25 technicians from the different branches of the WATS group participated in the qualification as a basis for strengthening their strategic geographical expansion project.
Stretegic Collaboration
Vipal Europe’s commercial technical team conducted training in partnership with one of the leading groups in West Africa. The goal was to certify West Africa Tires Services (WATS) in using Vipal products to repair OTR tyres and heavy lorries, ensuring they meet the strict service and certification requirements. Twenty-five technicians from various nationalities attended the qualification. The training encompassed both theory and practice, with certificates issued at the end, and was administered by Alfonso Ibañez and Diego Barbosa, collaborators from the European subsidiary.
In 2024, a strategic collaboration agreement was signed between Vipal Rubber and WATS. Earlier this year, efforts were focused on a technical trip to Bamako (Mali) and Tarkwa (Ghana). The qualification lasted two weeks; the first stage occurred at Corica Mining Services (CMS) in Mali, and the second at GMC in Tarkwa, both situated in mining areas. The commitment to being close to the end customer strengthens Vipal’s and WATS’s joint efforts to seek the qualifications of the operation and the professionals involved.
The African group operates in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Professionals from various African branches participated in the training and, through this qualification, achieved their goal of certifying equipment, processes, and facilities.
The training included identifying damage, preparing tyres for repairs, and correctly selecting and applying products. The qualification also included rigorous testing and verification of results, ensuring the highest standards of product performance demanded by its associates’ mining companies. Vipal stands out as an ideal choice for mining products thanks to its premium quality products.
The company’s managing director, Don Vinay Kapoor, highlights that “since its inception, it has been part of the philosophy of the WATS group to have the assistance and collaboration of all its leading international partners for face-to-face visits, evaluation, certification and suggestions for continuous improvements. Vipal’s strong 50+ year experience is aligned to our purpose. Having the opportunity to offer this training in partnership with Vipal Europe was very valuable because it reinforces our commitment to achieving the highest standards of quality.”
The commercial manager of Vipal Europe, Fabricio Nedeff, comments that “through this training, we establish contacts with professionals who work with large mining companies, which is a growing market. Thus, in addition to bringing knowledge and guaranteeing the technical certification of the team, we have also learned more about the OTR tyre, a sector in which we still have a lot to grow here.
After this positive experience, the expectation is to expand this training model to clients from other regions. The collaboration strengthened mutual understanding and fostered synergies that will further drive joint business growth. “The company is extremely pleased with this partnership, which allowed us to share our 50-plus years of experience in the tyre industry with WATS‘ highly skilled work processes, strong track record, and extensive presence in the West Africa region,” concludes Fabricio Nedeff.
