Copyright © 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.

Armadillo
 rolls stateside

We all love a success story and when it's a home-brewed one, all the better. Armadillo Concepts, South Africa's leading manufacturer of aluminium 'roll top covers' for light delivery vehicles, is busy showing the world how best to secure loads on pickup trucks.

"The Roll-Top system we provide is unique in its all-aluminium construction, able to withstand in excess of 500kg and provide perfect security for all cargo using a specialised locking system," says Shane Smith, son of Armadillo founder and current Managing Director, Amiel Smith. "In 2001took the business over to the United Kingdom and secured contracts for the supply of Roll Top Covers to leading motor manufacturers including Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota. Specific to each make and model, these Roll Top Covers are easy to install and the UK installations have been streamlined to ensure that each installation takes no less than an hour."

All contracts, sales and installations outside of the African continent are run from the UK office, says Shane Smith, with international sales now accounting for over 60% of the company's business. "Early 2007 will see the first Armadillo Concepts office open in the USA. Situated in Orlando, Florida the new office will be a full service office, offering sales, manufacturing and after-sales support."

General Manager of South African Operations, Lola Robertson says, "this is a natural progression for us, due to the market size for pickups in the USA. The office will also help the company in its technical support of the product in this market. Armadillo is currently negotiating with the USA's largest manufacturer of pickups. This would be a worldwide contract and would position Armadillo as the leader in the supply of Roll-tops in the world."

According to Amiel Smith,"we are constantly looking at ways of increasing production capacity to continue our dominance of the market. New products are currently under development including an electrically operated vehicle cover. With the market demanding ongoing improvements in load securing technologies, we look forward to the American transition with excitement."