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ZAFCO Newsletter 11ststQuarter Quarter2013 2013

His Legacy Continues

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ZAFCO Newsletter

ZAFCO’S View on Tire industry Highlights of the Quarter Updates on Retail Enriching the Community, One Blessing at a Time ZAFCO Thinks Unconventional Calendar of Upcoming Events

ZAFCO’S VIEW ON TIRE INDUSTRY Zafar Hussain

2012 has been a honeymoon for manufacturers, as they witnessed a steep decline in raw material costs and did not have to adjust their selling prices because of a strong demand for tires (especially in the 1st half of the year and due to anti-dumping duties on Chinese tires) from the United States and Asia, whose economies were still registering higher growth as expected.

The story seems to be ending as we all roll into 2013 with huge pressure on prices due to crippling raw material prices from Q2 2012 till now, and a slowdown in demand after the Chinese anti-dumping duties were removed on imports into the US. I personally believe that what happened in 2011 and 2012 stems from a series of events which started from US anti-dumping duties aided by historic natural rubber prices. These prices resulted in an abrupt shift or tilt towards major manufacturers who were able to factor their costs and leverage on their sophisticated and educated procurement system of raw materials. This left all those mid and small sizes factories wondering and hesitating to take any position on raw materials.

Hence, while Chinese and other small Asians were producing tires at the cost of 15 dollars per lb. of rubber, major manufacturers were still churning the rubber factored at 8 dollars per lb.

With rubber and other raw material prices stabilizing, it is now time for the big boys to face the song of competition from small players as the play field has become even for all.

The majors are sitting on a cash pile of billions of dollars which they have accumulated from their 2011 and 2012 performances. Let us see whether they are going to spend wisely or the quest of doing better than the competition will drown everybody into the same stream. What they should not forget is that they will need this pile of cash in the next 24 months to remain afloat during the huge competition they will face from 2nd and 3rd tier. Rather than smoking the cash in adding new capacities, they should be advised to use it to drive their competition out by doing some serious pricing and marketing investment.

Let us see what happens next in the fight of the bulls. What I see at the moment is that it will be a very fierce and fiery competition for the next 12-18 months with margins going under severe pressure, especially at the manufacturers’ side.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

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ZAFCO’S TECHNICAL TEAM REVEALS TBR FITMENT SURVEY FINDINGS Market Share Comparison of Top 10 Brands in 2012, 2011 and 2010 N o.

B ra nds

2012 S hare (% )

2011 S ha re (% )

2010 S ha re (% )

1

B ridgestone

25.44

34

27

2

R etread Tires

15.78

12

16

3

Michelin

10.70

13

14

4

Doublecoin

5.74

2

4

5

Firestone

5.21

9

11

6

ZE E TE X

3.01

1

0.14

7

G oodyear

2.59

3

5

8

S umitomo

1.98

2

3

9

Longmarch

1.98

0.5

-

10

P irelli

1

1

1.37

The Technical Services Team at ZAFCO conducted a TBR Fitment Survey in an attempt to determine the UAE market share of various brands in the TBR Segment and use the findings to identify opportunities for improvement. A sampling methodology was utilized, and the survey sample size comprised a total of 1,006 vehicles and 19,990 tires in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain. The inspection spanned across 5 days, dating from the 23rd to the 27th of December, 2012.

The findings revealed the following insights bagged the 4th position with a share of 5.74%, compared to 2% in 2011. stands at the 6th position with 3% brand share, leapfrogging from #14 with a mere 1% market share in 2011.

YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS TO US

Are We Satisfying Our External Customers?

Knowing if ZAFCO is meeting the expectations and standards of its customers as well as identifying what customers need is the key to provide unique and unprecedented customer service and increase their loyalty.

One of the questions we asked the customer is: "What attribute do they consider to be the most important?" The 2011 survey revealed that "Price" is the most important attribute, however 2012 we saw a shift in this perception, with “Contact Person" being the most important.

One of the feedback was: “ZAFCO’s product is among the best quality of tires in the world.” Quality of the product was never questioned by export customers, and ZAFCO intends to keep getting better.

’s overall share, comprising a portfolio of Doublecoin, Pirelli, ZEETEX and Otani, increased significantly, doubling to 10.12% from 5.08% in 2011. still appears to be the preferred choice for customers, particularly in the case of Steer, Trailer 1, and Trailer 3 axle positions with shares of 58%, 23%, and 33% respectively.

