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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
OCTOBER 2015
30
I
suzu Truck South Africa can be justifi-
ably proud of its progress in the market
since its inception in 2007. The steady
growth in its market share is a result of the
planned introduction of new models with
innovations that have created niche mar-
kets for themselves in certain sectors of
the industry. This strategy has proved pos-
itive for the company as it has weathered
the roller coaster conditions of the past few
years to stand today as one of the leading
truck brands in the country.
A milestone in the short history of Isuzu
Truck SA that further enhances the com-
pany's progress is the production facility
in Port Elizabeth, which was upgraded last
year and which will, during the third quarter
of 2015, reach a total of 30 000 units pro-
duced, since the inception of Isuzu Truck
South Africa just over seven years ago.
With this solid background, Isuzu Truck
South Africa, with the full support of the Isu-
zu Leadership in Japan, has developed new
strategies and set new business plans in
place to take the company to the next level.
This will consolidate its position and enable
it to provide completely integrated solutions
for current and future customers for the
lives of their trucks.
The strategic move is to consolidate the
business model by evolving from a commer-
cial Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
to an enterprise-type business. This evolu-
tion requires certain acquisitions to provide
customers with a one-stop shop order ca-
pability.
The first of the positive plans to expand
the current scope of business in South Af-
rica includes the acquisition of Port Eliza-
beth-based KANU Commercial Body Con-
struction (Pty) Ltd and Automotive Chassis
Technologies (Pty) Ltd (ACT) in a 100%
buyout of each entity, effective from August
2015, making KANU and ACT fully fledged
subsidiaries of Isuzu Truck South Africa.
KANU focuses on rear end truck bodies and
new product development, while ACT is an
extension of the Isuzu Truck production line,
focusing on chassis customisation. KANU is
not a traditional body builder, but more of a
project facilitator or manager for the Isuzu
Truck broader dealer and customer environ-
ment.
The relationship dates back to the early
‘80s when GM needed chassis modified
on Isuzu TLD products and the 'Can Do'
approach, which is instilled in both KANU
Body Construction and ACT, made them the
ideal partners for Isuzu Truck SA in the body
building, chassis modification and refurbish-
ment markets. In the past years ITSA has
utilised at least 80% of the body building
capacity of these facilities.
The origins of KANU go back to 1982, when
it was established as Southern Star Engi-
neering and grew to be a noteworthy manu-
facturing company in its 29-year history. In
2012 the name was changed to KANU Com-
mercial Body Construction, as the share-
ISUZU TRUCK SOUTH AFRICA
raises the bar with recent acquisitions