INFLATE YOUR TYRES WITH
NITROGEN “New tyre mileage improved 11.6%. Casing lives increased from 3-4. Pressure retention improved by 13%.” – Fast ’n Fresh “Marked decrease in monthly tyre costs, being below tyre costs of previous 3 years.” – Kempston Truck Hire “Nitrogen has definite advantages over air, and we recommend the use of Nitrogen.” – Bridgestone OTP Division
4 • O n e - o n - O n e
Fourteen years later, the ‘Ideas Man’ has been handsomely rewarded for his foresight and efforts along the way in bringing his concept to fruition. We met up with Rob and son Tom Sowry, Sales Director of Nitralife who chronicled their progress and the phenomenal success of their enterprise. Q. Rob, how did you go about developing your idea into a sustainable business? I set the wheels in motion by approaching a well respected transport operation which agreed to try out the nitrogen in tyres concept on a trial basis on the proviso that they were not expected to pay for it. The pilot project ran at Unitrans Tulisa Park with the Corobrik fleet (15 trucks) where they were scrapping as many as 30 tyres per month. Suffice to say I worked day and night to convert the fleet and prove to all-and-sundry that the concept had merit. Within 8 months the scrap tyre rate had dipped to below 15 tyres a month, translating into a remarkable saving of around R30 000.00 per month! Based on this successful outcome, the transport company – Unitrans – agreed to rent this first machine. Next came the gruelling task of convincing my then fellow board members at Maxiprest to embrace the nitrogen in tyres concept as a way of differentiating ourselves from our competitors. All but one was in favour of pursuing it but as we couldn’t reach total consensus, the opposing party suggested I pursue it single-handed. So I did. Nitralife began operating in 1996 as a dedicated company whose core business was the marketing, rental and later, sale of nitrogen tyre inflation equipment. Q. On which sector of the market did you first focus your attention?
ROB Mistakenly, we began with the large national trucking fleets, a somewhat frustrating decision in the end due to all the red tape that surrounds these big organisations. In contrast, private transport companies can make swift decisions and are risking their own money, so I guess you could say that the private transport sector laid the foundation for a business which was to grow beyond all expectations. Q. How much of your current turnover is made up of private transport companies?
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NITRALIFE SA (PTY) LTD Tel: + 27 11 706 7884/8 Fax: +27 11 706 5713 Email: info@nitralife.co.za www.nitralife.co.za
TOM I would estimate that 80%-90% of our total turnover is made up of the private transport sector. Q. When did you first start marketing nitrogen inflation to the retail sector?
TOM From the beginning but the turning point came in 2002 when