::: Service Providers :::
Focus on BrandSmart

Since its inception in 2002, BrandSmart has quickly established a strong reputation as a sought-after specialist consultation company in corporate branding and marketing. The company is registered with saibl as a specialist service provider in Marketing strategies and Plans, Sales Improvements, Strategy and Business Management planning. The company attended Foundation Training with saibl in 2008.

The managing director Dudu Thabede is a Brand Strategist and Marketing and Advertising Consultant with many years experience in the corporate world. For the last eight years Dudu has been running her own successful marketing and communications company servicing a number of government and blue-chip companies. Offering a personalized and original service to her clients, Dudu is in a position to leverage her knowledge of developing and developed markets to build brands across various sectors from launching to repositioning of ailing brands, developing strategies to access new markets as well as developing advertising and promotional campaigns. Dudu is also an entrepreneur with various business interests; she is a speaker / presenter on personal branding and marketing and the branding of corporates and services. She sits on the Boards of Fluor SA and Khula Finance Limited as an independent director.

The company, which is based in Rivonia, Gauteng, has varied and extensive experience in sectors such as FMCG, financial services, employee benefits, publishing, mobile / cell phone market, petroleum products, as well as the public service. BrandSmart's services include Research (feasibility studies, focus groups, in-depth interviews), Branding (name development, corporate identity development, logo design and application), Organisational Integration (developing brand ambassadors, service delivery training, CRM), Smart Branding (copywriting, graphic design, promotions, advertising [print, radio, TV, digital], product launches, event coordination, exhibitions) and Project Management.

Previous and current clients include SASRIA, Negotiated Benefits Consultants (NBC), Sony Ericsson, SABS, The DTI, Mafube Publishing, CookSafe, Sizwe Medical Fund, FNB, First Link Insurance, Absa Mobile Banking, Regiments Capita (PTY) Ltd., Go Publishing, CEO Magazine, Brandhouse, Christian Lacroix.

In 2010, BrandSmart was appointed as the marketing and advertising agency for the Rwanda Development Board and has subsequently opened an office in Kigali.

www.brandsmart.co.za

::: Enterprise Support :::

Zenzeleni Experiences Remarkable Growth

Zenzeleni Clothing (est. 1989), a Durban-based company owned by the South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU), has experienced remarkable growth under the stewardship of astute management such as Lenny Naidoo. Zenzeleni has cemented strategic alliances with saibl over the past eight years. This has assisted in re-organising the company's operational processes and business organization.

During the early 1990s Zenzeleni operated as a cooperative, formed with the objective of providing employment to retrenched textile workers, mainly those retrenched by large textile organizations such as Frame Textiles. Whilst operating as a co-operative, Zenzeleni focused on producing T-shirts for other trade unions. Unfortunately unions did not always pay and the cooperative was entangled in cash flow problems. This cascaded down to the production of poor quality products and as a consequence in 1992, the cooperative was forced to reduce employees from 300 to 150.  

Transformation at Zenzeleni occurred during the mid 1990s to the early 2000s when the company was presented with an opportunity by Bobby Godsell, the then Chief Executive Officer of Anglo Gold Ashanti, to manufacture mining clothing as part of the mine's black empowerment initiatives. Zenzeleni had to change from being a cooperative to a limited corporation and had to meet stringent quality requirements. Zenzeleni also had to comply with the legislative requirements on wages, a factor that reduced its price competitiveness. In response, management led by Lenny Naidoo revamped business processes at Zenzeleni and made operations more efficient. It was at this juncture that Zenzeleni approached saibl to assist in re-organizing the business.

Through its technical assistance fund, saibl helped Zenzeleni with improvements in IT for business solutions, market strategies and plans, as well as sales improvement plans. Zenzeleni was also assisted with quality assurance management and certification. The assistance provided by saibl augmented the efforts of Zenzeleni's dynamic management who realised the need to constantly upgrade operational processes and to gear up for global competition through the implementation of world-class manufacturing standards. Zenzeleni also diversified its clientele from focusing on the mining sector to include the public sector, including the manufacturing of clothing for Transnet, South African Police Services and the SA Army. Annual revenue at the company grew from initial levels of around R 5 million to the current levels of over R 45 million.

Ultimately, Zenzeleni (a Zulu word that translates to "we do it for ourselves") has managed to meet its primary objective of employing retrenched workers and to date employs up to 150 people. The challenge now for Zenzeleni is dealing with the influx of cheap imports mainly from the Asian market. Management agrees that saibl assistance is still very much needed, ranging from business advice to technical assistance to help minimize the impact of global competition.

www.zenzeleni.com

From Durban to Miami - Phoenix Power Cables Becomes a Global Company

(Picture from left to right: Roy Ramkisson, Yashoda Ramkisson, Mathias F Sandoval [PDIC President, General Cable Corporation Executive Vice President], Latha Ramkisson, Luis A Corte [Managing Director], Anni Ramkisson)

Phoenix Power Cables (PPC) started operating in April 2007 as a manufacturer of quality cables supplying house wire cables mainly for the household market. When PPC joined saibl in July 2008, a Company Diagnostic assessment confirmed that the company was in a growth phase, wanting to venture into the manufacturing of low and medium voltage cables.  It also confirmed that the company was sound and had linkage potential with the Ethekwini Municipality.

