As Powerfleet Africa gears up for its participation at the Transport Evolution Africa Forum & Expo 2025, we sat down with Steven Sutherland to explore the company’s strategic direction, innovative product offerings, and vision for the continent’s logistics future.
Steven, Transport Evolution Africa is a major convergence of logistics innovation. How does Powerfleet plan to stand out this year?
Steven Sutherland:
Transport Evolution Africa isn’t just another industry expo – it’s a pulse-check for the continent’s transport future. At Powerfleet, we see this year’s theme of “evolution” as more than symbolic.
It reflects the very transformation we’ve undergone, especially following our merger with MiX Telematics.
This year, we’re not coming with just a stand – we’re rolling in with a fully equipped Mobile Tech Hub, a smart, self-contained trailer that brings our technology to life.
It’s mobile, efficient, and designed with the same user-focused thinking as our solutions. Inside, we’ll demo our Unity platform, AI-driven safety tools, predictive fleet insights, and off-highway solutions.
What sets us apart is that we’re no longer only about vehicles – we’re about everything in motion: trailers, pallets, forklifts, warehouses, and the digital infrastructure that supports them.
Our solutions cater to fleets of all sizes, from entry-level operators to complex regional logistics networks.
What key transport and logistics challenges in Africa is Powerfleet addressing with its technologies?
Steven Sutherland:
Africa’s logistics landscape is unique. It’s vast, often fragmented, and spans many regulatory and infrastructural disparities.
The number one challenge is still visibility – knowing not just where your assets are, but what they’re doing, whether they’re compliant, and if your drivers are safe and alert.
We’ve built solutions that address this comprehensively. With Unity, fleet managers can monitor everything from driver behaviour and fuel usage to predictive maintenance and regulatory compliance – all on one platform.
Importantly, we’ve ensured our technology is cross-border capable.
South African logistics companies often operate in Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, and beyond. Our platform ensures full functionality, including video streaming, outside domestic borders.
We’re also addressing integration pain points. Logistics companies grow through acquisitions or subcontractor relationships, often ending up with multiple telematics systems.
Our platform allows you to ingest third-party data from other hardware and consolidate it into a single pane of glass.
With the recent integration of MiX Telematics under the Powerfleet Group, how has your value proposition evolved for African customers?
Steven Sutherland:
The merger was a game-changer. As MiX Telematics, we were known for premium solutions in high-end transport. Joining the Powerfleet Group expanded our toolbox in several key ways.
First, we now offer a wider range of entry-level and mid-market solutions, including cost-effective telematics and camera systems for fleets that previously may not have been able to access such tools.
Second, we’ve gained robust off-highway capabilities – now serving construction, mining, agriculture, and materials handling with sector-specific tools like vehicle access control, which verifies the right driver, skill level, and pre-inspection checks before the engine even starts.
Finally, Powerfleet brought with it the Unity ecosystem, which acts as a unifying, scalable operating system for all fleet intelligence – hardware-agnostic, third-party-friendly, and fully modular.
You often refer to ‘Operational Intelligence.’ What does that look like in practice for African fleet operators?
Steven Sutherland:
Operational Intelligence is more than just analytics – it’s actionable data that drives real-time decision-making. In Africa, this can be the difference between costly delays and optimal operations.
For example, we don’t just record driver fatigue – we detect it in real time and alert managers when a driver is moving from moderate to critical fatigue, giving them the chance to intervene before an incident occurs.
We offer dashboards that tie together fuel consumption, vehicle health, driver performance, maintenance schedules, and even financial forecasting.
In a single glance, an operations manager can understand the current state of the fleet and anticipate what’s coming next. That’s the power of predictive visibility.
In an environment where margins are thin and risk is high, this kind of intelligence isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity.
How is Powerfleet Africa contributing to the long-term transformation of transport infrastructure across the continent?
Steven Sutherland:
We’re seeing massive shifts in infrastructure development – from the rise of inland ports to the resurgence of rail corridors and hybrid logistics models that combine road and rail in more fluid ways.
We work closely with both government authorities and private operators to ensure our technology aligns with these shifts.
For example, we’re engaging with initiatives like RailRunner, which is redefining how goods move between regions using road-rail interchangeability.
This creates entirely new logistics dynamics – and we’re ensuring our platform adapts accordingly.
We’re also supporting clients operating in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), providing real-time tracking, access control, and compliance monitoring that fits within highly regulated and efficiency-driven environments.
Ultimately, transformation will come through collaboration, and we’re proud to be a proactive technology partner driving that change.
What are your expectations for the Transport Evolution Africa Forum and Expo 2025?
Steven Sutherland:
This event is not just a showcase – it’s a conversation hub. Our expectation is twofold: to share our technology vision and to learn directly from industry players across sectors.
Africa is a diverse continent. What works in South Africa may not work in Ghana or Kenya. That’s why we treat this event as a valuable listening platform.
We want to understand evolving customer challenges, find regional patterns, and feed those insights back into our product development cycles.
It’s also a place for relationship-building – with regulators, partners, customers, and innovators who all want to see transport infrastructure modernise and scale.
You’re introducing a Mobile Tech Hub this year instead of a traditional stand. What inspired this, and what can visitors expect?
Steven Sutherland:
We wanted to break away from the standard expo formula and do something that reflects our DNA. The Mobile Tech Hub is a live, immersive space built into a transport trailer – designed to move, set up quickly, and show technology where it belongs: in the field.
It’s not just a display. Visitors will experience real-time demos, hands-on technology, and consult directly with our experts – all inside a working logistics trailer. It’s portable, efficient, and repeatable – perfect for future roadshows and events across Africa.
It’s also symbolic: We’re mobile. We’re embedded in transport. We’re always moving forward.
Final thoughts—why should visitors make time to visit Powerfleet at the Expo?
Steven Sutherland:
We’ve been in this industry for over two decades. We’ve seen it evolve, and we’ve evolved with it.
Whether you’re managing five trucks or five hundred, public infrastructure or private logistics, we have tools – and the experience – to help you work smarter, safer, and more cost-effectively.
Come visit our Mobile Tech Hub at Transport Evolution Africa (June 17–19, 2025) at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Let’s talk, let’s demo, and let’s discover how we can partner in shaping Africa’s next logistics chapter.
