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.