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Highlights of the Quarter

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

ZEETEX in France: A Partnership With Imagine Car ZAFCO was part of the PNEU Exhibition in Lyon, France, from March 12th to 14th. ZAFCO has partnered with Imagine Car to be the official distributor for ZEETEX Tyres in France. It was a successful event given the fact that the number of visitors expected was quite less due to bad weather conditions. An Imagine Car sales representative said, “ZEETEX is an on-demand brand here in France and we are very happy that ZAFCO has partnered with us.”

ZEETEX IN MADRID

ZEETEX Awarded Most Innovative Booth at Tyre Expo Asia

March 15, 2013 – ZEETEX has sponsored some of the giveaway items for Top Recambios, one of ZAFCO’s valued customers, a Spanish company that participated in Motortec Automechanika Ibérica. Giveaways like bags, USB devices and pens were all ZEETEX branded with the customer’s contact details. Six tire stands were dedicated to ZEETEX PCR tires, while the TBR tires were displayed in front of the customer’s stall. There were approximately five tire stalls in the entire exhibition, giving us an opportunity to educate ourselves on our customer’s needs and what we, as a company, can do to satisfy those needs. Personally meeting with the customers is the key to make them happy and gain their loyalty.

Singapore: The 2013 Tire Expo Asia was a notable feat for ZAFCO. The company set up a ZEETEX booth, one of the only booths at the show with its very own café, an extension of its new signature café, Café Zee. By incorporating Café Zee design into the booth, ZAFCO was able to showcase a glimpse of its recent innovative venture in Europe to its customers from across the globe, including South East Asia, Australia, Japan and Bolivia.

The booth was awarded the Silver Award for ‘Most Innovative Design.’

On the second day of the show, ZAFCO hosted a Gala Dinner for its dealers. The evening saw an entertaining mix of performances, with an Indian Dance, a Lion Dance and “Dikir Barat”.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

Highlights of the Quarter

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ZEETEX and Forceum Go to Philippines Manila: The first roadshow for FORCEUM and ZEETEX was held in Philippines by SunMaster.

The show took place at Max’s, one of the most famous restaurants in Manila. The purpose of the event was to showcase FORCEUM and ZEETEX product lines. Over 30 dealers were present at the roadshow.

SunMaster highlighted their new offerings and services towards the FORCEUM and ZEETEX brands. They also launched their “Level up your store” and “Level up your Life” programs for the dealers. The former entitles customers to a points exchange program redeemable for c e r t a i n products at the store, such as Balancing machine.

Points are accumulated through the volume of tires purchased.

ZEETEX CAR RALLY IN THAILAND Uttaradit: ZEETEX team in conjunction with its customers and dealers, organized a car rally to promote the brand. “I am so proud of our ZEETEX brand and thankful to the efforts of our customers for promoting the brand with passion,” says C.K.Kim, Vice President Sales of Asia Pacific.

ZEETEX Awarded Most Innovative Booth at Tyre Expo Asia The main sponsors of the event were Hankook and Jinyu, and the rally was organized as part of a charitable cause. The excellent and fruitful relationship between ZEETEX sales team and dealers is reflected in the excitement generated at the rally. The sales team feels confident about boosting the brand in Thailand and anticipates bringing ZEETEX to the next level soon.

A Day of “Connecting Passion”:Vietnamese Customers Visit ZAFCO March 27, 2013: ZAFCO recently had the pleasure of spending a day with customers from ASEAN market and touring them to our headquarters in Dubai. After a brief introduction, Mr. Sebastian Thomas,C.O.O., gave a presentation on ZAFCO, followed by a presentation on Doublecoin by Mr. Raghavendra Sanga Technical Head. Our Directors Mr. Mohammad Iqbal and Mr. Ghulam Abbas distributed plaques and gifts as tokens of gratitude.

Along with visiting the ZAFCO headquarters, the clients had a chance to explore the city of Dubai .We learned how wonderful the experience was for the dealers, given their positive feedback. They called it a day of “connecting passion.”

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Highlights of the Quarter

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

ZAFCO Launches Bonanza Scheme during Otani Convention Trip 2013 ZAFCO and Otani collaborated together in organizing the Otani Convention Trip 2013 for their customers. Around thirty customers from different countries were taken on a trip to Thailand where they first visited the Otani Radial Factory in Sampran, followed by recreational trips to Bangkok and Phuket. ZAFCO sponsored all travel arrangements, while Otani sponsored the accommodations in Thailand.

