Capital Equipment News January 2017

Munesu Shoko, Editor of CEN (left), with Thiery Pimi, newly -appointed MD of Cummins Southern Africa.

POWERING SOUTHERN AFRICAN GROWTH STRATEGY

Good strategy is one thing, but execution is quite another. Based on that understanding, Cummins has appointed Thierry Pimi, a proven strategy executor with vast experience across power generation, manufacturing and mining industries, as the MD of Cummins Southern Africa. Backed by a proven track record in his previous senior management roles, he is undoubtedly the ideal candidate to drive Cummins Southern Africa’s ambitious growth plans across the region. Munesu Shoko gets to grips with his winning ways and outlook of the business.

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intended to work for long durations. The only way these engines can perform for the expected duration and even beyond is when there is provision of good aftermarket support. So, that’s where the distribution comes into play. We build and sell a solid and reliable product but on the ground when this product is operating, the reliability and performance can only be realised through strong aftermarket assistance. This is done through capable technicians, parts availability, easy flow of processes and everything else the customer may need to optimise the operation of their engines. Aftermarket is critical. In fact, our distribution segment is one of the largest global business units within Cummins. It is the second largest entity within Cummins. So, this shows how important distribution is, not only in southern Africa, but globally for us.

as the regulatory framework. In a nutshell, I would like to quickly understand what the dynamics are internally in our company, but also externally as far as stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers, are concerned. MS: You are in charge of the distribution side of the business and have taken over when aftermarket is a key focus area for the company. Just how important is distribution for Cummins? TP: Distribution is fundamental for Cummins. We build these big engines

Munesu Shoko (MS): Effective 1 September 2016, you took over as the new managing director of Cummins Southern Africa. What are your immediate plans? Thierry Pimi (TP): My immediate goal is to quickly understand the landscape and the environment, as well as getting familiar with the Cummins Southern Africa team. I am very fortunate to have inherited a world- class team. I would also like to meet some of our key customers, as well as under- standing the country, especially issues such

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