In June 2009, saibl assisted PPC with the implementation of SANS 1507-3 and SANS 1339, SABS marks for the manufacturing and supply of low and medium voltage cables.  The SABS marks are compulsory with the aim of ensuring the basic safety of electrical installations, to ensure the protection of people, animals and property and the proper functioning of an installation.

PPC has been growing in leaps and bounds with a more than 150% growth in turnover from R16 million (2008) to R41 million (2009). Because of the company's success and capability, on 19 January 2010 General Cable Corporation (NYSE:BGC), a Fortune 500 company, acquired a substantial portion of the wire and cable assets of PPC.  The entity that was born is called General Cable Phoenix South Africa (GCPSA). The former owners, the Ramkisson family, hold a 10% interest in the business. The four original directors Anni Ramkisson, Roy Ramkisson, Yashoda Ramkisson and Latha Ramkisson hold executive directorship in GCPSA andt heir incumbents Yashica, Roneil and Ashish also hold key positions in the company.

General Cable Corporation is currently engaged in developing, designing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing and installing copper, aluminium and fibre optic wire and cable products at GCPSA. Recently, saibl visited the company premises where a lot of activity is taking place, including an increase in new staff, expansion of the factory and factory machinery, as well as training of staff. The Ramkisson family is happy with progress and the direction the company is taking. They do not regret letting go in order to advance the business to the next level.

PPC remains in existence with Anni Ramkisson retaining a 100% shareholding.  PPC remains a value chain participant in the cables manufacturing sector manufacturing house wire and maintains the SABS Mark: SANS 1507-2.

The success of PPC is one that saibl celebrates with them. PPC has proven that, when sound companies are assisted with the appropriate technical assistance, small business can become big business.

www.phoenixcables.co.za

African Allsorts Beads Its Way Into Global Market

(Picture: To celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, African Allsorts has launched a range of soccer artwork in the form of hand-made bead and wire art collectibles)

Started from humble beginnings in 2004, a predominantly woman black-owned bead and wire art business is fast becoming a job-creation and social upliftment centre in Cape Town. The support of saibl has seen African Allsorts (AA) making giant strides as an exporter to the USA, thus securing employment for many family breadwinners.

The strategic intervention by saibl came at an opportune time when AA was endeavouring to take its business to the next level and realise its vision of becoming a proudly South African worldwide art representative.  "Our international doors opened when saibl assisted us in attending the California Gift Show in 2007 where African Allsorts' name was propelled into the global arena. We are very thankful for saibl's assistance without which it would have been very difficult to enter this new market", said Leila Rajah, AA owner and manager.

To enable AA's success at these shows, saibl had to assist by ensuring that their work was of export quality and ready to compete with international handcrafted art forms. With the support of saibl, the company has so far attended three international gift shows, with the Atlanta Gift Fair being the latest. "We increased sales dramatically and have opened new accounts as a result of these shows. We have also gained invaluable information about what is required in order to succeed as an exporter", said Rajah.

AA has expanded beyond Africa and its hand-made, finely sculpted bead and wire art collectibles are exported to the USA and other countries around the world. In South Africa, it supplies up-market game lodges, boutique stores, hotels and gift shops, whilst its international client-base includes prestigious museums, renowned art galleries and luxury retailers. Due to a steady increase in orders, the company has set up a studio which includes a show room. Future plans include collaborating with different independent small designers and expanding the studio to a bigger production facility, thereby helping to achieve its primary goal of job creation.

www.africanallsorts.com

::: Talk Back :::

" We were invited through saibl to attend as exhibitors, the New York Gift show... We were able (again with saibl assistance) to extend the period of our stay going to Virginia where were learnt new dyeing techniques to augment our own ... Lastly and not least we developed a working relationship with saibl especially Wilhela Gie whom we had known for years, Bongekile Mbili who mothered us through all the paperwork - and the frightful complications of obtaining US visas, and with Kennia Sommerville ... Momento's of Africa is a company that has truly put South African transformation into practice, not merely dressed the company up. It makes a world class product, using otherwise unemployed people, and trains them to be useful members of society."

- Roger Smith, Marketing Manager, Momentos of Africa
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape

"I would like to inform you that I am very pleased with the progress that we are making with regard to our initiative to develop MBSA suppliers. One of the really positive experiences was the diagnostic assessment that I participated in because I could see that it was really beneficial to the supplier ..."

- Owen Smith, Manager Purchasing, Procurement: Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans
East London, Eastern Cape

"Congratulations on saibl's first e-bulletin. It is very informative and keeps us in-touch."

- Krish Maharaj, Director, Growth Path International
Durban, KwaZulu/Natal

South African International Business Linkages
145 Western Sevice Road
Maple Place South
Woodmead Business Park
Woodmead
2148

Tel: +27 11 602 1205
Fax: +27 86 524 2189
Email: info@saibl.co.za
Website: www.saibl.co.za

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