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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
FEBRUARY 2016
34
S
ince the company was constituted
in 2006, Isuzu Truck South Africa
has been the headlight in the lo-
cal truck industry, having forged a niche
for themselves, despite underlying odds
which have seen the demise of many
manufacturers.
The company with chief operating officer
Craig Uren, at the helm, has embraced all
the uncertainty prevailing in the market
and managed all the variables in order to
remain competitive whilst not losing sight
of the customer-centred approach to pro-
viding solutions that increase productivity
and profitability.
“The industry has been through declines
in 2001 and 2009 and the strategies we
applied then are no different to what we
require today to keep our business on
track and even to grow. Success comes
with being able to analyze the problems
and institute growth and development
strategies without pressing the proverbial
panic button”, says Uren.
“The perspective of the rest of the world
is that the demand for trucks has not been
severely impacted as they have faced
similar pitfalls such as fuel prices, politi-
cal upheavals and immigration crises. The
drought and our internal politics with load
shedding, bad administration and labour
unrest make our situation unique com-
pared to the rest of the world. We have had
the same problems for years now but our
businessmen always find a new operational
level and a paradigm that is always positive
about the economy”, added Uren.
The year 2015 can be considered as the
best year ever in the short history of ITSA
for not only was it the most challenging
but also the most rewarding as the results
anticipated for the ten year plan were
achieved one year earlier than expected.
The 4550 units sold in 2015 and corre-
sponding 14.9 % overall market share, en-
sured that ITSA ended as number the one
supplier for the third year in a row. In all,
the full spectrum of the product range con-
tributed to the overall results, each having
increased their market share, the N-Series,
from 23 % to 27 % and the F-Series, from
29 % to 33 %.
“We have now positioned the brand where
we want it to be and have strategies in
place to maintain that level as we are still in
a growth stage of that strategy. The results
we achieved in 2015 are definitely not the
end point but merely part of the journey. I
cannot foresee any major hurdles to hinder
our progress except perhaps some major
global or local events. The market will how-
ever dictate where the limit will be, if any”,
said Uren.
The acquisition of Kanu and ACT in the
Eastern Cape was a bold move for ITSA
and the results in the four months since
ISUZU TRUCK SOUTH AFRICA
defies the odds