Tata International Africa expands its offering in Zambia to include John Deere products

Many have tried, many have failed. Doing business in Africa requires a shift from a typical mindset, and while the word ‘risk’ is taboo among the world’s most prominent money lenders, there are ways to strategically mitigate uncertainties when it comes to credit in African markets. Based on Tata International Africa’s successful retail finance solution in African countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, the group has now made its unique retail finance offering available in South Africa. “The financing of heavy commercial vehicles, construction equipment and agricultural machinery presents its own unique set of challenges in Africa. The introduction of a captive retail finance solution has afforded some leeway in the way credit is provided,” says Len Brand, CEO and Managing Director of Tata International Africa. “We have now applied our successes across the continent to offer a unique solution in the South African market. AFCL was established to provide short to medium repayment terms for customers acquiring assets from Tata distributors and dealers. With its understanding of customers’ needs, AFCL offers convenient and flexible solutions and finance products, specifically designed to address the challenges of securing finance, with the added benefit of a quick response time. “Our new finance offering is based on the fact that traditional lending models don’t always support good opportunities for growth in African markets. We now have a solution that comprises products with the ability to finance them, making this a compelling proposition for businesses in Africa,” adds Brand. AFCL is the exclusive and preferred credit provider to Tata International Africa, offering a wide range of finance solutions including leases to acquire a wide range of vehicle types. As an independent captive funding house, AFCL’s focus is on financing Tata and Daewoo trucks and buses. The company prides itself on setting an industry standard by providing a fast and simple application process with flexible payment terms for its customers. AFCL aligns its financing solution with the customer’s needs by offering affordable repayment terms that fit the cash flow cycle of that customer. “It is not a one size fits all approach,” says Brand. “We are obsessed with serving our customers and helping to solve problems,” says Brand. “Our policy of deep customer understanding and delivering customer value defines the way we do business. Our resourceful team is willing to go the extra mile to deliver proficient services. Because access to credit is restricted, we support customers in overcoming this obstacle by providing easy application and credit processes with novel, flexible repayment structures.” Great companies are built on integrity and trust, says Brand. “We are innovative thinkers, delivering dynamic and dependable repayment solutions, together with accountability and reliability.”

Tata International is proud to announce that a distribution agreement has been signed with JCB for JCB Construction Equipment in Vietnam, South East Asia. As of 1 April 2021, Tata International has been selling and supporting the full line of JCB Construction Equipment through its existing dealer network in Vietnam, with an aim to become the preferred choice of construction equipment for customers in that country. “We believe our success on the African continent, not only as a distributor or dealer for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), but as a premium supplier with a growing footprint, providing retail finance and dedicated aftermarket support and service to customers in Africa, makes us an ideal distribution partner for JCB’s quality range of products,” says Len Brand, CEO of Tata International Africa. The two brands boast a long and proud history. JCB is one of the world’s top three manufacturers of construction equipment and Tata International is a successful business with a well-established global network and world-class market expertise. “The experience we have gained in Africa is well suited to the operation in Vietnam. By applying the same expertise and strategy we are confident we will be able to maintain a sustainable business, one that provides support for the communities in which it operates. We hope to continue to contribute significantly to entrepreneurial businesses in the market,” says Brand. “This agreement will enable Tata International expand its footprint, by entering a new and growing market segment, and reinforces Tata’s commitment to a vision of building and sustaining relationships with cooperation and trust.”

In a South African automotive aftermarket industry first, Tata International Africa has announced the launch of its e-commerce parts website and portal. The user-friendly online store will enable customers anywhere in South Africa to order Tata and Daewoo heavy commercial vehicle parts with doorstep delivery, quickly and conveniently – even in the most remote parts of the country. As technology develops and changes it is extremely important for a business to keep abreast of trends and find ways to add value to its customers. The launch of the e-commerce website gives Tata that edge to reach more customers, more efficiently. “We are continuously looking for opportunities to improve our customers’ interaction with our products. Keeping their vehicles on the road is of extreme importance to us,” says Len Brand, CEO of Tata International Africa. “We are proud to say that we are the first automotive brand in Africa to have developed an online parts store for Heavy Commercial Vehicles, where a customer can place an order and it will be delivered to their doorstep,” adds Brand. Existing and new customers of Tata and Daewoo commercial vehicles will be able to easily search the online product catalogues and place their purchase through a safe, seamless, real-time, web-based experience. The online catalogue is currently set up to provide parts for five different Tata Trucks and two Daewoo commercial vehicles. There is also an option to enquire about parts not listed or currently in stock. The website services customers operating anywhere in South Africa, from big cities to the remotest towns. These customers use their vehicles across multiple sectors where time is money and vehicles are required to be kept on the road timeously. The e-commerce site will improve the customer experience by enabling anyone to go online and order parts with sales not limited to account holders only. Customers will now be able to place an order without having to go into a dealership or a distribution center. A secure Direct Payment Online (DPO) Paygate is integrated into the website for easy and safe online payment to be made using a debit or credit card. A customer care line is available for customers to call and resolve any queries they may have. The website also has an inquiry form that customers can complete online to get feedback from a salesperson if a specific item they need is not listed. The new Tata e-commerce website is accessible on any device with internet access. A mobile app is currently being developed to further improve accessibility and customer satisfaction. Customers can visit www.partskart.co.za for further information. “The launch of our e-commerce site plays an integral part in keeping our UPTIME promise to our customers. We now enable them to keep their trucks on the road by improving the accessibility and delivery of parts to them,” concludes Brand.

Tata International Africa has become the first company in Africa to introduce a best-in-class standard warranty of five years on its entire Medium, Heavy and Extra Heavy Commercial Vehicle range. This first-of-its-kind Pan African five-year warranty applies to the full range of Tata Trucks and Buses as well as Daewoo Trucks in all 12 markets in which Tata International Africa operates. Len Brand, CEO of Tata International Africa says the introduction of a five-year driveline warranty on the commercial vehicle range reinforces the company’s commitment to enhancing the customer ownership experience. “We are extremely pleased to offer five-years of assurance on our range of commercial vehicles, while reiterating our commitment to the quality of our products,” says Brand. “Given Africa’s harsh and varied terrains, this new warranty goes a long way towards Tata International Africa’s pursuit of offering enhanced lifecycle benefits to its customers. So, whether a customer is in Kenya, Zambia or Ghana, or any other country in which we operate, they will have the same experience and benefits in terms of the warranty. “We are customer obsessed and our Uptime strategy is bearing fruit. Four years ago, we identified the components that we knew were imperative to the growth of our business. The final dream was to be the most sought-after distributor for commercial vehicles in Africa. We have been building towards that, with excellent work on improving the parts and service side of our business. “We’ve worked equally hard on our network, expanding our footprint dramatically, especially in South Africa, where we have over 90 touchpoints. We’ve also added new products, working with our OEM partners, to ensure that we are able to provide products for specific niches.” The five-year warranty is applicable to all Tata and Daewoo commercial vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 2021, and is supported across Tata International Africa’s extensive dealership and service network including over 450 touch point outlets and service facilities across the continent. An added benefit is that if a customer needs to sell the vehicle, they will enjoy a higher resale value and the warranty is transferrable to the next owner. A warranty of such magnitude gives the customer assurance that the product is robust, reliable and durable. Tata International Africa has also been successful in rolling out retail financing arrangements in six African markets. “We started this journey two years ago, and we’re thrilled to offer retail financing to our customers in so many African countries. Rest assured, six is not the end of this journey. We are planning to roll this out in all 12 countries in which we operate,” concluded Brand. Tata International Africa operates in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.