In an official statement, Zafco Trading LLC has announced that on April 23, 2012, Pirelli Tyre SpA and Zafco signed an agreement which enables Zafco to use the Armstrong brand under license for five years, with an understanding to acquire the brand from Pirelli within five years.
Asif Yusufzai, member of the board of directors of Zafco, described the deal as marking a momentous occasion for both Zafco and the Armstrong brand.
“We are very pleased with this development. We took this step in keeping with our long term vision of establishing our presence across all segments of the market and to implement our global strategy of offering a wide ranging assortment to our customers. We also aim for continuous improvements in product quality to ensure that every new product we roll out under the Armstrong (brand) will be better than its predecessors.”
Zafco also confirmed that Armstrong tires will be manufactured at "reputable" factories commensurate with its internationally recognized high quality.
“The use under license and subsequent addition of the Armstrong brand to our portfolio in the U.S. is an important strategic step we have taken in line with the needs of the U.S. market," says Carl Casalbore, vice president of sales at Zafco’s U.S. subsidiary.
"This brand has a lot to offer in the agriculture and commercial tires segment in the U.S., and therefore, this will be the main focus for Armstrong here. In addition, Armstrong will also be selling tires in the passenger segment, including touring and ultra-high performance, sport-utility vehicle and cross-utility vehicle.”
Founded in 1993, Zafco is a global distributor of tires, batteries and lubricants to more than 800 customers around the world. To work closely with its customers, Zafco has established offices in the United Arab Emirates, United States, India, Russia, Thailand and Brazil, and has a presence in more than 85 countries.
Key values for the company are social responsibility, environment preservation, and the health and safety of its employees, associates and customers.
The achievements of the company's workforce have been recognized by respected industry bodies. Recent awards include:
2010: ISO 9001:2008 accreditation
2011: Dubai Customs Gold Accreditation and Best Client Award.
