Bridgestone Southern Africa (BSAF) has relocated its Bridgestone Mining fleets Solutions store from the Northern Cape town of Portsmasburg, to Kathu mining town in the province. The store’s new site officially launches in March 2022, offering its comprehensive range of Off-The-Road (OTR) Tyre repairs and wheel alignment for passenger vehicles.
It will also now offer 4IR Technologies, such as iTrack 2 and Toolbox, digital systems that ensure tyre safety and efficient usage management, on top of traditional tyre fitment offerings, making it the flagship store in the Mining Solutions network.
“This relocation brings us closer to our mining clients in the region, so we can provide them with an enhanced service,” says Anton Wessels – Commercial Sales Director at Bridgestone Southern Africa. “OTR tyre repairs require specialised expertise and a very close working relationship with customers. Also, the iTrack 2 is a specialised technology that is a game changer for tyre safety, and ensures the efficient use of tyres, whilst maximising productivity for mining clients.”
In addition to moving closer to existing mining customers and new potential customers (including Mokala Mine and East Manganese, to name a few) and thus reducing the distance for customers and improve service times, Bridgestone is also looking to enhance the working environment for employees and provide a better customer experience Furthermore, it hopes to increase its service offering (including wheel alignment for passenger vehicles) to the general public and customers from the mining industry.
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Trusted single-source supplier of integrated tyre management technologies
The Bridgestone Mining Solutions flagship store in Kathu seeks to be a trusted single-source supplier of integrated tyre management technologies and solutions, all built on a global heritage of off-the-road tyre performance and innovation.
The R10 million investment in the new store is an operation of 15 highly skilled individuals, which is set to increase to 20 over the coming year, with a recruitment drive focused on wheel alignment technicians and tyre repair centre employees.
“Over the past year, we saw record demand and prices for gold, platinum, iron ore and even coal, with the industry exceeding expectations,” Anton says. “With the economy coming out of a global pandemic, we anticipate even more demand, even as economies transition away from fossil fuels. This move will require resources that will come from resource-rich countries like South Africa.
“As our customers in the industry ramp up their production, they will rely on service providers such as Bridgestone to deliver even better service offerings timeously, in order to ensure greater levels of productivity and reduced downtime,” Anton adds.