On the 25th of March, ZAFCO invited its Otani Radial clients to an evening at the Pullman Hotel in Bangkok. On this event Mr. Raghavendra, Technical Head, shared a presentation on its product and future plans. ZAFCO also made an important announcement that night, launching the Otani Bonanza Scheme for its dealers, a scheme that incentivizes meeting sales targets by the end of 2013 with exciting prizes: • On completing a target of 10,000 or more pieces of Otani TBR tires, the dealer will be rewarded with a delivery van.

• On completing a target of 5,000 or more pieces of Otani TBR tires, the dealer will be rewarded with a truck tire balancing machine.

• On completing a target of 3,000 or more pieces of Otani TBR tires, the dealer will be rewarded with a truck tire changing machine.

Based on the sales achievements of 2013, the winners will be announced on the next Otani Convention Trip.

Otani OH-101 Pattern Receives ‘A’ Rating on Wet Grip The EU labeling regulations, enforced at the beginning of November 2012, mandates the presence of labels with ratings on every tire that is sold within Europe, excluding Bias, OTR, and Industrial tires.

The tires are tested and rated based on three parameters: “Rolling Resistance”, “Wetgrip” and “Passby Noise”, details of which were discussed in the last quarter’s newsletter. Our Otani tires were also tested on these parameters, and the results are highlighted below.

On a scale of ‘A’ to ‘G,’ our Otani pattern OH-101 achieved an outstanding ‘A’ rating on the “Wetgrip” parameter. The difference between the ‘A’ and ‘G’ class for a complete set of tires is a 30% shorter braking distance, thus rendering the OH-101 the safest tire on wet conditions. The chart below illustrates the EU labeling ratings for two Otani patterns, OH-101 and OH-301: In comparison with premium brand patterns of the same size and similar application, Otani patterns performed on par and even outperformed other patterns on some parameters. This is an incredible achievement for a company that introduced radials only two years ago. The substantial investment injected into the Research & Development of these patterns will make the Otani brand a powerful presence in the coming years.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

Highlights of the Quarter

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Russian Dealers’ Trip to Dubai ZAFCO has always kept its customers happy, not only by meeting deadlines and ensuring timely shipments, but also by maintaining good social relationships. Eight valued Russian customers were invited to Dubai as a pre-event before their Otani Convention trip to Thailand.

On their first day, after giving them a tour of our stunning ZAFCO headquarters and warehouse facilities, it was time for some fun! They were given a tour of famous landmarks in Dubai, such as Jumeirah Beach Resort, Atlantis, Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab, all in a beautiful limousine. Dinner with the ZAFCO team was also a fancy affair with a remarkable view at the top of Burj Khalifa.

Their last day in Dubai ended with an amazing yacht ride that passed through beautiful sites in Dubai, including the Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah and World Island.

The ZAFCO team shared some wonderful meals with the dealers and ensured they were accommodated at a five-star hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road.

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Highlights of the Quarter

ZAFCO Meets Toyo Dealers

ZAFCO had introduced the New Year Scheme for our Toyo dealers in Nigeria for the month of January 2013. The scheme was for both TBR & PCR categories and it was divided into 4 Slabs. Any dealer achieving the target will win prices. A similar promotion was run for PCR category as well. It cannot be denied that this promotion certainly encouraged our dealers to meet their targets. Such promotions show our clear motto of “Win-Win” Strategy.

ZAFCO has also shared a TOYO poster on Damaged Tires. Only if we know how the damage is going to affect us, can we take appropriate measures to avoid them. With this poster on each of our dealers’ shop, ZAFCO intend to educate our clients more on the various damages that usually happen with Passenger Car Tires. This serves as a quick reference for the tire shopkeepers when they come across the different tire damages and repairs on a regular basis. ZAFCO considers this to be part of the Tire awareness program.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

THIS IS THE WAY WE ADVERTISE IN U.A.E.

In every business shop, it is quite imperative to install a business sign, a shop board or a signboard in order to earn recognition from prospective clients. An effective signboard can captivate a prospective client by attracting one to enter the store and discover what it offers. For decades now, signboards have been effectively used to advertise businesses and brands. In ZAFCO’s case, we advertise our tire brands next to the shop name.

The selection of shop to advertise our brand is also very essential, and some crucial factors to be considered are: the location of the shop, the foot fall of our potential customers, and the history of the shop.

Battery Campaign: How Posters Can Attract Visual Traffic Research shows the average lifespan of a poster in a shop window is approximately four weeks. Thousands of eyes walk pass your advertising literature, pausing to read or take a quick glimpse. The repetition of visual exposure on potential customers created by a high impact poster advertising campaign gives your event publicity the best chance of being remembered and therefore attended.

