Construction World April 2016

in the tipper business and dominates in the compactor business as well,” explained Uren. African market “For Isuzu, Africa is a huge market opportu- nity. Around the world Isuzu does well, but Africa needs a lot more work to entrench the product. We have established a good customer base in neighbouring territories and in 2015 we exported more vehicles there than we had done in the last five years. Generally, Isuzu Trucks footprint in Africa is expanding, especially at the assembly facilities in Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. Isuzu Motors Limited Japan sold more than 20 000 new trucks into Africa last year and it is anticipated that this number will grow considerably in the next five years,” said Uren. The increase in market share and the expansion of the variants in the Isuzu Trucks range have brought a new dimension to the support structure for the product. The parts and service backup has been simplified with the introduction of common components that fit the range of vehicles. There are only four engine derivatives and four transmis- sion models used in the entire range. Also, common components have been incor- porated in the cab design, simplifying the replacement of body parts. Into the future “Looking ahead, we have not changed the game plan but require mastering the plan to

Isuzu Truck South Africa’s, CEO, Craig Uren.

initiate and build products according to client specification, enabling them to have a more integrated relationship with current and future customers in the life cycle of their trucks. “The acquisition complements our growth strategy as we believe that Kanu and ACT will definitely enhance our business structure. The move to acquire these entities will centralise the process of buying our trucks, where everything will be processed from one central point of contact,” said Craig Uren, chief operating officer of Isuzu Truck South Africa. “The next few years will be even better for us as the platform we have created with the new strategies in the pipeline, which is one of consolidation and enhancement. We can now focus on people skills develop- ment and concentrate on attaining leader- ship in aftermarket support factors for Southern Africa. Isuzu Trucks will also expand its footprint in the sub-Saharan African market,” concluded Uren.

build on the base that has been set to support the client, from body building, parts and service, and warranties. Our results are there but we require extending the journey further. Extending the journey for our customers means also extending the economic life of their vehicles. “For this purpose we have a component replacement exchange programme in place called ‘ISUZU DRIVETRAIN’ for dealers to utilise. The product range will not undergo any major changes, except for some minor cosmetic adjustments, so the emphasis will be on extending the value of the brand ‘For the Long Run’,” concluded Craig Uren. In 2015, Isuzu Trucks achieved another milestone in the next phase of their Southern Africa strategy when they moved from a commercial OEM to an entrepreneurial-type business entity on acquiring a 100% stake in two Port Elizabeth-based entities, Kanu Commercial Body Construction and Automo- tive Chassis Technologies (ACT). These acquisitions will enable ITSA to

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2016