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cover Story: Scania Distributor of the YearText and photos: Chris ReillyMalawi scoopsDistributor AwardLimbikani Gumbo, Maclean Simwaka and Stewart Liabunya of Automotive Products Ltd., winners of the inauguralScania Southern Africa Distributor of the Year award.Automotive Products Ltd,the Malawi-based Scaniadistributor, has burst onto thesouthern African transportscene by winning the inauguralScania Distributor of the YearAward 2008.Torsten Linder, Scania SouthernAfrica’s Export Director, launchedthe Awards Programme last year torecognise outstanding sales andservice performance being delivered byits regional Scania distributors. Linder hasinitiated Distributor Awards Programmes inseveral other regions that he’s been posted to inhis twenty years with the company.“Scania Southern Africa has distributorshipsin seven southern African countries so far,”says Linder, counting them off; “We have salesoffices and service workshops in Angola, Malawi,Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia andTanzania. It just so happens that Malawi cameback with exceptional sales throughout last year, SCANIA REVOLUTIONS • N o 3/2009 www.scania.com
making them the ideal candidate to win thefirst annual Scania Southern Africa Distributorof the Year Award.”Maclean Simwaka, Automotive ProductsLtd’s Managing Director, based at thecompany’s Blantyre head office, is thrilledwith the efforts of his team, and of course, theresulting award.“My four co-directors worked veryhard to build up Automotive Productsand establish Scania in Malawi under verydifficult circumstances,” says Maclean, whojoined the company as chief accountant in1999. “Malawi’s new President, Dr Bingu WaMutharika, began an ambitious programmeof redevelopment in Malawi, focusing onimproving infrastructure and encouragingsmall business,” says Maclean.All the country’s national roads are nownewly tarred and well maintained, albeit withonly two lanes. Secondary roads are beinggraded, with new ones being establishedcontinually in rural areas. This sudden boostin accessibility has seen an increase in roadfreight traffic across the country and itsborders, exporting Malawi’s vast agriculturalproduce and in turn importing fertiliser, fuel,vehicles and general goods. It’s also created analmost completely new breed of consumersin the country: commuters. There is now anunprecedented demand for buses in Malawi.Malawi’s previous government, jokinglyreferred to as ‘The Cowboys’ by mostMalawians, had its own bus service whicheventually became unreliable, inefficient, andcorrupt. To protect it, the government imposeda 65% import duty on imported trucks andbuses, making it almost impossible for otheroperators to compete. President Wa Mutharikaintroduced a 5% duty, opening the door toother operators, and of course, Scania.“Most of our sales this year have beenbuses and coaches,” says Drissen Mwalenga,Automotive Products’ Sales Executive forScania Malawi’s Lilongwe dealer.A technician at the Lilongwe dealer workshop repairs a mirror on a bus.We have alsosold a number of newScania truck tractorsto road transportcustomers.” DrissenMwalenga, SalesExecutive, AutomotiveProducts”Scania Malawi also deals in Volkswagen, Audi and Suzuki products.www.scania.com N o 3/2009 • SCANIA REVOLUTIONS
Page 1 and 2: BUSINESS | VEHICLES | TRENDSN O 3/2
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Page 7 and 8: SCANIA MALAWI: CUSTOMER FEEDBACKMar
Page 9 and 10: NewsScania launches a newbranch in
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Page 13 and 14: Text and photos: Pritesh RuthunEduc
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Page 23 and 24: FEATURE: BIG SCANIA - BIG LOADText
Page 25 and 26: The new buses feature quality seats
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Page 31 and 32: Driver trainingFuel savings of 10 p

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