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TYREXPO AFRICA
Sowerby Takes on Challenge at Trentyre
Trentyre, the South Africa tyre retail and retreading network has appointed Nigel Sowerby as Operations and Commercial Director to spearhead an attempt to revitalise the Goodyear-aligned network. Sowerby, who joined the company on January 1st, spent the last six years at Goodyear UK, where he headed up the company’s truck tyre and retail operations.
Sowerby has set his sights on a major comeback for Trentyre and plans to drive it there through “fundamental standards of excellence, executed properly and throughout each and every outlet across the country”.
“I have vowed to take Trentyre back to great in the next three to five years, or for as long as my assignment remains in effect and I truly believe it can be done”, he added.
“First on my agenda is to drive home the message that Trentyre needs to ‘get back to basics’! We must understand, identify, define and solidify our commercial proposition.
The priority is to introduce and drive standards and to enforce the need for things to be done in strict accordance to service level agreements, on a national level.” With this in mind, Sowerby has identified the need for a gradual steady boost to staff morale, pride and confidence, with earnings and bonuses all set to rise. In doing this, Sowerby is aiming to change the mindset of managers at the company, encouraging an entrepreneurial approach to business. In an interview with South African magazine SA Treads Sowerby said;
“Branch managers with the 8-5 working hour mentality have no place in our organisation. We cherish hard work, self-motivation, drive and entrepreneurial flair and so this is the type of person that we would like to align ourselves with going forward.
“The exciting challenge will be working with the team to correct current imbalances and shortfalls and we expect our branch managers throughout South Africa to work
with us in putting the correct measures in place that will enable them to deliver a uniform standard to our customers. We are as strong as our weakest player”.
In addition to the emphasis on changing the approach of the company’s workforce, Sowerby has also identified the need to secure a good budget brand to add to Trentyre’s existing product range
and to work extensively with
both factories (Goodyear and
Arctic) in Uitenhage to ensure
the company is able to offer the
right products at the right price”. Despite the close alliance with Goodyear, Sowerby is keen to emphasise Trentyre’s
independence;
“Trentyre’s wide footprint, our heritage, our service proposition
and our close alliance to one of
the world’s largest tyre manufacturers, Goodyear, are all
part of the strong hand we
already hold. We are fortunate to
be aligned with such a powerful
manufacturing force, however the two are entirely separate brands which are there to complement rather than dictate to one another. I’m a firm believer in allowing the service providers and retailers to do their job”, he added.
Dobermann Aims for Growth in Europe
Dobermann is the brand name of Covencaucho, the Venezuelan manufacturer of envelopes, flaps and curing tubes and the company is now looking to increase its profile outside of its core markets in Brazil and North America. As a result it was not surprising to see the company exhibiting at Tyrexpo Africa in Johannesburg. Present at the show were Fernando de Filippo, who is R&D Manager at the parent company in Venezuela and Ruggero Pecile, who is sales manager at Rubber
Global Supplies srl, who are based at Colleferro near Rome in Italy and who are Covencaucho’s agent for European markets.
According to Pecile, Europe is now Covencaucho’s third market and sales are developing rapidly. The company has been present in Europe since 2010 with a strategy primarily focused on selling direct to retreaders rather than through agents, the exception to this being the UK, where the company is represented by Grumac.
Trentyre Takes Mine Safety to Serious Levels
Trentyre’s groundbreaking Quality Safety Management Assurance (QSMA) software system has transformed the way its on-site Tyre Management Service services control operating risks at massive mine sites. “The advanced system facilitates continuous improvement of Trentyre’s professional service to its mining customers,” said Warren Miller, Trentyre Health and Safety Manager - Retail.
“Trentyre’s aim is to remain a leading supplier to Africa’s mining industry, providing a world-class, all-
encompassing range of tyre management services and support for this crucial sector of our economy. We take mine safety as seriously as our customers do.” Trentyre currently services mining operations in 16 countries, including South Africa.
Determined to actively support the stringent measures prescribed by the Mines Health and Safety Act, and driven by its mother company Goodyear’s global philosophy that ‘No one Gets Hurt’, Trentyre developed the pioneering QSMA
SAFETY FIRST – A Trentyre technician attends to one of the massive tyres at Anglo-American’s Kumba iron ore mine.
22 Retreading Business