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BUSINESS AND TRAINING
LIXIL Africa reinvents its offering
By
Rory Macnamara
Plumbing Africa had an opportunity to chat with Seneca Lutchmana , Leader at LIXIL Africa , a global manufacturing company committed to delivering pioneering innovations through their well‐loved and trusted sanitaryware brands about the changes within the organisation in South Africa .
Seneca Lutchmana , Lead for Africa .
LIXIL ’ s sanitaryware brands include Cobra , GROHE , Vaal , and Apex Valves . Due to compounding constraints , LIXIL Africa took the decision to cease manufacturing Cobra and Vaal products in South Africa . While the pandemic has affected many businesses , it has given companies like LIXIL Africa the opportunity to re-evaluate its business strategy and reinvent its business model .
LIXIL Africa , as part of a leading global sanitaryware manufacturer , is now well‐positioned to source its products from the LIXIL network of factories globally and to provide innovative , technologically advanced products and services to its customers .
When the changes were initiated early this year , the LIXIL Africa management team produced an informative video explaining the purpose and reason behind closing their factories in South Africa . The video is available on their site www . lixil . co . za as well as on our digital copy on the plumbingafrica . co . za online platform .
“ Cobra factories have been a part of the South African landscape for over 60 years and their closure marked the end of a manufacturing era . After extensive market analysis , insights , and research , we realised that continuing to manufacture our products locally did not enable us to compete in an evolving industry ”, said , Seneca . However , we want to reassure our customers and our consumers that
All images : LIXIL
Manco – front , from left : Corrie Stride , Janine Mashigo , Seneca Lutchmana , and Priya Kalicharan . Back row ; Allen Sithebe , Leon van Vreden , Samantha Naidoo and Dayne Olivier .
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline January 2022 Volume 27 I Number 11