Paul Farrant, MD for exhibition organiser ECI International, says: “Tyrexpo Africa will have something to interest visitors from all sectors of the tyre and fast fit aftermarket, especially those looking for new and exclusive tyre brands to distribute or retail and business owners looking to upgrade or replace their workshop equipment and consumables.

“There has been healthy interest in the exhibition from domestic southern African companies as well as from international suppliers, particularly Chinese tyre manufacturers, who see great export potential in South Africa and neighbouring countries.” That should please our local tyre guys.

Tyrexpo Africa will also feature a tyre industry conference alongside the main exhibition on Friday March 5th. Among the speakers recruited by ECI International are Georg Schramm, head of marketing for Apollo SA (Dunlop), who will present a paper on the macro-economic impact of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) on the South African tyre business environment.

Sir Tom Farmer, the founder and former chief executive of the Kwik-Fit retail empire, will explain the Kwik-Fit success story and cover the challenges facing today’s tyre retailers. Francois Ehlers from Imperial Logistics will oversee an interactive panel dialogue on the issues facing South Africa’s fleets, with special focus on roads, diesel and tyre costs, the importance of tyre maintenance and how the tyre sector can assist them in achieving their business goals.

Dr Etienne Human, lead consultant of South Africa’s National Waste Tyre Project and CEO of the SA Tyre Recycling Process Company, will also provide an overview of the waste tyre situation in South Africa and announce world-class plans to address the challenges being faced.