Raleigh, NC, USA, February 22, 2023 – AFEX Fire Suppression Systems, specialists in designing and manufacturing fire protection systems for heavy-duty mobile equipment, recently announced its official expansion into the African market. AFEX began making significant investments in sales and marketing in late 2021 to better serve the needs of end users, equipment dealers, and OEMs across the continent by supplying its third-party approved fire systems through a trusted distributor network.
Investment in Sales Resources in Africa
While AFEX had supplied fire suppression systems for vehicles exported into Africa for decades, the company hadn’t actively pursued activities within the continent. By 2021, AFEX had grown as a business significantly and felt positioned to expand further into the African market with its high-quality fire suppression solutions. As a result, the company invested in several resources, including the addition of a local fire suppression equipment expert, Matthys Saayman.
Matthys brings to the AFEX team over two decades of experience in business development and product support in the African mining industry. In his previous role, Matthys oversaw the organization’s fire suppression system division, gaining hands-on experience selling and installing solutions to a variety of customers. Matthys resides in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is strategically positioned to provide in-person support to both clients and AFEX distributor partners.
Key System Differentiators Lead to Significant Strides in Mining Market
AFEX has extensive experience providing heavy equipment fire suppression systems to mines across the Americas, and so the company knew there was a significant opportunity to bring more of its systems to the mines of Africa. The AFEX fire suppression system offers a few key differentiators when compared to other systems currently offered on the continent, including:
- Reputable third-party compliance certifications, such as Factory Mutual (FM HDME) and ActivFire (AS 5062)
- High-quality components, such as stainless steel tubing and side-cartridge tanks for less maintenance over time and a lower total cost of ownership
- Sophisticated control panels for automatic system discharge and clear status notifications
- Inventory on the continent despite supply chain disruptions, resulting in short lead times
- Specialization in fire suppression systems for heavy-duty mobile equipment
Since actively pursuing the market, AFEX has already made significant strides, expanding fire suppression system sales to mines in eight countries, including Morocco, Mali, Ghana, and Mozambique.
“Further development of fire suppression system sales within the African market was a natural next step for the company,” says Jeannette Miller, Vice President of Sales at AFEX. “With the infrastructure in place to educate, supply, and support end-user customers, dealers, and OEMs in Africa, it’s been exciting to see our company become a trusted supplier of rugged and reliable systems to safeguard an operation’s people, assets, and production from the risk of fire. The mining market especially is pleased to have another option when it comes to vehicle fire suppression systems.”
Para Más Información:
Amy Coulter
Marketing Manager
Sistemas de Supresión de Incendios AFEX
marketing@afexsystems.com
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