Housing in Southern Africa March 2015

Industry Buzz, Events & Products

GEARED FOR GROWTH Tile Africa Contracts, the commercial division of Tile Africa is set to grow substantially over the next five years as it expands its supply and fit offering due to a demand from existing and new customers.

cally manufactured products helps us to remain competitive,” he says. With almost 30 consultants and specifiers servicing clients nation- ally and procuring additional sub- contractors and giving them the necessary training to lay the founda- tion for growth. National corporate customers such as Pick n Pay, Spar, Mr Price and Famous Brands continue their relationship with the company and new customers include Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza. Tile Africa contracts recently sup- plied 10 100m² of tiles to the Maskam Mall in Vredendal; 7 500 m² to Mr Price’s Boksburg flagship store; and the refurbishment of the dormito- ries at the North West University’s Potchefstroom campus. The company works closely with the in-house designers of their cor- porate customers. “We marry the product with the concept and the technical aspects of the specification in mind to make sure that what we supply is aesthetically pleasing and that the product is suited for the proj- ect in terms of traffic and durability,”

he says. The food and beverage sector remains the compa- ny’s biggest customer followed by retail, as well as provincial and private hospitals. The De Aar hospital refur- bishment is one of the major projects in 2015. While almost 60% of the company’s commer- cial work is in Gauteng, followed by the West- ern Cape, it is set to ex- pand into Zambia and Ghana in the near future. “Our expertise, national

Craig Irvine

I ts supply and fit offering permits the company to not only source and supply products, but to also install them. “The development of our supply and fit offering will allow us to provide a total solutions offer- ing to our customers and this move will give us a competitive edge,” says Craig Irvine, Commercial Operations Executive for Tile Africa’s commercial division. Tile Africa Contracts has direct access to locallymanufactured prod- ucts through its sister companies TAL and Johnson Tiles. “The exchange rate is still an obstacle for us when it comes to importing products from overseas suppliers, but procuring lo-

footprint, strategic distribution cen- tres and stock holding in well-placed areas add value to our customers. The expansion of our supply and fit offering will strengthen our posi- tion as a leading supplier of tile and flooring solutions to the commercial market,” says Irvine. Formore informationonTile Africa Contracts visit www.tileafrica.co.za or call 011 979 0327. ■

March 2015