Leader Tread – More than Just Retreads

The success of South Africa’s Leader Tread is a testament to the determination of its joint-managing directors, Mark and Brett Sproson. Despite an uncertain political climate in Africa and changing market demands in the UK seriously threatening the business’s wellbeing on at least two occasions, the pair persisted developing Leader Tread, and today the company has grown from being simply a regional supplier to one with footholds in retreading facilities around the major South African cities of Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.

In addition to the manufacture and supply of precured tread and consumables – a business Leader Tread has engaged in for 45 years – the company goes the extra mile to offer customers value added services, such as training, 24/7 technical support and breakdown services, equipment maintenance and warehouse management programs. Leader Tread has developed a nationwide dealership network that stock all the company’s latest tread patterns, suitable for any application, as well as a full range of consumables.

Significant investment in development has also led to the release of Leadernet, the company’s own specialist industry software. As Mark Sproson explains: “All too often off-the-shelf software meets only 70 per cent of the customer’s needs, and to implement the additional 30 per cent requires large capital investment. Our company has produced, after a 10-year investment in development, a number of IT solutions, which can be easily modified to suit the customer’s own particular requirements.” Mr. Sproson adds that the solutions on offer include tyre navigation, job ticketing, cost accounting and warehouse management.

Leader Tread is exhibiting at Tyrexpo Africa 2008, to be held in Johannesburg on March 4 – 6.