4th Quarter 2014

ZAFCO stole the show in Las Vegas, NV

“ZAFCO introduces METZELER at Gulf Bike Week for UAE region”

2 Trophies for ZEETEX – Thailand Drift Series 2014 (Round #2)

Safe Tire, Safe Family– Reducing CO2 Footprint Campaign

Fishing Trip at the Jumeirah Beach

ZAFCO stole the show in Las Vegas, NV – Because Sky is the Limit ZAFCO is proud to have participated in one of the biggest automotive specialty products event where we exhibited a number of brands at the SEMASHOW 2014, held at Las Vegas Convention Center from November 4th to 7th, 2014.

Being an active participant, ZAFCO unveiled a wide range of categories of its very own brand – ZEETEX –including PCR, TBR, Winter, and SUV / 4x4, claiming to offer the best traction and mileage, while favoring the environment as well. Other brands that were displayed include ARMSTRONG; where FORCEUM and ACCELERA seemed to grab the attention of drivers seeking ultra-high performance tires.

“We got tremendous response at this year’s SEMA show compared to last year. This could be due to anti-dumping duty on Chinese Tires. A lot of customers were looking for alternatives and we have different brands from Indonesia and Thailand to accommodate different market needs.” said Mr. Zafar Hussain – Executive Director of ZAFCO

Consequently, ZAFCO keeps on stretching the boundaries by adding value to the overall business by offering the best quality products to fulfill the needs of a wide variety of customers from across the globe.

ZAFCO – Keeping its Supply Chain Efficient Our warehouse is our pride, and its efficient operation is our priority. To keep up with the efficient and smooth identification of tires, a practical workshop on Tires Sidewall Markings was conducted by Mr. Raghavendra Sanga, Manager – Business & Technical Insights – on 7th October 2014.

Designed and targeted specifically for the Warehouse employees, the program’s objective was to impart the basic knowledge about the warehouse operations including receiving, storing, and retrieving the tires, as the warehouse staff are actively involved in handling and distribution of tires on a daily basis. Emphasis were laid on the following points:

1) Relevance of each Sidewall marking a. Tire Size b. Load Index & Speed Rating c. Ply Rating d. Maximum Load Single / Dual e. E-mark, E-noise (S-mark), CCC, Inmetro, SNI, DOT etc f. UTQG ratings2) Different types of tires – a) Radial & Bias; b) Tube type & Tubeless3) Different type of radial tire patterns – Symmetric, Asymmetric and Unidirectional4) Different categories of tires – PCR, LTRC, TBR, Winter, LTB & TBB

ZAFCO believes in imparting product and industry knowledge to support the functions – no matter what department it is – hence our employees also welcome these learning opportunities and show keen interest in understanding the concepts to keep growing together.

“ZAFCO introduces METZELER at Gulf Bike Week for UAE region”**Drum Rolls** for yet another achievement by ZAFCO.

Acquisition is on the go by ZAFCO, as it acquired the distribution rights of METZELER – a motorcycle tire brand – for the UAE region as the market and has a lot to offer especially when it comes to premium brands. Founded in 1892, METZELER is a brand from Germany that is known for its highest quality standards that in turn offers the motorcyclists with sheer accuracy and refined performance.

The launch at Gulf Bike Week was a massive success, as more than 1000 visitors from all over the Gulf attended the event at Media City, Dubai from 30th Oct – 2nd Nov, 2014 and garnered positive reviews for this commendable initiative taken by ZAFCO for this region.

Harley Davidson V Rod Night Special fitted with impressive METZELER ME880 Marathon Series became the center of attention for the visitors, which left them excited with a ‘WOW’ expression. Moreover, METZELER also showcased its sports range Sportec M7 RR and Roadtec Z8 Interact for sports-bike enthusiasts.

During the event, Mr. Zafar Jafri – Sr. Vice President Sales says:“Our mission has always been providing uninterrupted experience to our partners and end users; and by adding METZELER range to ZAFCO’s portfolio, we will fulfill the expectations of motorcyclists' needs in the region.”

Aims are high. Spirits are high. ZAFCO’s mission of keep on moving forward continues, as there is a lot to achieve.

ZAFCO & ZDEGREE Participate in Road Safety CampaignBe it for the official work or other important matters of life, ZAFCO cares about the environment and community as it participated in the Best Practice Session on Road Safety, which was conducted by The Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network while having RTA and Roadsafetyuae.com as its partners.

The sole aim of this ‘Be Responsible – Drive Safe’ campaign was to create awareness on improving the sustainability approach of the companies by enhancing employees’ health, safety, and well-being that in turn contributes to community development. Moreover, the campaign was designed to highlight the symptoms of road accidents that cause alarming number of deaths and injuries every year, and things that people should keep in their mind while driving.

Being one of the 58 members of The Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network, ZAFCO is one of the 14 companies to receive the CSR Label Award from Dubai Chamber this cycle. ZAFCO is proud to march on with its subsidiary – ZDEGREE – on the path of sustainable development and community well-being by following the best practices of CSR and Sustainability.

