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“King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) has over 2,8 million departing passengers and 27 041 arriving air traffic movements. KSIA was awarded fifth place in the Best Airport ACI-ASQ Awards for Middle East and Africa”. – ACSA website
SUMITOMO DUNLOP SCOOPS COVETED
‘KWAZULU-NATAL INVESTOR OF THE YEAR’ AWARD
FACT
Tyre manufacturer, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd, known as Sumitomo Dunlop, was honoured with three awards including being named KwaZulu-Natal Investor of the Year for 2019 at the inaugural KZN Investor Awards, held during the 2019 KZN Investor Conference, at the Durban International Conference Centre. The company also won the award for Major Capital Investor and shared the award for Most Impactful Investor with CCI South Africa and Alkreem Trading & Investments (Pty) Ltd.
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, headquartered in Kobe, Japan. SRI has an outstanding global reputation owing to its leading Japanese-engineered technological advancements, allowing Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd to deliver superior product quality and service.
SRI has enjoyed a long relationship with the Dunlop brand, both in terms of manufacturing and distribution. The company was first established in 1909 as the Far East Division of Dunlop UK and later incorporated as Dunlop Rubber (Far East) Co. Ltd in 1917. It then became Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd in 1963. In 1985, when Dunlop was taken over by BTR plc, the company acquired the automobile tyre assets of Dunlop, including the right to use the Dunlop brand on car tyres. In 1986, SRI also acquired the Dunlop Tyre Corporation of the US from its management. In 2013, SRI acquired Apollo Tyres South Africa (Pty) Ltd as part of its strategic global development plans and renamed the
company Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Commenting on the recent accolades, Riaz Haffejee, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd said, “To be chosen as the KZN Investor of the Year is a great honour for our business. Safety, enterprise and skills development are aspects of business that are especially close to my heart. We recognise that the promotion of the entrepreneurial spirit is vitally important for the health of the economy as it boosts productivity and diversifies opportunity in our society. This award is evidence that the dedication and passion with which we approach the manufacturing of tyres for the African continent, always placing safety, innovation and technology as a priority, is not only of benefit to our business but also to our customers, communities and our province.”
The Most Impactful Investor Award was bestowed on Sumitomo Dunlop for the company’s Enterprise Development initiatives which include the impactful Dunlop Container Programme. The programme now boasts over 120 branded Dunlop Containers across the country. Working closely with the KZN Department of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Sumitomo Dunlop seeks to develop young entrepreneurs with a strong focus on supplier development, driving local procurement of goods and services.
The investment of over R2.1 billion into the Sumitomo Rubber South Africa
manufacturing facility in Ladysmith put Sumitomo Dunlop in the running for the Major Capital Investor Award. Culminating in the launch of a custom-built 180000m2 truck and bus radial tyre manufacturing facility, the upgrade of the existing factory resulted in the increased output of passenger cars, SUVs and 4x4 tyres to meet the African continent’s quality tyre needs.
“As a leading tyre manufacturer, we consider being a well-rounded corporate citizen, as business priority and being joint-winner of the Most Impactful Investor Award is evidence that we are indeed on track with that”, Haffejee said.
“For the Major Capital Investor Award, Sumitomo Dunlop competed with giants from various industries including Sappi and Transnet. This category is reserved for an investment of over R1 billion. We are extremely proud to be ranked so highly, showcasing our commitment to investment in the region,” added Haffejee.
In 2019, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd also won at the KZN Exporter of the Year Awards for the second year in a row, receiving the prestigious award of KZN Exporter of Year 2019 in the Africa category. The 2019 Exporter of the Year Awards, now in its 19th year, aims to recognise and celebrate exporters in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, highlighting the success of local businesses and stimulating the growth of the economy by encouraging other businesses to strive for similar achievements. The 2019 Awards were hosted by The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with Transnet Port Terminals. Here to, Sumitomo Dunlop was up against impressive competition in the Africa company category, with Sappi Southern Africa and Imperial Armour amongst the finalists.
Currently exporting into 48 countries in Africa, Sumitomo Dunlop has a fast- growing retail footprint with close to 500 branded franchise stores. These cater for the tyre fitment needs of consumers and commercial fleet owners providing access to safe, quality tyres.
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