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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
FEBRUARY 2017
14
ummins
South
Africa
recently celebrated its
70-year existence as a
distributor of the interna-
tional engine manufac-
turer, Cummins, in South
Africa. Established in 1946
as an independent distributor, the company
was acquired in 2000 to become a whol-
ly-owned subsidiary of Cummins. Cummins
later acquired several branches in neigh-
bouring countries such as Zimbabwe and
Zambia to further boost its distribution
footprint, which is the backbone of its
business in southern Africa.
Cummins Southern Africa is present in 11
countries within the SADC region, supported
by a strong foothold of 16 distribution
centres covering business areas including
construction, mining, agriculture, defence
and power generation.
Rachid Ouenniche, MD of Distribution
for Cummins Africa-Middle East, says
dependability across all areas of the
company’s business, from quality of its
product through to aftermarket support, is
the basis for its seven-decade milestone in
South Africa and southern Africa at large.
“Ups and downs is the nature of the
business areas we operate in. During all
these years, Cummins Southern Africa has
gone through several business cycles, in
which we came out even stronger than
before. We have survived three recessions,
and we remain confident that though we are
currently at the bottom of the business cycle,
we will be strategically positioned when the
market returns to its best,” says Ouenniche.
Thierry Pimi, MD of Cummins Southern
Africa, is proud of the company’s
achievements throughout the 70 years. He
attributes the success to a quality product
that is backed by a strong and competent
team with a very positive attitude towards
customers’ businesses.
Ouenniche says Cummins SA has grown
to become the anchor of Cummins’ African
Cummins South Africa – Cummins’ largest distribution arm in Africa – recently
celebrated 70 years of doing business in southern Africa. With a business that
is largely exposed to cyclical industries such as construction and mining, the
global engine manufacturer says dependability is the pillar behind its seven-
decade success in the face of challenging business cycles. By
Munesu Shoko