ZEETEX Flags up at Auto Trade EXPO –IrelandZEETEX makes it to Ireland in one of the biggest event of Irish Automotive aftermarket – the Auto Trade EXPO – held at The Citywest Exhibition Center in Dublin recently. This grand event had nearly 130 exhibitors from all the sectors of the Irish Automotive aftermarket, where ZEETEX Tyres were displayed by Mileage Tyres – our sole distributor in the Irish market.

Mileage Tyres had 2 stands as they displayed the whole range of ZEETEX PCR and LTR categories.

This trade only event was a great springboard for the leading international automotive brands like ZEETEX, where more than 3,300 trade visitors were there in this two-day event that sums up the massive success for this one of a kind event ever held in Ireland.

2 Trophies for ZEETEX – Thailand Drift Series 2014 (Round #2) Event Name: Thailand Drift Series 2014 (Round #2)Location: Pattaya, ThailandDates: 29 – 30/November

The 2nd round of the Thailand Drift Series was exciting as expected when the chequered flag was raised on the afternoon of Saturday, 29th November in the grounds of the Indoor Stadium in East Pattaya. Leading independent drift drivers and drift teams attended from all over South East Asia and Australia with almost 100 cars to awe their fans during the 2 day event with some sensational drift racing techniques. Winners received cash prizes and trophies for presenting the best showmanship, and demonstrating taking corners at high speed. Result of Zeetex Family Drift Team Thailand: It was one of the best weekends for Zeetex drift team again this year, as we collected 2 trophies from our drift team leader, Mr. Chaiyos, (Nueng), who won the 3rd runner-up from Class-A battle. He lost in semi-final match (due to some mechanical problem) to the eventual winner. For Class-B battle, 4 of our Zeetex Family Drift Team’s members have passed the qualifying rounds and enter the last 32 battles. Eventually Mr. Art have won the 2nd runner-up.

Apart from these 2 trophies, there are 2 more trophies that were won by Mr. Chaiyos (Nueng) – our key drifter:- 1st Prize (winner) : M-Strom Drift Competition (Round #1). The trophy was granted by one of the royal Thai family members- 2nd Runner Up: M-Strom Drift Competition (Round #4)

So for the “M-Strom Drift Competition 2014” event, Mr. Chaiyos stands a very good chance to be crowned “Thailand Drift God 2014” as his overall points is now ranked 2nd place. The final round will be held in Jan or Feb 2015.

ZAFCO Academy Filling the GapsThe room for improvement is always there, hence ZAFCO Academy believes how important it is for the employees to keep pace with the latest advancements and focus on continuous improvement approach.

Mr. Paresh Singhee, Manager - Talent Acquisition & Development - elaborated the concept of setting SMART objectives and its importance, where employees would be able to better define and align their yearly objectives with their action plans to achieve the best outcome.

Another training session was held in December where a very interesting topic of ‘The Power of Positive Attitude’ was discussed in detail, as to how a person’s attitude can affect his / her behavior and lead to specific outcomes. The chain is pretty simple – attitudes lead to behavior, and that specific behavior leads to similar outcomes – so it all depends on our state of mind and how we perceive things.

The trainings were conducted in-house at ZAFCO's HO where participants were engaged through videos and as well as activities in order to better understand the concepts and make use of them in their daily lives.

Fishing Trip at the Jumeirah Beach30 Professionals. 4 Hours Party. One Yacht

Yes! ZAFCO makes sure to keep its workforce motivated and reward them for their hard work, not only in terms of monetary benefits but such socializing events as well. The fishing trip was arranged for ZAFCO staff at the Jumeirah Beach, Dubai on 6th of December, 2014. Equipped with ample food and drinks, the Yacht trip started off at 2pm where nearly 30 staff members were on board who enjoyed fishing in the serene Arabian Sea. The fishing contest was the best part, as they all managed to capture 12 fishes. The trip ended at around 6pm after enjoying a breathtaking view of sunset, and was surely a stress-buster for everyone.

Safe Tire, Safe Family – Reducing CO2 Footprint Campaign As always, ZAFCO organized “Safe Tire, Safe Family – Reducing CO2 Footprint Campaign” for its employees and their safety, and it was held by the Technical Services personnel under the supervision of Mr. Raghavendra Sanga, Manager – Business & Technical Insights on Thursday, December 4, 2014.

The campaign revolved around the inspection of vehicles, where 34 employees’ cars and 15 warehouse trucks were scrutinized for several parameters that play a key role in safe driving and CO2 emission.

• 74 out of 136 tires were found with under-inflation (54% of total tires inspected) ranging from 3% to 39%.• Based on the corrective actions taken, 16.17 liters of fuel is being saved per day and this resulted in the reduction of 37.96 kgs of ZAFCO’s CO2 footprint (only employees cars) per day.• Spare tires of all the cars have been inspected for pressures. Regular spare tires have been inflated to 40 psi and temporary spare tires have been inflated to 60 psi.• Valve caps were found missing in several cars, which were installed.• Mismatches of tread patterns and tread depths were rectified.• Emergency equipment, seat belts, lights, mirrors, windows, and horn were also checked.

Keeping the tradition alive is what ZAFCO believes in and does its best to ensure the safety and security not only for the employees but as well as the overall environment and community.