“The current economic situation might offer excellent opportunities for acquisitions within our field of operation,” comments Bearings International (BI) managing director, Bart Schoevaerts. This comes off the back of increased collaboration within the Hudaco Group, of which BI is a part. Plans for next year also include expanding and optimising BI’s branch and franchise network across Africa.
Looking at recent developments, BI has focused on its motor strategy, announcing a new partnership agreement that will see it distributing IE2 and IE3 motors from ABB in 2021. IInitial stocks arrived in December 2020, with more to follow this year. “We are incredibly excited about the future of this partnership and look forward to offering the market a premium brand motor of choice,” highlights Schoevaerts.
Also introduced in 2020, the CRAFT range of bearings has been well accepted by the market and will be added to in 2021. On the power transmission side, BI will add a heavy-duty v-belt to its offering. “There are a few other products and services we plan to launch in 2021, so watch this space,” adds Schoevaerts. “We are looking at developing a total online customer experience, in addition to further digitalisation. This focus has emerged from the learning curve of the Covid-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need to automate and introduce more paperless processes.
“The IT skills of our employees are crucial, so we will invest more in training and development in this regard. Customer and supplier contact is equally important, and therefore we will give this even more attention going forward. We shall evaluate and embrace new technologies continuously and not wait until a situation forces us to do so.”
The main challenges facing the distribution sector in South Africa at present are product supply, logistics capacity and a hesitancy to enter into long-term commitments. What gives BI the edge in such a tough trading environment are the resilience and willingness of its staff to embrace change, and its existing long-standing relationships with both customers and suppliers.
In terms of the future, Schoevaerts concludes: “I am confident that we have learned a lot, and will continue to make changes to become more resilient against future crises. I would like to thank our customers and employees for their continuous support and trust in the BI brand.”
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...UKZN’s SMART lab wins aviation award
News
: The SMART Lab at UKZN was awarded first place in the Aviation Research and Development category at the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa’s award ceremony for outstanding contributions and achievements in the aviation sector.
Read more...Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...Africa’s brightest young battery innovators Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...The road to the Indaba
News
The Africa Automation Indaba 2026 is set to become a landmark gathering for Africa’s automation, process control and manufacturing community. SA Instrumentation and Control will be running a dedicated editorial series spotlighting the voices, ideas and debates shaping Africa’s industrial future.
Read more...Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version