ZAFCO recognized the power of this repetitive exposure and decided to go in the market and distribute ZEETEX battery posters to our dealers, distributors, and business partners. We did it personally, strategically placing all the posters on walls and mirrors in an effort to maximize their impact. Every time someone looks at the poster, they remember us and acknowledge our support.

ZEETEX Cares: Educating Dealers in U.A.E. on Tire Safety To educate ZEETEX dealers on tire safety precautions and the knowledge of a safe drive, ZAFCO organized a ‘Tire Safety Campaign’ for the UAE local market. ZEETEX sales and technical services team actively participated in the campaign, giving their dealers safety awareness, briefing key features of our products and discussing any issues faced by the dealers.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

Highlights of the Quarter

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ZDEGREE Launches Fleet Services at Flagship Store January 30, 2013: ZDEGREE recently introduced its fleet service center at its flagship location in Al Quoz. The automotive maintenance company now offers fleet services, facilitating large-scale, automotive services to companies that operate small to large number of vehicles including taxi companies, shuttle buses, delivery vans or trucks. The evening was a terrific success, around 45 partners representing business customers, suppliers, and principals were present.

Martino Hosts Grand Opening of New Florida Location Florida, USA: Martino Tire celebrated the opening of yet another retail store in Fort Lauderdale on February 23, 2013. Since ZAFCO International’s acquisition of the retail chain from Goodyear Tire in 2012, Martino Tire now boasts six locations scattered all over South Florida and is gradually transforming the competitive retail landscape with its unmatched prices and services. Funded by ZAFCO’s vendors, the event was orchestrated as a marketing endeavor to introduce Martino to the local community. The grand opening was not only a tremendous success in terms of turnout and store traffic, but it also generated immediate revenues for the store. A variety of promotional offers were presented to the guests, including free oil changes and “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” to encourage tire purchases.

The event was an excellent way to introduce ZDEGREE’s flagship center and its beautifully designed facilities. Furthermore, it created a channel to market networking and partnership opportunities. With four service centers open and operational in Dubai, ZDEGREE offers full automotive services including tires, brakes, batteries, mechanical and electrical parts.

With the latest Martino addition into a successful start, the retail chain has established a great presence in the Fort Lauderdale market.

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Updates on Retail

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

ZAFCO PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CHAIRMAN ON FOUNDER’S DAY

“His journey continues as we promise to work towards a better ZAFCO under his guidance by embracing his vision, values, and passion.”

It has been a year since our beloved Chairman, Mr. Mohammad Hussain passed away. He was a man with a vision, a leader who embedded his unshakeable values, steely determination and fiery passion into the foundation of the ZAFCO Group. On February 5, 2013, a day now established as Founder’s Day, the ZAFCO team got together to pay tribute to their late Chairman in the auditorium that has been named “Mohammad Hussain Auditorium” in honor of his legacy.

Devoting an hour to share memories and experiences, the team remembered Mr. Hussain as a father, a hero, an employer, and a mentor.

The overwhelming respect and love that ZAFCO demonstrated during the event made us realize that we are, indeed, a product of an incredible journey that spanned across decades of hardships and milestones.

THE POWER OF A SMILE ZAFCO has collaborated with Smile Foundation, a non-profit organization based in India that empowers under-privileged children and youth through education, innovative healthcare and livelihood programs. Smile’s national level initiative includes its Mission Education Program. Through ZEETEX’s recent venture in Italy, a signature café called Café Zee, the company will support Smile Foundation’s noble cause to invest in a better and more peaceful tomorrow by giving the gift of opportunity and equipping the next generation with the power of an education.

Blood Donation Campaign, organized at ZAFCO on March 14 in association with Dubai Health Authority, went very well indeed. There were 55 ZAFCO members who came forward from all corners of the UAE to donate blood, Out of which 44 could successfully donate.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

SHAUKATH KHANUM MEMORIAL TRUST - HELPING KEEP LEGACIES ALIVE A generous amount was donated to Shaukath Khanum Memorial Trust as a token of generosity depicting one of the characteristics of the late Founder, Mr. Mohammad Hussain.

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital & Research Center (SKMCH&RC) is a modern cancer treatment facility. It was built by the former Pakistani cricket captain, Imran Khan, in memory of his mother, Shaukat Khanum, who succumbed to cancer in 1985.

