CUMMINS Southern Africa has announced a positive outlook for 2018 in the region, citing an increase in mining activity, equipment rebuilds, the appreciation of the oil price and the progress of major infrastructure and power projects.
“Despite difficult market conditions last year, Cummins performed very well by exceeding our sales forecasts and increasing our investments in the region. We are totally committed to the African continent and will continue to grow our business and innovate new solutions for our customers,” said Thierry Pimi, Managing Director of Cummins Southern Africa.
“We have full confidence in the market as current political developments drive predominantly pro-business and pro-regulatory reforms in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Angola. We anticipate an improved relationship between the business community and the new government in the country which we are confident will lead to a swifter resolution of the Mining charter dispute. We look forward to seeing this leading to increased investments in the country.”
The company is on track to commissioning its new Johannesburg flagship facility at Waterfall City in October 2018. This new facility will also serve as the launch pad for brand reinforcement to attract the best talent in the region.
Additionally, “Several strategic initiatives are currently being set in motion. With the best people, we will continue to deliver world class service in the region and honour our promise to our customers. In 2018 we will more aggressively drive our transformation agenda in South Africa with some key milestones set for completion by the end of Q2,” Pimi added.
The company also announced new high tech innovative solutions from various divisions within Cummins Southern Africa.
Director of Operations for Cummins Southern Africa, Racheal Njoroge, announced a revived push for growth and diversification in four key markets in 2018 – Oil & Gas, Marine, Mining and Automotive.
She disclosed a positive business climate in Zimbabwe with the anticipated acceleration of business in Filtration, Power Generation and Parts & Service. She also communicated the company’s intent to stimulate and increase business in Madagascar and Mauritius through current and new partner engagements.
General Manager for Cummins Southern Africa, Orlando Ferrao, announced that aggressive plans were in place to form partnerships with customers to ensure the best experience possible. As part of this rollout, the company will be increasing the availability of over-the-counter parts to improve aftermarket support of our products.
The CSARO Mining activity, led by Andre Kuhn, announced the development and rollout of an advanced fault finding electronic support tool which identifies the origin of technical glitches and the parts required to repair it.
The IPad device reduces downtime, improves efficiency and provides cost savings for the customer. Furthermore, he announced the introduction of telematics, or DEMS (Data Enabled Mining Solutions), which monitors the vital statistics and performance of an engine remotely, thereby presenting early warnings of potential engine downtime. The customer is then able to optimise engine availability and component life while minimising engine downtime.