Africa
Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd. has received the regulatory approval to invest US$296.78 million in the construction of its previously announced Morocco tyre manufacturing project. The “Certificate of Overseas Investment of Enterprises” was issued by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce on 5 June 2023 and is valid for two years.
Transaid is returning to Africa for its 11th cycle challenge on the continent and is calling on keen riders to take part in a six-day, 474km ride across majestic Kenya – where Transaid is currently undertaking a major project funded by the FIA Foundation. Taking place from 4 – 13 October 2024, the international development organisation invites riders from across the transport and logistics industry on this one-of-a-kind adventure, where they’ll travel from Nyeri at the foothills of Mount Kenya to Lake Victoria – all on two wheels.
The 13th China (Guangrao) International Rubber Tire & Auto Accessory Exhibition (ChinaGRTAE 2023), will be officially unveiled in a few days. On 8 May, a week before the start of the exhibition, the government of Dongying, the city to which Guangrao County belongs, held a press conference on the overall situation relating to the exhibition. At the time, the organisers said that between 15-17 May at least 20,000 professional visitors will participate in the exhibition, and more than 800 foreign businessmen would visit. Tyrepress has China learned that the theme of this exhibition is “Gathering the power of the industrial chain; Building a new development pattern”. In terms of format, ChinaGRTAE 2023 will be mainly offline and supplemented by online.
A strategic meeting in Valencia, Spain afforded Vipal Europe the opportunity to review the year that’s been. Amongst the significant changes to occur in recent times is the inclusion of the entire African territory within the Vipal Europe remit. This follows the addition of the North Africa and Middle East regions to the Vipal Europe operation in 2021.
On 30 December 2022, Sentury Tire shared that the company convened a board meeting to approve the “Proposal on Investing in the Construction of High-Performance Car and Light Truck Radial Tire Projects in Morocco”. In other words, the company is planning to build its third overseas factory just outside Morocco, North Africa in what will be the first Chinese tyre factory in Africa. Sentury plans to invest just under US$296.78 million in constructing the Morocco tyre plant, which is set to have a production capacity is 6 million car and light-truck tyres a year.
Midas, the tyre fast fit and automotive service network owned by French firm Mobivia, is expanding in Africa through three new partnerships. Mobivia believes this trio of partnerships will potentially result in around a hundred new centres within ten years.
Vikram Garga is the new group head of marketing for Apollo Tyres in the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) region. Announcing Garga’s appointment, Apollo says the industry veteran will spearhead the regional marketing team and take responsibility for marketing and product strategy for all product categories, dealer programmes, brand positioning and monitoring performance in conjunction with sales. Based out of Apollo Tyres’ corporate headquarters in Gurugram, India, Garga will report to Satish Sharma president of Apollo Tyres’ APMEA business.
Goodyear South Africa has appointed Richard Fourie to the position of managing director effective from April 2022. Richard takes over from Piotr Czyzyk who led the company for two years.
Continental Tyre South Africa has sold the manufacturing assets it used to make industrial and agricultural tyres in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Prior to the sale, Continental manufactured bias-ply and radial agricultural tyres at the Port Elizabeth location. Continental’s ongoing production operations, such as its passenger car and light truck lines, are not affected by the news.
Continental Tyre South Africa (CTSA) has appointed a new senior management team for its tyre manufacturing plant in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The appointment comes as Continental gears up to increase the site’s role as a supplier of light commercial vehicle tyres to global markets.
Transaid has been selected by the sustainable transport planning and research consultancy, ITP, to support the development of a road map for providing improved public transport services in Lusaka, in a major new project funded by the World Bank. The Zambian capital is one of the fastest developing cities in southern Africa, with its metro area population growing by nearly five per cent annually for the last 20 years. Yet it remains almost entirely reliant on minibuses for intracity public transport, supported by a smaller number of buses and taxis.
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd (SRSA), manufacturer of the Dunlop, Sumitomo and Falken tyre brands for the African continent, has announced the appointment of Lubin Ozoux as its new CEO and Executive Director of SRSA effective 1 January 2021. Ozoux will take over the role from outgoing CEO, Riaz Haffejee who has led the company for the past eight years. Haffejee will remain with the company until the 31 January 2021 to “ensure a smooth transition”.
Tyre retail and car maintenance group Point S has 90 points of sale on the continent of Africa, but the network wants to double that number by 2022. Present in 41 countries around the world, Point S has recorded particularly strong performance in South Africa and is targeting development via openings in new countries. It has opened locations in Cameroon and Senegal in 2020.
Bridgestone Southern Africa (BSAF) has announced that it will close its bias tyre manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, a decision affecting 252 employees. The move is in line with the company’s plans to focus on premium profitable growth segments. The Port Elizabeth plant is geared towards the production of older bias tyres, which are globally in decline and being phased out in South Africa, due to their unprofitability. BSAF is also feeling the effects of a shrinking economy and an influx of cheap imports, leading to its operational restructuring plan. It added that the conversion of the plant to produce radial tyres would require a multi-billion-rand investment, which it deemed unfeasible in the current economy.
Pyramids Tires, a new tyre manufacturer based in Port Said, northeast Egypt, saw its first tyres roll off the production line on 9 May 2020. The factory currently manufactures motorcycle, forklift and agricultural tyres as part of the first phase of the plant’s development. The second phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, will see the company add passenger car, truck and OTR tyres to its portfolio.
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Jorono; Pixabay
Transaid
ChinaGRTAE
Goodyear
Continental AG
Transaid
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Point S
Pyramid Tires