Cummins South Africa (CSA) has received a Long Service Award in recognition of its 70th anniversary as an official Cummins Distributor. Thierry Pimi, MD of CSA, received the award from Rachid Ouenniche, MD of Africa/Middle East Distribution at Cummins Inc., at a special ceremony held at the CSA offices in Kelvin View, Johannesburg.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Rachid pointed out that not only did CSA have 600 employees, but it was one of the two largest Cummins distributors in the Africa Middle East region.
“There have been different cycles over the last 70 years. That is the nature of our business. I am in my 18th year with Cummins, and personally have been through at least four of those cycles, whereby we enter a recession and then the business picks up again.
“After every one of those recessions, we came out much stronger and more robust as a business. I am confident that we are at the bottom of the cycle at present, and that as the economic situation starts to improve, that business will pick up. From what I have seen here, I know there is a lot of talent and capability that we can draw on for the benefit of Africa and the Middle East,” Rachid commented.
Thierry also paid tribute to the staff of CSA for “keeping the Cummins flag flying high for 70 years. I do not know of a lot of global organisations that have enjoyed such strong local representation.” In this regard, Thierry made a special mention of two employees, George Lymberopoulos and Phistos Katisi, who had clocked up long-service records of 41 and 46 years respectively.
“The Cummins brand is only held in the high esteem it is today thanks to its people. We operate in many different regions, and wherever you go, the culture of Cummins is prevalent, from its business standards to its integrity and diversity. Without our people, we would not be where we are today,” Thierry highlighted.
In terms of CSA’s main business segments of mining, power generation, and components, Thierry said he was convinced that the commodity cycle had bottomed out. “We are really very optimistic about Africa at large. We believe that, in terms of mining, the worst is behind us.”
Thierry revealed that Cummins had embarked on an aggressive expansion strategy, investing $12 million in its Regional Distribution Centre in Johannesburg to target not only Southern Africa, but the continent as a whole. “This is in support of the regional growth that we anticipate in the near future. We are not only consolidating our presence in countries like Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique, but are continuing on a good growth path.”
