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KENYA
Nitul Sennik, Director, CG Retreads (NRB) Ltd
prompt collection and delivery service.
“We are focusing only on the Nairobi market so that we don’t have to run for business and collect money outside the capital,” stressed Harpreet S Lotay, Managing Director, Aloona Industries Kenya Ltd.
The plant has the capacity to retread 3,000 units per month but is currently operating at half capacity. “The market is flooded with low- priced Chinese tyre brands and the retreading industry is fighting to retain its space,” said Aloyce Walaga, Marketing Manager.
Aloona, however, continue to invest in quality accessories, and has ordered a range of items worth $100,000, which are being shipped from India.
Aloona has a long-term relationship with Indian tread maker Indag and
regularly orders between 15-20 tonnes of premium rubber and bonding gum each month. The company says it currently has enough stocks of Indag rubber to run the plant for the next six months. “We are the sole franchisee of Indag ‘Zoma’ tread in the Kenyan market,” he informed.
The plant is installed with two Treadsdirect autoclaves of 13 and 8 tyres at the company-owned premises, while all new equipment is supplied by Coimbatore based Glisten.
Considering the highly competitive business scenario in the tyre industry in the Kenyan market, it is considered natural for a retreader to retail new tyres as a strategy for bringing the customer back for retreading. It supplies around 200 units monthly of the Chinese brand Tolido in the Kenyan market.
confirmed.
The Nairobi plant started way back in the 1970s and retreads 1,500 to 2,000 tyres per month depending on the market swing, while the Mombasa plant commenced production in 1990 and retreads 1,200 to 1,500 tyres monthly. The Nairobi plant has two chambers of 22 tyres each and Mombasa is installed with two 11 tyre chambers. CG has used rubber from the Malaysian manufacturer
Suntex since 2014.
CG claims to be only marginally affected by the depressed retread market caused by the presence of Chinese tyres. “Our focus is on corporate fleets using largely branded tyres, and we cater to around 12 fleets in Nairobi and 8 fleets in Mombasa,” he said. The company has recently added a buffing machine at its Nairobi plant.
Harpreet S Lotay, Managing Director (right) with Aloyce Walaga, Marketing Manager Aloona Industries Kenya Ltd.
CG Retread Aims for Expansion in 2017
Nairobi based CG Retread (NRB) Ltd is planning to expand into the west or mid-west part of Kenya during the course of the next twelve months. The region has the third and fourth largest cities in
the country - Kisumu and Nakuru respectively. Kisumu in particular is considered to have potential for the retreading industry as the city has been catered for by retreaders located in neighbouring cities, due to a lack of retreading facilities in Kisumu itself.
“We are considering to have a plant in either Nakuru or Kisumu by the middle of 2017, but it will most likely be in Kisumu,” said Nitul Sennik, Director, CG Retreads (NRB) Ltd. Currently, CG brings tyres from Kisumu to retread in its Nairobi plant takes almost a week
to deliver them back. With increasing competition, the company considers it is better to have a plant in Kisumu to service clients promptly.
CG Retread has the moulds for the hot process to retread tractor and OTR tyres in sizes 17.5/25, 20.5/25 etc and is likely to install an 11 tyre chamber at the proposed plant. “Once the market reacts positively, we will take the final decision,” said Sennik.
CG has two retreading plants in Nairobi and Mombasa respectively. It plans to shift the hot plant from Nairobi to the upcoming location in order to run a dual hot/cold operation. “We stopped conventional retreading three years ago, and we will shift the hot equipment to the new plant,” he
Currently, Baharini runs the plant on a Glisten 8-tyre autoclave with a spare 4-tyre chamber. “We are planning to install another Glisten chamber in the new plant as the current Glisten autoclave performed as per expectations,”
variety of Indian tread liners sourced locally like Treadsdirect, Midas, Tolins, Narmada etc. depending on customer priorities and paying capacity.
Baharini has also expertise in the sidewall repair of truck tyres with
Relocation Planned for Baharini Retreads
Mombasa based Baharini Retreads is shifting to bigger premises in the neighbourhood as there is no scope for further expansion and improvement at the company’s existing plant. Baharini intends to set-up a modern and organised plant and to add additional equipment with a monorail system.
said Moiz Alibhai, Partner, Baharini Retreads & Repairs. One more 15- horsepower compressor will also be installed at the new plant. Currently, the plant maintains production of about 600 tyres per month and will target 800-1,000 tyres per month at the new expanded premises. It uses a
Moiz Alibhai, Partner, Baharini Retreads & Repairs
56 Retreading Business