KHS Steps Up Involvement in Africa
KHS East Africa Ltd. - KHS opens new service branch
KHS continues to consolidate its position in the African market by acquiring Sen-Tech and founding KHS East Africa Ltd. just recently. KHS has enjoyed a 30-year partnership with Sen-Tech and the Afrotech Consultant (ATC) sales organization, which were KHS representatives for the East African market. KHS East Africa Ltd. will now be directly handling all sales, service, and after-sale activities in the region.The aim of Nairobi-based KHS East Africa Ltd. is to intensify customer proximity through direct local presence. Prof. Dr. Ing. Johann Grabenweger, CSO, KHS GmbH says, "We see an enormous potential in the East African market now and in the future as well. The founding of KHS East Africa Ltd. documents the great importance we attach to East Africa specifically and Africa in general."
Denise Schneider-Walimohamed is the Managing Director of KHS East Africa Ltd. Through her many years of service at Sen-Tech she is equally as well known in the trade as the other 45 former Sen-Tech employees who now work for the KHS East Africa. Schneider Walimohamed says, "I welcome in all respects the step taken by KHS to invest in East Africa. For customers in the beverage, food, and non-food industries, this means among other things the security that KHS, as one of the major global players in filling and packaging technology, will continue to provide best possible service in the future. At the same time the people formerly employed by Sen-Tech are very pleased with KHS' commitment to them and their country." The employees of KHS East Africa Ltd. will be moving into new offices in September. Opening ceremonies are scheduled to be held in October to which customers from all over East Africa are invited.
Markus Auinger, Executive Vice President Market Zone Africa/Near and Middle East, KHS GmbH explains, "We will now be quickly starting to expand our sales and service activities in the fifteen countries of East Africa." Markus Knabe, head of KHS GmbH's Service Div. worldwide adds, "The region will profit from our comprehensive service expertise. KHS Field Service is synonymous with around-the-clock support. Be it a matter of resolving a line standstill, carrying out upcoming maintenance, installing required upgrades, or taking inventory of spare parts on site - we as the point of contact are ready to handle all these issues."
By establishing KHS East Africa Ltd., KHS now has a total of four service branches in the African market. Other service facilities are located in Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Cairo, Egypt. The company has been active in the African market for over 40 years and was the first international supplier of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food, and non-food industries to establish its own service facilities here 30 years ago.
In 2012, Africa's share of KHS' total sales was in excess of 10%. Also because of the growing economic power of Africa, Auinger expects further annual growth rates of 5 to 7% for KHS in Africa in the coming years. He anticipates a particularly high increase in East Africa. Auinger has been the head of the Africa/Middle East Market Zone since early March 2013 following in the footsteps of Erhard Magin who managed this regional office successfully for more than 20 years. After completing his studies in brewing and beverage technology at the Technical University of Munich Weihenstephan, Auinger began his professional career in the fields of engineering and project management and has been active in the beverage industry worldwide as an engineering manager and sales manager for almost 20 years. He joined KHS two years ago as the head of Regional Center Middle East. In his new position, Auinger intends to further expand the markets entrusted to him to generate increased competitiveness in keeping with the Fit4Future initiative pursued by KHS. Auinger says, "Our goals in these markets are identical to those of KHS worldwide. We are striving for technology and service leadership in this region as well." Auinger is supported in his endeavors in Africa by Jörg Thomas, who has held the position as the head of Regional Center Africa since the beginning of July 2013. Mr. Thomas is a college-trained brewer and has gained many years of experience particularly in the fields of brewing and process engineering from his work at leading companies in the brewing industry. He has an extensive knowledge of Africa and has very good connections in the region.
As an international manufacturer of filling and packing equipment, KHS offers world markets innovative, reliable, and highly efficient products and services. As for technical solutions, the company is focused on supplying not only turnkey lines but also single machines and conversions. Both large international companies as well as medium-sized and small companies value KHS' high level of expertise. KHS maintains numerous production facilities around the globe in Germany, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China, and India in addition to more than sixty service locations on all continents. The KHS Group, managed centrally from Dortmund, Germany, and its more than 4,400 employees worldwide realized sales totaling approximately €1bn in 2012.