S. African trailer maker plans major expansion
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• Henred Trailers (Pty) Ltd, the biggest trailer manufacturing operation in South Africa,plans major expansions to three of its factories which will provide a base for a new sales initiative both in South Africa and in neighbouring and overseas territories. The expansions for this wholly-owned subsidiary of Transport and Engineering Investment are scheduled for the Wadeville, Durban and Cape Town works. In each case, production capacity will be boosted by 50 per cent by means of modernization, additions and replacement of plant.
The expansions will further consolidate Henred's hold on the local market. Estimates are that the company already supplies 70 per cent of the market for various types of trailers such as platform and low-bed trailers, tankers and tippers. Precisely what capital investment is involved in the new expansions. Henred is not saying. Work begins on the Wadeville extensions this month and on the Durban expansions at the end of the year. The Cape Town plans will be implemented early next year. The increased production capacity will also mean an enhanced export capacity—a field where Henred has recently had considerable success. It now has licensing agreements with a Rhodesian company, Rhotec Poole, one of the four big Rhodesian trailer manufacturers, and with a Mozambique company, Stalm Sociedade de Construcoes Metalicas, both of which receive components from the South African company for local assembly.
Similar licensing agreements are also in the offing for other countries, although for the present details are not being disclosed. Henred has also recently developed successful markets for made-up trailers in countries such as Botswana. Angola and Malawi.