Page 50 - RB-99-2021-4

SOUTH AFRICA
TRS Maintains Status as Key Supplier to Southern Africa’s Retread Sector
Tyre & Retread Supplies Pty Ltd (TRS), based in Bedfordview near Johannesburg, was established in 2004 by the late Ron Wilke in order to introduce the then unknown Brazilian tyre repair
for the future.
According to Goosen, TRS started very small, importing only the repair patches for tyres and tubes. Ron Wilke, having enjoyed a career which included experience as a
industr y.
In 2004, however, Vipal also appointed TRS as its distributor for the Sub-Saharan Africa market with Sub distributors in various regions to service local tyre repair markets. According to Goosen, the transparency between both parties enabled TRS to efficiently service its distributors and customers across the region.
“We realised the need to not only supply retreaders with quality repair materials, but also consumables, accessories and tools, right through to offering in-house training on all the products we offer. With our Distribution partners, we cover the whole of Southern Africa, whether it be tyre fitment shops, independent repair
After six years with the company as a sales representative, he became sales manager and started to build on the company’s dynamic team of distributors in various areas.
Today TRS is able to distribute throughout South Africa as well as to neighbouring countries like Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and Tanzania. Key distributors in the region include Nova Tread Africa who act as TRS’s OTR specialist and distribution partner for East Africa, and Cafica Agri Equip, who distribute to Angola. Other distributors in the region include Mr Wheel Weight, Tyre
Morné Goosen
brand, Vipal, into the South African market. Today, TRS has grown into a leading supplier of tyre repair materials and consumables servicing both retreaders and tyre shops
across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our African correspondent, Valentine Iwenwanne, spoke to Sales Manager Morné Goosen about TRS’s journey from a single room in the suburb of Waverley to its current position as a key regional distributor, and about the company’s plans
District manager with Firestone and Sales Director of both Trentyre and Maxiprest, found he could not pass on the opportunity of developing the Vipal brand in South Africa. Taking on the highly experienced Pieter Olivier, a retread industry professional with over 40 years of experience as a retread factory manager, he created right from the start the ideal team to launch and market the Vipal brand to the South African
50 Retreading Business
shops or retread plants.” Morné Goosen joined TRS in July 2007 to assist with deliveries, as these had become too overwhelming for Wilke and Olivier, both then already seniors, to cope with alone. Three months later, he was instructed to work in two of TRS customers’ retread factories, the aim being for him to work and learn the different retread processes.
Goosen was later promoted to work as the company’s sales representative, and this gave him the opportunity to promote the company’s product offering confidently.
Shop Equipment, Patchman, Valve and Wheel, Sondela Tubes, Patch & Valve KZN, Euro Top Agencies, Dial-a- Weight, and Entyre Solutions. “We offer a wide range of services to satisfy the needs of tyre consumers across Africa,” says Goosen. “We offer
ever ything you would need to prepare and repair most sizes of tyre available, including bicycles tyres, passenger, light truck, truck, OTR and finally ultra large tyres. Although our focus has been in Sub Saharan Africa, we have already started supply in Kenya and Tanzania, both in the East African region.