Weir Minerals takes home Gauteng export crown

Weir Minerals Africa, an exporter of premium quality mill and slurry pumps, has been named Gauteng Exporter of the Year 2011. “Exporters have not had it easy since the 2009 recession, and even more so in our industry,” said export manager Pieter van den Berg. “Winning an award like this emphasises the excellence that we strive for on a day-to-day basis.” Weir Minerals Africa, which exports its products to mining and mineral processing plants across Africa, was also the winner in the large manufacturing category. The company’s ‘explosive’ increase in the value of exports in the past few years was attributed to its customer-focused strategy that incorporates a web-based 24-hour global feedback feature. “Customer focus is extremely important in our business where we face tough competition from the East. With no proper trade regulation on imports there is always a market for inferior products against which we have to compete while also taking the various logistical challenges of exporting into Africa into account,” said Van den Berg. Other winners included BMZ Import and Export Agencies which won the Export Services award and Southern Implants which was honoured for technological excellence. The small manufacturer award went to Creative Flavors International and the medium manufacturer for 2011 was Consulmet. Some 32 companies competed in this year’s competition, run by the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.