Field Notes

What the market looks like from the ground.

Where Roadfly Corp looks, and what it looks for: stores, shelves, plants, ports and trade floors. No client sites, names or logos are ever shown.

Racking at an industrial distributor. Illustrative image.

Distributor market walk

Which brands are on the shelf, and which are only in the catalogue?

What we look for

Brands physically stocked versus listed online
Stock depth and lead times quoted at the counter
Counterfeit warnings and traceability paperwork

Why it matters: a distributor that lists your competitor but does not stock it is a different partner from one that does.

Conveyor idlers on a bulk-handling line. Illustrative image.

Site visit

How a maintenance planner decides what to replace, and from whom.

What we look for

Installed-base brands and age
The approved-vendor list, and who sits on it
Shutdown calendar and emergency-buy behaviour

Why it matters: MRO demand follows the installed base and the shutdown calendar, not national output figures.

Container stacks at the Port of Durban, from a public vantage point.

Logistics check

What landed cost really includes once goods reach the quay.

What we look for

Clearing-agent quotes and dwell times
NRCS and SARS holds on regulated codes
Inland transport cost to Gauteng

Why it matters: port delays and holds add weeks and cash, yet buyers still expect delivery in 24–48 hours.

Trade show

Who is testing South Africa without a local partner.

What we look for

Foreign exhibitors without a South African distributor
Price lists and terms on display
Which local partners visit which stands

Why it matters: trade floors show competitive intent months before it shows up in import data.

On the desk · work in progress

How a briefing gets built, shown without the client.

Import series by origin being cleaned — Day 2: HS-code import series pulled and cleaned, five years by origin.

Visibility audit board with evidence levels — Day 4: visibility audit, every distributor claim marked with its evidence level.

A structured interview across a table — Stage 2 field work: a structured buyer interview. Illustrative image.

Photo policy. Images are Roadfly Corp's own or licensed. We photograph only with the site owner's written permission, never show identifiable client sites, people without consent, or confidential documents, and blur brand names where needed.

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