Africa
With just over two months to go before Tyrexpo Africa 2018 opens in Johannesburg, South Africa in early April, Singapore-based organiser SingEx has confirmed the participation of several global brands in the tyre, tyre repair equipment and tyre accessories. More than 100 international companies will be exhibiting at the event, with what the organiser describes as a significant number making their debut at the exhibition.
Stefano Sanchini has been appointed sales director for Bridgestone in the Middle East & Africa region. He joins Bridgestone from Goodyear, and although the tyre maker only recently announced his appointment, Sanchini has been with Bridgestone since August 2017.
International development organisation Transaid has launched its biggest ever cycle challenge, inviting riders from across the industry to saddle up and take on an epic 972-mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2019 – with options for teams of riders to share the challenge.
The Superdoll OTR tyre retreading and repair plant, purportedly the largest OTR retreading plant in the world and located in Ndola Copperbelt was recently awarded the Certificate in Quality Management System based on ISO 9001-2015.
The Certification audit was conducted by the Zambian Bureau of Standards (ZABS) from 4 to 5 April 2017. The ZABS Certification Decision Committee, met and approved the award of Certificate of Quality Management System.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd. has appointed Amit Deshpande its sales director for Africa. In this position, he is responsible for supporting product development with region-specific specifications and identifying sales leads within the region.
Cimcorp has received an order to supply logistics automation facilities to a brand-new tyre plant in Algeria. The factory is a new venture for the Algerian consumer electronics and household appliances group, Saterex. With huge growth in sales of products marketed under its leading ‘Iris’ brand, Saterex is diversifying into tyre manufacture. The new plant is being built in Setif, 300 km east of Algiers, and will be the first tyre factory in Algeria since Michelin Group closed its plant in the capital in 2013.
Acting in concert with Ivory Coast-based company SIFCA, Michelin has opened a simplified cash public tender offer through its 99.99 per cent-owned subsidiary Compagnie Financière Michelin SCmA (CFM) to acquire the 841,285 shares in natural rubber company Société Internationale de Plantations d’Hévéas (SIPH) not currently held by the two parties. Michelin states that it and SIFCA will pay 85 euros for each share in the West Africa-based rubber producer and marketer.
Magna Tyres Group has named Muktar Barrie as sales manager for the French-speaking countries in West-Africa effective 1 July. In his new position he has taken on the responsibility for growing the Magna Tyres market presence and will focus on developing strong customer relationships.
The Sameer Africa tyre plant in Nairobi, Kenya is being dismantled, with equipment being relocated to India, according to local news reports. This follows the cessation of production back in September 2016 following an announcement last June that that plant would close due to high competition from cheap imported tyres. The company did not specify if the equipment was being sold or used to establish manufacturing in India.
Algerian state oil company Sonatrach is looking to enter the tyre business. The Algeria Press Service (APS) shares details given by group vice-president for Downstream Activity, Akli Remini on the sidelines of the Ogex 2016 oil and gas exhibition; Sonatrach will cooperate with foreign partners on a project to produce “5 million tons of tyres per year.”
The first load of giant OTR (Off The Road) tyres to be mounted on the largest dumpers in the world, and operate on the Copperbelt mines, arrived this morning at Superdoll’s newest Retreading & Repair OTR tyres plant based in Ndola, Zambia.
Between 28 and 30 September Linglong Tire held its 2016 Middle East and Africa dealer conference in Ethiopia. Company president Wang Feng and “almost hundreds” of dealers from Middle East and Africa gathered to learn about the development Linglong achieved in 2016 as well as the firm’s 2017 plan especially for marketing strategy and branded shops.
BFGoodrich Tires has launched its truck and bus tyres in the Middle East and Africa. The range includes highway, regional and on/off-road applications. According to the company, BFGoodrich will initially offer the Route Control tyre for regional and highway use and the Cross Control for on- and off-road use. The Route Control will be available in 14 sizes and the Cross Control will be available in five sizes. Both are mainly manufactured in Europe.
The Tanzanian government is set to build a new tyre plant. According to local news reports, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr Adelhem Meru, told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) the new factory will be based on new technology.
Transaid has expanded its professional driver training programmes into Malawi, following the programme’s success in raising commercial driver training standards in Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
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