Construction, agriculture and forestry machinery and equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson has turned around the performance of its business in South Africa and is expanding its presence in Southern Africa in pursuit of sub-Saharan Africa growth, Wacker Neuson Southern Africa MD Dennis Vietze has said.

"We adapted our approach to the market in 2021, in line with our overall strategy to 2025, and also saw a significant boost from light, handheld equipment that we introduced into the market.

Wacker Neuson transitioned from the previous direct access points to a dealership approach, establishing 20 partners and 69 branches, providing a total of 89 access points for clients. These dealership channels cover various sectors, including agriculture, forestry, construction equipment, and mining. The company's dealer conference served as a platform to discuss transformation and strategies with partners, fostering a collaborative environment.

Its partner channels cover agriculture, forestry and construction equipment, as well as rentals to the mining industry.

The company not only sells products to retail partners but aims to serve end-user clients from its product centres, such as the one in Roodepoort, Gauteng, said Vietze.

"Our dealer conference discussed our transformation and strategy with our partners, and they serve as part of the Wacker Neuson team, supported by our Gauteng hub. After the blip in South Africa earlier this year, we are flying again," he added.

"We have many branches serving South Africa, and they are up and running. We are present in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. As we focus on our expansion strategy, we have also recently signed deals in Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritius and Zambia.

"We also have a partnership agreement with India materials supplier Tata International in Tanzania, representing our forestry, agriculture and light and compact equipment brands," he noted.

Further, Wacker Neuson has completed its due diligence and aims to establish a presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the first quarter of 2024 and in Nigeria in February next year.

"We aim to grow slowly and smartly into different product fields in the countries. Further, we focus on internal talent development of young employees to ensure that we have the talent available to serve our customers in Africa. This approach stands us in good stead as we grow over the next 175 years," he said.