Empowerment company clinches R20-m contract

Ed Richardson IBHAYI CLEARANCE and Logistics, an Eastern Cape black economic empowerment company, has signed a three-year contract worth R20 million with Bridgestone Firestone. With an office on site at the Port Elizabeth Firestone plant, Ibhayi works closely with Firestone’s procurement department. “Our two main clients are the local factory and the Brits factory,” says owner Bruce Julie. One of the value added services that Ibhayi offers Bridgestone is the re-palletting of the raw rubber compounds before delivery. Wood contamination can cause a loss in the structural integrity of the rubber, so the raw material is placed on plastic pallets and re-wrapped before redistribution. They are also responsible for the local transport, warehousing and distribution of re-tread material for Bridgestone’s Maxiprest outlets countrywide.