The partnership between Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAf) and the Isuzu manufacturing facility in Kenya is one of the big success stories of 2020. Isuzu East Africa recently celebrated a whopping 1000 locally-assembled Isuzu D-MAX pickups – a milestone reached in the first year of production.
The newly-established export program of knocked down (KD) Isuzu D-MAX pick-up kits started in early 2020 from South Africa to Kenya. This relationship represented the first intra-continental regional trade exchange of its kind for Isuzu in Africa.
Isuzu East Africa launched local production of the popular Isuzu D-MAX in January 2020 to cater to the growing demand. The Isuzu D-MAX is currently the number one best-selling pick-up in Kenya.
Isuzu East Africa Sales and Marketing Director Wanjohi Kangangi said: “Locally assembled Isuzu pickups are creating employment, facilitating technology transfer and positively influencing employee morale through the enhancement of their skills.”
While the program has created 50 direct jobs for Kenyans at the factory in East Africa, it has also ensured job retention at the Isuzu plant in South Africa.
The successful skills transfer included the initial training of a group of ten engineers and assemblers from Kenya. This was done at the IMSAf plant for a period of two weeks, where the team underwent training on the pickup assembly process, quality management, and assembly aids.
In 2020, the pilot assembly in Kenya was also supported by engineers from IMSAf, Isuzu Thailand, and Isuzu Japan. A working relationship continues between the countries, with regular technical support provided by IMSAf to address any operational challenges in Kenya.
Since the inception of the D-MAX KD Level 2 program, the program has achieved benchmark quality standards and exceeded GCA targets - to the delight of customers in Kenya. Customers have also benefited from price reductions due to favorable tax on locally-assembled vehicles.
Isuzu remains a preferred brand in Kenya and has maintained market leadership for the past eight years. Market share in 2020 was over 46%.
For more news from Isuzu in Africa, enjoy the latest issue of Torque Rest of Africa.
