WORLD NEWS
Chinese company Henshui
Decheng Machinery and
Equipment Co Ltd has signed
an agreement to build several
cement and brick factories in
Jizzakh region, Uzbekistan. The
announcement was made by the
State Investments Committee of
Uzbekistan. It is part of a plan to
increase trade between Uzbekistan
and China to USD10-billion by 2020,
reports Trend news agency.
Currently, more than 700
enterprises with Chinese
investment are operating in
Uzbekistan. More than 80
companies have been created with
100% foreign capital.
Domestic cement sales in Brazil fell 2.4%YoY
to 4.9Mt in August 2018, according to the
country’s cement association, SNIC.
In the first eight months of 2018,
accumulated sales slipped 1.7%YoY to
34.89Mt, while in the year ending in August
2018, they were down 2.6% to 52.7% when
compared with the equivalent period in the
previous year. For 2018, SNIC maintains its
forecast of a decrease in sales of between
1 and 2%. This would mark the fourth-
consecutive year of lower sales and a total
drop of 26% since 2014.
The fall in sales has been attributed to the
country’s weak economic situation and the
lingering impact of the truck drivers’ strike
last May, according to SNIC president, Paulo
Camillo Penna.
Wacker Neuson appoints new Zim dealer
Representatives from both parties shake hands on the dealer agreement.
Expanding its dealer network past
the South African border, Wacker
Neuson, global manufacturer of
light and compact equipment,
has appointed family-owned
Pelgin Consulting Services (Pvt)
Ltd as its official dealer in Harare,
Zimbabwe.
The company’s 2 600m 2 head
office located in Harare includes
15 permanent staff members, with
an agent in Kwekwe. A branch
will be opened in Bulawayo, in
Matabeleland. Operating primarily
within the construction, civils,
mining, industrial, and agricultural
sectors across Zimbabwe, Pelgin
is focused on developing the
ability to hold appropriate stock of
equipment as well as to support
customers and end-users across
Zimbabwe. The company has a
significant Wacker Neuson fleet,
8
NOVEMBER 2018
which Pelgin Consulting Services’
current owner and MD, Gary
Moorcroft, believes runs into
hundreds.
Recently, the Zimbabwean
political, social, and economic
landscapes have seen progressive
changes, with a positive impact
on the country on the back of
which business is poised to
prosper. Moorcroft predicts
enormous growth presented by
the infrastructural rebuilding of the
country. “A new era in Zimbabwe
has awakened and Wacker Neuson
is excited to expand our footprint
even further into sub-Saharan
Africa,” comments Justin Bergh,
territory and export manager at
Wacker Neuson South Africa. “The
opportunities within Zimbabwe will
be mutually beneficial to the two
companies; the country’s growing
need for premium construction
equipment will be backed by
Pelgin, which, as a local business,
is perfectly positioned to support
every product within the Wacker
Neuson stable, including spares,
service, and warranties,” says
Bergh.
While emphasis will be on
compaction and construction
equipment, Pelgin will also offer
customers Wacker Neuson’s
complete product portfolio.
Moorcroft adds that they are
seeing a noticeable increase in
customers asking for Wacker
Neuson pedestrian rollers,
pumps, light towers, and larger
equipment. As Zimbabwe is
becoming an attractive location
to competitors, Moorcroft
believes that Pelgin’s perceived
ability for product support and
offering sound solutions while
maintaining competitiveness, will
be the main differentiating feature
to their success. “The dealer
agreement with Wacker Neuson
and the exceptional support from
Vietze and their team provide our
customers with peace of mind in
not only the products but also in
our capabilities and expertise in a
technical environment,” affirms
Moorcroft.
One of the synergies shared
by the two companies is the
understanding that after-
sales service including repair
and maintenance are key to
completing a total product
package. Moorcroft considers
Wacker Neuson’s service and
after-sales service levels, which
have been built on years of trust,
to be of the very best. In the
event of planned maintenance
or a breakdown, customers
and end-users require fast
and efficient service to keep
operational downtime and
subsequent production losses to
an absolute minimum. All after-
sales service on Wacker Neuson
equipment will be taken care of
by Pelgin.
To ensure optimum after-
sales service excellence to
customers, Wacker Neuson
will conduct product and
service training both on site
in Zimbabwe as well as at its
head office in South Africa.
Bergh notes that this dual
training approach is particularly
important during the ramp-up
phase, as several working hours
will be allocated to ensure
that Pelgin employees are fully
trained on all products within a
twelve-month period.
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