Taking the lead

CNH Industrial, a global player in the capital goods sector, has appointed Mario Gasparri as vice president for Southern Africa. In this role, he assumes responsibility for all of CNH Industrial’s brands and activities in the region.

The Group’s brands include: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions.

CNH Industrial states that Gasparri’s appointment signals a long-term commitment to not only South Africa, but to the continent of as a whole – which the company has identified as an important growth market.

The company has also invested R500 million in a commercial vehicle assembly plant in Rosslyn, outside Pretoria, which will initially build Iveco’s new Eurocargo medium-capacity truck for South Africa and for other right-hand drive markets.

“Our plant in Rosslyn will act as a gateway to Africa,” says Gasparri. “We see significant potential for growth in the economies of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for large infrastructure projects.”