Tyres for Africa
The fifth edition of Tyrexpo Africa has come and gone. It was held at the Sandton Convention Centre from March 4 to 6. Visitors had a huge choice of tyres and workshop equipment assembled under one roof. FOCUS brings you the feedback.
With over 130 exhibitors from 17 countries participating, African tyre buyers enjoyed the widest choice of brands and fitments ever assembled at a single trade exhibition, when Tyrexpo Africa 2014 opened its doors for business in Johannesburg last month.
The global pulling-power of the three-day event was reinforced by the presence of dozens of international tyre manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors with specialist products for all market sectors.
Paul Farrant, managing director of Tyrexpo Africa organiser, ECI International, says: “Local dealers and fleet owners, looking to add new brands to their portfolios, had the widest selection of well-respected manufacturers from South Africa and across the world at their disposal.”
One of those suppliers was German wholesaler BaRo GmbH. It was the company’s first appearance at the show and it was looking to extend its reach in Africa. BaRo is particularly strong in the truck and bus radial tyre (TBR) sector, distributing the TyRex, Antyre, Cordiant, Fullrun, Falken and Kama brands for commercial users. In the agricultural sector it supplies Belshina, BKT, Mitas, Rosava and TyRex products.
Another European exhibitor was wholesaler, HBI Tyres & Wheels of The Netherlands. The company produces retreads, under the private brand Bandenmarkt, for agricultural machinery, excavators, dump trucks, port handling equipment, earthmoving and mining machinery. HBI is also the international wholesaler of the Delcora, EuroGrip, Tianli, Petlas and Linglong ranges of new tyres for agricultural and heavy-duty applications, as well as being the global wholesaler of three makes of off-the-road (OTR), radial tractor and farm-trailer tyres.
Then there was India’s Alliance Tire Group, which has a regional office in South Africa. It is a leading player in the global OTR tyre business with its Alliance, Galaxy and Primex brands.
For buyers of industrial and materials-handling tyres, Trident International was there with its range of solid tyres designed for skid-steer loaders, aerial work platforms, wheel loaders and container handlers. This equipment is usually fitted with pneumatic tyres, which can be prone to punctures and associated downtime, which is eradicated with a solid fitment.
Trident says that solids have a lifespan three to five times longer than conventional pneumatic tyres and are particularly targeted at demanding applications, such as construction, scrap and recycling yards, steel mills, solid waste management, ports and mines.
The show also played host to many other familiar names; including Beltyre Africa (falling under the Belshina brand), Stamford Tyres, Richards Bay Tyres, Leaderquip, Leader Rubber, Rema Tip Top, Wheelquip and Nitralife.
The positive outcome is heartening to Singex, which acquired ECI International last July, and was hosting the show for the first time since the acquisition. Aloysius Arlando, CEO of Singex, who was there to open the show, said: “ECI has developed a very strong and sustainable concept, and we intend to build on this foundation and take the Tyrexpo series to greater heights over the next few years.” Singex will continue to capitalise on the strong growth opportunities of South Africa’s tyre industry, and is looking at the possibility of expanding the scope of the event in 2016.