THE LAUNCH 12 months ago of the Mecalux racking and shelving range in South Africa has elevated the quality available to new levels, in the view of Fred Albrecht. A veteran of the industry, Albrecht was awarded sole distributorship for the range which is manufactured in Barcelona and sold in 42 countries around the world. “The company’s leadership is based on its advanced technology and a broad distribution network,” says Albrecht. Mecalux supplies 85% of Europe’s requirements and has cornered 46% of the US market. It keeps more racking in its Barcelona warehouse than South Africa manufactures in seven years, says Albrecht, who was involved in local manufacture before taking over the Mecalux brand. “And the major reason for choosing import over the local product was quality,” said Albrecht. “The product is certified to the highest worldwide quality standards, and in addition we’ve managed to negotiate a very good deal that brings quality at affordable prices. It’s extremely competitive with local suppliers.” The local distribution centre is based at Aeroport on the East Rand, with agencies in Durban and Cape Town. A Cape Town distribution centre is due to open in June this year. “We offer 42 ranges of racking and shelving which are used across every industry sector,” says Albrecht. The five manufacturing facilities, of which the Barcelona factory is the main hub (43 000m2), produces 2 560 tons per day which is 933 000 tons per annum. “We believe that we can supply exceptional quality at an affordable price – the challenge now is to get the brand known and we’re confident that our aggressive marketing campaign is already making significant inroads into the market.”
