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QATAR
Qatar Retreader Al-Suwaidi Switches to Supercool
Doha based retreading company Al- Suwaidi signed a franchisee agreement with Malaysian tread maker GIIB in early 2016. The company, regarded as the largest retreader in Qatar, says it has switched over to the premium tread rubber brand to offer its customers improved quality and value for
Retreading.
The retread company has received an enthusiastic response to the Supercool product range despite being in a market that has experienced a decline in retreading during the last few years due to the influx of low-priced tyre imports. “The response has been very positive
others using cheaper retreads,” claimed Arwani.
Al-Suwaidi has been sourcing tread rubber directly from Malaysia around 8 tonnes each month and is steadily increasing in-take.
The Qatar retread market is going through a difficult phase, with low- priced unbranded imports eroding large parts of the retread market. “Three out of the six retreaders closed last year and it is expected that more companies will go out of business in the near future. Nevertheless, we are still very positive about the future of our retread operation,” he observed. Considering the difficult market conditions in Qatar, Al Suwaidi has formulated a new strategy focusing on improved quality and value. “We are increasing our prices and production while other retreaders in Qatar are cutting their prices and suffering from reduced production,” he said.
The company has been able to improve production standards by training its people on the shop floor and finding a marked improvement in the performance and quality of its retreads. To further reassure the truckers in Qatar, the company has extended the warranty of its products
to one year. “This is not matched by any other retreader in Qatar,” stressed Arwani. Supercool is also assisting Al-Suwaidi with marketing and technical know-how, which has helped the retreading company to promote the premium Supercool range among fleet owners as well as improve production standards.
Al Suwaidi has been steadily increasing output ever since switching to Supercool materials, though the shift has not been smooth considering the difficult market scenario in the country. “It was a struggle initially, though we do not expect an easy ride in the future, but we are ready to meet the challenges that market is throwing at us, and we are targeting production levels of 1,000 tyres per month before the end of 2016,” emphasised Arwani.
“We are not selling on price,” he added. “Even though our products cost more than others, our retreads are by far the cheapest in Qatar if we calculate on a CPK basis and our efforts continue to be directed at educating customers to make better informed decisions regarding their tyre purchasing and maintenance.”
Eyad Arwani, Executive Manager, Al-Suwaidi Tyre Retreading
money. “Since the 1st of January, Al- Suwaidi has been using 100 per cent Supercool retread materials and is the exclusive retreader of Supercool in Qatar,” informed Eyad Arwani, Executive Manager, Al-Suwaidi Tyre
and almost all our customers who have tried our retreads with Supercool have decided to continue using it. We have had customers switch over from using cheap unbranded to Supercool as well as