Some people are born
entrepreneurs, others inherit
it and some have it thrust
upon them – as was the
case with Cedric Simons, founder
of Maverick Trading, a Cape Townbased
manufacturer of Polymer
concrete manhole covers and frames.
Winner of the Cape Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Exporter
of the Year award in 2014, Simons
started Maverick Trading in January
2000 with not
much more than
the belief that he
could make a go
of it. He had been
retrenched and
with no prospect
of employment
he decided to buy
the company. He
used all of his
available cash for
the deal.
With a family
to feed he had no
other option but
to make a go of
it despite not knowing much about
business or manhole covers.
Starting off with a staff of just
two people (that included himself)
in a space just over 100 sqm, his
dedication and commitment to
making a success of the business has
taken it from strength to strength.
Today Maverick Trading employs
over 100 people operating from
premises of just under 2000 sqm,
with sales offices in Gauteng and
Port Elizabeth.
And for Simons this really is just
the beginning.
“There is no magic formula,”
Simons told FTW on the sidelines
of an event hosted by the Exporter’s
Club Western Cape to celebrate the
company’s win. “It really was all
blood, sweat and tears. Hard work
continues to pull us through.”
His secret to success was starting
off as he planned to go. “From
the very first day there were some
aspects that were
never going to be
compromised.
The safety of the
people who work
for Maverick
Trading, the
environment in
which they work
and the quality
of the product we
manufactured
was all going to
be top notch. We
have never veered
from that and
never will.”
Despite pressures to automate
his business he continues to employ
manual labour – a remnant of
those days when he himself was
unemployed. His commitment is not
just to his family but to all the people
he employs.
Simons’ other secret is delivering a
product that is needed.
“Manhole covers were being
stolen across the country and
municipalities had a real crisis on
their hands. So we came up with a
product – a manhole with no resale
value,” he says.
No longer was there any need to
break open a sewer as the fittings
and valves were not copper and the
cover itself was worthless.
Also the manhole cannot be
opened from the outside once
it’s locked and it is virtually
indestructible.
The polymer concrete manhole
covers (drain covers) and frames for
heavy, medium and light duty traffic
are found across South Africa, used
in roads, water and sewerage systems.
Having extended the product
range significantly from those early
days they now also manufacture
gully grids for roadside storm
water drains, inlet kerbs, access
covers for Telkom and electrical
chambers, and replacement
covers for stolen and/or damaged
cast-iron manhole covers.
“A lot of effort, time, research
and development has gone into this
product,” says Simons. “What we
had achieved soon became apparent
and we started to export very early
on as other countries realised the
value of the covers.”
Maverick has exported more than
200 000 units across the borders
into Africa and continues to grow its
export volumes.
“We aim to develop a concept that
will benefit them. A module that can
deal with the theft problem but that
is also quick and easy to install with
little maintenance,” he says.
INSERT & CAPTION
We never compromise on
the safety of the people
who work for Maverick
Trading, the environment
in which they work and the
quality of the product we
manufacture.
– Cedric Simons
