Vipal Europe delivers OTR tyre training in West Africa with WATS Group

Vipal supports OTR tyre repair training initiative in West Africa

Vipal Europe's commercial technical team has delivered technical training to 25 tyre repair professionals in West Africa, as part of a qualification programme in collaboration with West Africa Tires Services (WATS).

The training, held across sites in Mali and Ghana, aimed to certify the use of Vipal repair products for heavy vehicle and off-the-road (OTR) tyres. The technicians, representing multiple nationalities and regions across West Africa, completed both theoretical and hands-on assessments before receiving certification.

The initiative follows the signing of a strategic collaboration between Vipal Rubber and WATS in early 2024. The qualification programme took place over two weeks, beginning at Corica Mining Services (CMS) in Bamako, Mali, and concluding at GMC in Tarkwa, Ghana—both situated within key mining regions.

Vipal’s technical team included Alfonso Ibañez and Diego Barbosa from its European subsidiary. Training focused on damage identification, tyre preparation for repair, appropriate product selection, and application techniques. It also involved practical testing and evaluation to meet operational requirements from mining company clients.

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WATS Group operates across several West African nations, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The training marked an effort to standardise and certify procedures, equipment, and facilities used across these locations.

Don Vinay Kapoor, managing director of WATS Group, commented:

“Since its inception, it has been part of the philosophy of the WATS group to have the assistance and collaboration of all its leading international partners for face-to-face visits, evaluation, certification and suggestions for continuous improvements. Vipal's strong 50+ year experience is aligned to our purpose. Having the opportunity to offer this training in partnership with Vipal Europe was very valuable because it reinforces our commitment to achieving the highest standards of quality.”

Fabricio Nedeff, commercial manager of Vipal Europe, noted the value of the direct engagement:

“Through this training, we establish contacts with professionals who work with large mining companies, which is a growing market. Thus, in addition to bringing knowledge and guaranteeing the technical certification of the team, we have also learned more about the OTR tyre, a sector in which we still have a lot to grow here.”

Following the positive response, both companies indicated interest in extending the model to other regions.

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