Construction World April 2015

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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

DUE NORTH

“They not only resemble parts from the Original Equipment Manu- facturer (OEM), but their performance under working conditions is identical to that of the OEM part,” says Andrew Yorke, operations director, Metric Automotive Engineering. As a local distributor of IPD engine parts, Metric Automotive Engi- neering has access to new part numbers released on a monthly basis to cover the popular Caterpillar ® C Series engines. IPD is an international manufacturer of engine parts for Caterpillar ® engines. “We are proud to be first to market with aftermarket parts of this quality,” York says. Metric Automotive Engineering is one of South Africa’s most comprehensively equipped diesel engine and component re-manufacturers. “Since being appointed IPD’s distributor in South Africa in 2008, The real danger with replacement parts is that companies produce ‘copycat’ parts by duplicating the look of the original part. In contrast, IPD parts are engineered replacement parts produced under stringent quality control measures to ensure integrity and optimum performance. > North CEO Craig Garvie notes that the company’s expertise and experience are unparalleled.“North is becoming recognised as an industry leader with our commitment to providing the highest quality head-to-toe protection. Our carefully developed line of safety equipment is manufactured in accordance with the strictest quality standards and is tried-and-tested in numerous applications.” According to Garvie, North prides itself on exceeding its client’s expec- tations and constantly looks for opportunities to make improvements. “Currently we are focused on bettering our serviceability. There are so many players in this sector and not everyone gives customers the service they’re entitled to.” To accommodate all customers, North has opened a chain of retail stores around the country. “We see a huge market for smaller buyers looking for PPE supply for their own businesses. Our retail section is going to be about servicing the smaller business units, who have been neglected in the past,” says Garvie. He observes that certain industry sectors lend themselves to retail. “Farming, for example, does not require large amounts of personal protective equipment. Farmers are not necessarily interested in a sales representative coming onsite to sell a small quantity of overalls. Instead, they find it more convenient to go into town once a week to purchase the necessary PPE items hassle-free.” According to Garvie, contractors will also benefit. “The North retail store is ideal for a contractor who may have been awarded a new job and needs to quickly collect a PPE item for the day. It is also ideal for purchasing extra PPE, should a team have to be swiftly expanded due to unforeseen circumstances.” Garvie says the primary aimof the North retail stores is accessibility, by allowing customers to walk in and walk out with the products that they require.“We want tomake our products freely available, provide customers with choice, while ensuring that our pricing remains competitive.” North manufactures a significant amount of its stocked products, > The Pinetown-based company is earning a reputation as South Africa’s premier designer, developer, manufacturer and supplier of personal protection equipment (PPE) and related safety products that are ideally-suited to a number of industries and applications.

North Staff at the Cape Town branch.

Craig Garvie, CEO of North safety products, with staff outside the new store.

we have been servicing an increasing number of customers who have recognised and experienced the significant cost savings associated with world-class quality replacement parts,” Yorke says. “The focus of both Metric Automotive Engineering and IPD has been on helping equipment owners to save money without risk to reliability. Essentially IPD products are Caterpilla r® replacement parts, manufactured in a Lloyds accredited ISO 9001:2000 quality controlled environment.” “The major advantage for our customers is that they are able to source engine parts from an engineering company – the very parts which we use in the remanufacture of our own engines,” Yorke says. “This, in turn, gives them optimum confidence about the quality and integrity of the parts. We are not simply a parts supplier. As an engine component remanufacturer, we have the necessary expertise and expe- rience to be able to identify quality parts,” Yorke says. “While most other engine rebuilders need to buy in their replacement parts, we have the tremendous advantage of an in-house stockholding of high quality Caterpillar ® -equivalent parts. This effectively positions us as a preferred supplier for heavy duty remanufactured diesel engines. “By eliminating the middle man in parts purchasing, we are able to pass on a substantial cost saving to our customers, at the same time maintaining total control of quality throughout the remanufacturing process,” Yorke concludes. which Garvie believes gives the company a competitive advantage in its industry. “It definitely gives us a pricing advantage on some of the competitors that only resell products. We do, however, also stock other quality brands to ensure that the client is provided with the best selection at the most competitive prices.” Consolidating on its success, a primary aim for North has been to break into the African market.“We’re growing our business via investments into Africa,” notes Garvie. “We already have controlling interests in companies based in Mozambique, Zambia, the DRC and Kenya, and are supported by stable partnerships with local associates there.” Recognising that staff members are the company’s most valuable resource, Garvie contends that it is vital to invest in their development. “We equip employees with the tools for overall job satisfaction and provide themwith opportunities to reach the next level of expertise. We also have a number of training initiatives that continually add to the skills base of our employees.” Ultimately, Garvie believes there are three factors influencing North’s success. “I believe that our national footprint, together with our invest- ment in Africa, having dedicated staffand paying particular attention to customer service are all standing us in good stead to remain an industry leader,” he concludes.

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CHAMPIONING ENGINEERED REPLACEMENT PARTS

CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2015