Cummins will showcase its strong presence in North and West Africa by occupying three stands at the fifth edition of the Salon Halieutis exhibition from 21 to 24 February 2019 in Agadir, Morocco. Although the event, held under the auspices of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is aimed at the fisheries and ancillary industries, it attracts a broad spectrum of visitors. Cummins will therefore use it as a broad platform to display its comprehensive range of products, from its KTA19 marine engine to gensets and the Fleetguard range of filtration and coolant products.
Morocco is a leader in Africa in terms of the fishing industry, with a fleet of 17 000 registered users ranging from high-seas to coastal and small vessels. This represents a significant opportunity for Cummins to diversify further into this market with its marine-engine range, as well as to offer customer support and technical backup services throughout the wider region.
Representing Cummins’ first participation at this event, it will also serve to highlight the fact that the OEM now has an independent, fully-fledged presence in Morocco and, indeed, the region. “While we have a long history in Morocco, we were not present in all markets. Now, with the establishment of a company-owned Cummins entity towards the end of last year, we are now targeting new opportunities and markets. A major idea in this regard is to target significant growth markets that also support our diversification, such as the fishing industry.”
This is according to Jaouad Ezzarhouni, Industrial Sales & Business Development Leader, Middle East, North and West Africa. “Marine represents the second-largest market for us in the region, apart from mining,” he comments. Therefore, the OEM’s participation at Salon Halieutis will not only generate brand awareness in the region, but will reiterate that Cummins’ is 100% behind its large customer base.
“This is the key message that we will convey via our participation. In the year in which Cummins celebrates its centennial, it is a major accomplishment in terms of our regional expansion strategy,” Ezzarhouni adds. “While we have had an entrenched presence in Africa, Morocco has always been in our sights as a major platform for growth.” This is especially significant following the merger of the Middle East and Africa regions in 2017.
“Now we are closer to our end users as a result, with the added benefit that we have the flexibility to be able to customise solutions according to specific customer requirements. Partnering with our customers is key to the regional growth we anticipate, as we strive to assist our customers in finding the best solutions,” Ezzarhouni comments.
A major development in this regard is the signing of the strategic partnership agreement with the OCP Group to establish a Master Rebuild Centre (MRC) in Khouribga, Morocco. “Our alignment on this vision has translated into a long-term agreement to support the OCP Group with zero-hour certified rebuilds,” Ezzarhouni explains. In addition, Cummins will commit to Cost Per Hour (CPH) contracts to guarantee fleet availability for the OCP Group.
The strategic partnership agreement has two major facets, namely to support the OCP Group in particular, mainly in the mining industry, and thereafter to extend this support at a regional level, assisting customers as far afield as Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Ghana.
Visit Cummins at Stands 15 to 17 at Salon Halieutis exhibition from 21 to 24 February 2019 in Agadir, Morocco. For more information, visit http://www.salonhalieutis.com/en/.
