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MechChem Africa
•
January 2017
⎪
Products and industry news
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“
I
was born and raised in Camer-
oon, just around the corner,” Pimi
begins. “Cameroon is in the heart
of Africa, in the corner between
Central andWest Africa anda vertical axis
through easternCameroon divides Africa
into two equal halves.
“I am proud to be back in Africa. There
On December 1, 2016, Thierry Pimi was formally introduced to the press as the new
MD for Cummins’ Southern Africa’s regional distribution business.
MechChem Africa
attends and reports.
Thierry Pimi
Born and raised in Cameroon, Thierry Pimi com-
pletedamechanicalengineeringdegreein1999at
YaoundéUniversity inCameroon before starting
his career in Africa as a field engineer in the oil
and gas industry. Following a stint in operations
management and factory re-engineering for
British American Tobacco, in 2004 he took up an
opportunity in Canada for AEC.
He joined Cummins in June 2008 as a corpo-
rate strategy manager, became the company’s
mining manager for the African engine business
in 2010 and was promoted to general manager
of aftermarket distribution for North and West
Africa in 2013.
In September of 2016, he was appointed to
his current post, MD of regional distribution for
Southern Africa.
Aswell as hisBScMechEngdegree, Pimi holds
an MBA in finance and strategy from Indiana
University and a Certificate of Mining Studies
from the University of British Columbia. He is
alsoagraduateoftheCumminsGlobalLeadership
Programme in Johannesburg.
Cummins
positions for African growth
Thierry Pimi and his wife, Yannick.
is nowhere in the world I would rather
be. While the continent presents big
challenges, it also offers huge opportuni-
ties and, as an African, I look forward to
contributing to developing our beloved
continent,” he says.
AddressingCumminsbusinessoutlook,
he says that Cummins was founded in a
small town called Columbus in Southern
Indiana, USA. “Today, we are the largest
diesel and natural gas engine manu-
facturer in the world. We are a global
company with manufacturing facilities
in 135 countries, more than 7 300 points
of customer support and a market cap of
around US$20-billion.
“Back when I was a student, Cummins
was already thinking about investing in
my home country. The company plays in
the heart of what is needed in Africa to-
day: infrastructure development, power
generation and minerals extraction. We
are a central player in all these arenas,”
he believes.
Split into four separate business units:
the engine business; power systems;
components; and distribution, Pimi says:
“Engines is the mother of our company,
but it is the distribution business that is
striving to make Cummins products ubiq-
uitous all over the world. My role here is
to lead the Southern African distribution
business, which includesmostly the SADC
countries, Tanzania and the countries
south of the DRC.”
In Southern Africa, Pimi sees strong
opportunities in the construction of
infrastructure; mining and materials
handling; power generation; marine and
other industries. “Where things are not
going well, we see opportunities to solve
problems and do better, and where they
are going well, we look for ongoing im-
provements, better efficiencies and more
sustainable business opportunities,” he
tells
MechChem Africa
.
Turning attention to the important
social responsibility role of companies
operating in Africa, he says: “Cummins
believes in giving back to the community.
Corporate responsibility is big thing for us.
“On a personal level, I am part of the
Africa Social Responsibility Council and
in that role I am proud to announce that,
fromJanuary2017, wewill start to roll out
ourprogrammefortechnicaleducationfor
communities, the third roll out for Africa
followingMorocco andNigeria. Cummins,
in partnership with local education pro-
viders, will invest in a curriculum and re-
sources to augment communitymembers’
employment potential,” he reveals.
Areas of interest include practical
artisan skills such as electrical wiring and
engine repair, as well as basic business
skillsandprofessionalbehaviour.“Ourrole
is not to train these people for our own
needs but simply to augment their general
employment potential,” Pimi notes.
In closing, Pimi expresses gratitude to
Cummins’ customers. “Our commitment is
that the support wewill make available to
customers in Africa will be no different to
that on offer in Australia or the USA or on
any other continent in the world.
“We intend to deliver the service we
believe all of our customers deserve and
wewill be investingheavily to support that
goal,” he says.
When asked about his immediate pri-
orities, he responds, “to create credibility
and to develop talent”.
He cites three aspects to local tal-
ent development: “Hiring good people,
developing them and empowering them
to deliver”.
From a customer credibility perspec-
tive, Pimi believes it all about delivery. “We
strive to solve customers problems – and
the challenges are sometimes bigger in
Africa. But the team is strong and we
intend to reinforce that team to exceed
customer expectations.
“Wearestrivingtomotivateourpeople
to take ownership, so that they deliver
high standards while enjoying working
for Cummins,” concludes the newregional
distribution MD for Cummins Southern
Africa.
q
“Where things are not going well, we see opportunities to solve
problems and do better, and where they are going well, we look for
ongoing improvements, better efficiencies and more sustainable
business opportunities,” he tells MechChem Africa.