The hospital was built to treat cancer patients, irrespective of their ability to pay. The Hospital opened to patients on December 29, 1994, upon the completion of the first of its three phases at the cost of US $22.2 million, 67% of this was in the form of donations.

Ms. Rahma Yunus of SK Memorial Trust said, “The Founder's Day event was very nicely organized. I was extremely impressed by the sentiments of not only the family of the founder but also of the employees. It's nice to see how everyone is working so hard to keep the legend alive. Good luck to all of you.” Giving is a part of the ZAFCO culture, and that is one of the secrets as to why ZAFCO continues to be blessed today.

Goes to Al Noor March 18, 2013 - Volunteers from ZAFCO went to Al-Noor Training Center for children with special needs and developmental disorders.

The annual family fundraiser is always a successful event, drawing in a larger and larger number of volunteers every year. This year, the Samsung Al Noor Fun Fair took place at their premises in Al Barsha, where over 500 participants got together to support the center’s cause. ZDEGREE was a bronze-level sponsor and displayed its booth and banners at the fair. In their colorful t-shirts sponsored

by ZDEGREE, the 13 volunteers participated in different tasks, such as selling used clothes and bags, distributing food, and assorting donations, along with customer engagement.

This is the second year that ZAFCO has partnered with Al-Noor, and we hope to continue being a part of this remarkable mission in the years to come.

Enriching the Community, One Blessing at a Time

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Café Zee: How Tires and Coffee Can Brew a Better Generation Naples, Italy: ZEETEX has inaugurated its first signature café, Café Zee on January 26, 2013, in cooperation with its distributor, Daisy Tires. Located within Daisy Tire’s retail outlet in Naples, the idea of a café was originally developed as a store-within-a-store concept to offer a customer a few moments of relaxation over a cup of coffee as they browse the retail store. “Think Emirates A380, and the lounging area/bar for passengers to briefly escape. That’s what we aimed for,” says Rashmi Bhola, Vice President of Sales for Europe. The concept slowly evolved to function as a subtle marketing campaign for ZEETEX as the customer is visually targeted through the brand logo and colors, sparkling curiosity and subconscious brand awareness. Moreover, the innovative platform of Café Zee provides ZAFCO with a way of contributing to the enrichment of society through collaboration with Smile Foundation, a non-profitable organization based in India, whose Mission Education Program focuses on providing basic education and healthcare to underprivileged children on a national level. “Café Zee is our way of saying thank you to society by giving back to them through our collective efforts with our patrons,” says a ZEETEX representative. It is a platform that will enable ordinary people to be a part of an extraordinary cause by making a small contribution with a large impact on the next generation.

ZAFCO Launches Transparency Mechanism in Workplace

The beginning of every year continues to bring innovative measures for improvement at ZAFCO. The company resolved this year to cultivate a culture of transparency and openness in communication between employees and leaders by developing a mechanism for Online Anonymous Reporting. Employees who wish to share any concerns now have a platform whereby they can lodge all their queries and feedback directly to the Executive Directors Office with the comfort of anonymity.

The purpose of this tool is to ensure that the company receives valuable input from all corners of the company. Every member of the ZAFCO family should be given the opportunity to freely express in a safe realm. Moreover, ZAFCO prides itself on being a values-based organization. The company strictly believes in fostering an ethical culture, one that is demarcated by clear morals, and promises to proactively address employee feedback by converting them into solutions. The launch of this online channel is yet another milestone towards making ZAFCO a more transparent and conscientious organization.

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ZAFCO Thinks Unconventional

ZDEGREE Launches the First Online Portal for Tires in the U.A.E. ZDEGREE has introduced a unique way to serve automotive customers in the UAE with the launch of www.myzdegree.com/tires.

The online portal allows customers to buy tires at the click of a mouse from the convenience of their home or anywhere they are. Once the customer places an order online, our mobile service van and staff will be at their doorsteps to replace the tires and also provide other services like wheel balancing and nitrogen filling. The unique concept has generated great interest since its launch in January 2013.

To generate awareness, we leveraged online advertising and direct e-mailers and introduced a live chat facility on the website to provide prompt customer feedback.

Moreover, a toll free number 800 ZDEGREE was set up to take any customer queries.

So far the campaign has delivered 880,704 impressions, 1,086 clicks and 500 unique visits per week. We also created a Facebook ZDEGREE page to engage customers. We have more than 500 Facebook fans helping to generate customer inquiries of more than 150 per week.

ZAFCO NEWSLEETR Q1/ 2013

Stay Tuned!

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

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