Surviving in an everchanging market and being able to take advantage of rising opportunities in Africa means having to continuously develop and manufacture unique, quality products locally to keep transport costs down. This is no mean feat, but something to which DPI Plastics – part of the Distribution & Warehousing Network Limited (DAWN) Group – largely attributes its growth. “We currently have five manufacturing plants in southern Africa – Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Tanzania and Mauritius. And we are looking to expand further afield by establishing manufacturing, warehousing and sales in other parts of the region, including Zambia and Malawi,” said DPI Plastics export manager, Rajesh Naval. The company provides pipes and fittings for a variety of industries, with mining, irrigation and construction among them. “We’ve developed our own range of differently sized PVC pipes and currently 90% of our pipe exports are this range,” Naval said. “DPI Plastics is the only company in the southern hemisphere which manufactures up to 630 mm PVC pipes in bulk water and sewerage applications, and this has given us an edge in the market,” he said. He told FTW that the company’s strategy was to acquire established companies in strategic locations in Africa, to share expertise through training and other initiatives and to manufacture products locally. “Transport costs are very expensive and we’ve found that manufacturing locally cuts down considerably on the cost of the end-product, enabling us to offer quality products at cost-effective prices,” said Naval. It also means greater local buy-in as it creates jobs in that country, he added. “We look at what a particular country’s market needs and we will develop products that are not currently sold locally,” said Naval. Mining in Africa is showing “huge potential” for growth and he told FTW that the company was currently focusing on production of pipes and fittings that are more suitable to the mining industry. “Mines prefer to use local suppliers because they don’t need to wait as long for supplies to reach them,” he commented. Being part of a larger umbrella company such as DAWN – which supplies hardware, sanitary ware, plumbing, kitchen, engineering and civil products through a variety of companies, including Cobra and Lasher Tools – allows the company to transport a full truckload of supplies to a specific destination as part of a greater consolidated load. According to Naval, DAWN distributes approximately 40 000 products sourced through more than 2 500 suppliers to over 12 000 customers in the building and infrastructure sectors. DAWN Logistics offers justin- time breakbulk distribution through its fleet of more than 140 vehicles on a national basis, with over-border deliveries to Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho. “Through DAWN’s subsidiary, Africa Saffer Trading (AST), we have access to all the key markets throughout the continent.” INSERT & CAPTION We look at what a particular country needs and we will develop products that are not currently sold locally. – Rajesh Naval
