Sumitomo Rubber SA recently embarked on a Roadshow, hosted in the major regions within South Africa to engage with their Dunlop Retailers.  A total number of 277 guests attended the conferences which were held in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng respectively.  The roadshow, organised by Joanne De Freitas, Manager: PR & Events, and accompanied by various sales and product leaders within the organisation, was an exciting change from previous online virtual engagements which allowed for more intimate connections with the dealers.

The theme of the Roadshow was aptly titled “Empowering Change”, which encompasses the organizations passion and drive to continue to move forward under ever changing landscapes.  Sumitomo Rubber SA focused on 4 major pillars, namely; Operations, Sustainability, Profitability and Our Future.  The travelling team openly shared their organisational struggles over the last year, their strategies and efforts to combat those areas, as well as their achievements, improved service offerings, future plans and new product launches.  As part of their improved service offerings,  they included 2 ancillary partners to join them at each event to showcase their offerings to the Dunlop dealer network. The new online tyre retailer, Blackcircles, was also formally introduced to the Dunlop Retails at each venue.  This was followed by an open Q&A session for the dealers to get an in-depth understanding of the Blackcircles offering.  SRSA announced that they will be launching a new product to compete in the Ultra High Performance segment.  This product has been developed to meet global requirements of the targeted vehicle classes.   The introduction of Dunlop Sure on key TBR products was a highlight for the Dunlop Commercial dealers. The event ended off at each venue with the Sumitomo Rubber Sales team sharing updated Awards Criteria, relative to the various Channels, and thereafter, acknowledging, awarding and celebrating those dealers who excelled in their respective regions during 2021.  Congratulations to all the Dunlop winners.