Territory: Africa Company Name: Panafrican Equipment

Sector: Energy Digital

Headline: Panafrican is a total package solution

Standfirst: As a leader in the distribution of construction equipment, Panafrican provides superior customer service, training and education as it continues to expand

Written by Carin Hall Produced by Dan Mc Donald Body Text: Panafrican Equipment distributes Mmining and construction equipment across six territories in Africa. The company primarily uses the Japanese Komatsu brand and provides extensive maintenance, repair and servicing as needed for its customers. Launched in 1997, the first group company, Panafrican Equipment Kenya Limited in Nairobi, started out with just 60 employees. As the mining industry saw rapid growth in Tanzania, Panafrican launched another group two years later to support the operations of the Geita Gold Mine. Over the years to follow, the company continued to grow and establish operations in other locations, including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Today, Panafrican Equipment operates in six countries across Africa with some 300 employees and is recognised as a leader in heavy construction equipment, mining equipment, services and support. Headquartered in Narobi, Kenya, the company is divided according to territory. "More recently, with the organisation's split into two sections and the dilution of focus of the two areas as we tried to develop the business of West Africa, the company has restructured its employees, says Operations Director Gavin Pearson. The chairman appointed Kevin Hughes as the Group Managing Director and I became the director for the East African operations. Pearson has played a vital role in Panafrican's expansion into West Africa, watching it more than double in size since he started working for the company in 1999. In his new role, he will focus on ensuring the company's world-class service and support remain intact as Panafrican grows further.

Focus on Education and Training Panafrican Equipment has created a strong staff of talented professionals through its extensive training program offerings. We are certainly not a company that looks at employment in the short term, Pearson says. We like to develop our people." That goes especially for the technical departments as the company has set up a joint venture with Komatsu to develop a state-of-the-art training center by nextthis year. The center will offer nine-month courses to certify Technicians. "We develop other employees in terms of specific skill sets by offering systems of training and further development of education within specific fields of expertise," Pearson adds. Quality Operations To improve operations, executives will regularly go out and visit other Komatsu operations in other parts of the world to see what others are doing and how the company can implement those strategies into its own operations. In addition to Komatsu, Panafrican only works with suppliers of topnotch, leading brands of equipment, including Sakai,and Pirtek and Berco. Looking ahead, Pearson says Panafrican Equipment will be focusing more on specific customers and offering them specific solutions to their requirements. He believes this will be essential to the company's continual growth of market share. The company is also looking into other options in terms of products that can be put through its existing distribution channels. According to Pearson, a number of attractive products that will help the business grow have already been identified. The Total Package In addition to superior equipment, Panafrican prides itself on its topnotch customer support, which has allowed its presence to rapidly expand over the last decade. "Something that I've been focusing on is product support, Pearson says. We believe we have done very well. We've built up a strong client base and the industry canwe now offer superior product support and solutions to our clients. We don't just sell pieces of equipment; we sell the solutions and product support package that goes with it. The Komatsu Way We are rolling out a philosophy that Komatsu has put forth, the 'Komatsu way,' which focuses on a quality improvement process, Pearson says. "Komatsu is very proactive in terms of offering support, particularly on the technical side. If there's ever an issue that we need assistance with, they are very quick to offer their support." Komatsu has set up an office based in Nairobi to improve

communications with head office in Japan with technical support for immediate needs of the company's operations. Many employees undergoing Komatsu training become highly skilled support engineers, who can advance to other operations in different parts of the world. The strong focus on education and training ensures our support operations are of the best in the world, according to Pearson.

Pullquotes: (Must be with attribution name and Job Title) We are certainly not a company that looks at employment in the short term. We like to develop our people." -Operations Director Gavin Pearson We don't just sell pieces of equipment; we sell the solutions and product support package that goes with it. -Operations Director Gavin Pearson

Statistics box: Company Name: Panafrican Group Country: Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda Industry: Construction and Mining Equipment Established: 1997 Employees: 300 Revenue: $75 million USD Premiere Service: construction equipment

Operations Director: Gavin Pearson Founder and Chairman: Charles Field-Marsham Website: www.panafricangroup.com

Address: T: +254 20 241 6503732 151 000 E: info@panafricangroup.com

Tags: Energy Digital, Panafrican Equipment, African Construction Companies, Construction Equipment, Kenya, Gavin Pearson, Komatsu, Japanese Construction Equipment, Sakai, Pirtek, Berco

Keywords:Energy Digital, Panafrican Equipment, African Construction Companies, Construction Equipment, Kenya, Gavin Pearson, Komatsu, Japanese Construction Equipment, Sakai, Pirtek, Berco