said Holcroft: “Added to this, we are refining our ‘speed bay’ model to give customers same-day or next-day turnaround for smaller repairs. Finally, we are accelerating the product development of operationally efficient body systems (load/unload speed and durability) and new materials to increase durability and weight saving in our vehicles.”
Holcroft is “cautiously optimistic” about prospects for Serco in 2026. “The order book going into the new year shows a healthy ‘pipeline’ for new body deliveries, however, we do expect ongoing pressure on order volumes due to the slow economy.”
He identified Serco’s strengths to include: industry experience, multi-site capacity, a strong after-sales footprint and product innovations, such as the company’s fast-opening curtain siders and Ferro-foam refrigerated trailers.
Opportunities for the company included replacement of ageing fleets as interest rates ease, light weight bodies for low-emissions fleet conversions in the medium term. There is also a growing demand for faster repairs and rapid turnaround services. There was also potential to reduce the operating costs of customers significantly.
Among threats, said Holcroft, were exposure to currency fluctuations which impacted fuel prices and imported components, as well as uncertainty from volatile tariff negotiations, which could impact supply chains and input costs.
“Our purpose remains to give customers the edge. For 2026 we will focus on reducing our customers’ total cost of ownership through innovation and faster service to improve vehicle uptime. Practically, that means improving repair turnaround times across our network, reducing lead times for new vehicle bodies through investment in plant capability, and launching customer-facing service innovations that translate into measurable fleet productivity gains.
“In the tightly traded transport and logistics industry, uptime and service reliability become competitive advantage for our customers,” he said.
Holcroft added: “Despite economic pressures, Serco has proven its resilience and ability to grow through customer partnerships and operational excellence. With new technologies, expanded capacity, and a focus on sustainable, high-performance solutions, we’re confident that 2026 will be a year of meaningful progress for our business and the transport sector as a whole.”
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Author: SHIRLEY WILLIAMS from Shirley Williams Communications on behalf of Serco (Pty) Ltd.
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