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KZN Exporter of the Year Award for Sumitomo

Oct 24, 2018 Tyres, Sumitomo, Rubber, Exporter Of The Year, Dunlop, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, Economy, African Trade


Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA), has once again walked away with the KZN Exporter of the Year Award title, for their entry in the “Large” company category. The awards ceremony took place as part of KZN Export week at the iNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

Riaz Haffejee, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa commented : “This announcement has come at a significant time for SRSA. Not only are we set to celebrate the 130-year anniversary of the Dunlop brand this month, but on Tuesday 2ndOctober, we officially launched our world-class Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) factory in Ladysmith”.

SRSA currently exports to over 40 countries on the African continent, and anticipates further growth in the region thanks to the recent signing of the African Continent Free Trade Area Agreement. This latest agreement is expected to play a significant role in increasing intra-African trade opportunities. 

The more than R2-billion investment since 2014 by parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), has seen an upgrade of the existing Ladysmith factory into a state-of-the-art facility and the construction of the TBR factory. The company adds that the investment has resulted in significant increases in output in the passenger car radial and SUV tyres, and will enable SRSA to meet the needs of the passenger, SUV, truck and bus tyre markets in both South Africa and on the African continent.

SRSA has also recently been awarded the Tyre Brands Category in the 2018/2019 Target Group Index Icon Brand Award, and two prestigious awards at the 5th Annual South African Premier Business Awards. It took honours for its business excellence in the categories of Investor of the Year and Enterprise Development Programme of the Year.

The 2018 Exporter of the Year Awards were run by The Durban Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, the Small Enterprise Development Agency and the Export Credit Insurance Corporation. The awards event was hosted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with Transnet Port Terminals, a key enabler of exporters and the country’s leading terminal operator responsible for commercial import and export operations.

The “Large” company category, in which leading automotive manufacturer Toyota, and paper and pulp magnate Sappi were also finalists, measures companies that have a turnover more than R101 million per annum. Nominees for the “Africa” category included shoe manufacturing giant Bata, as well as Toyota South Africa and Sappi who were also amongst the finalists in the “Manufacturing” category. 





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