ADVERTORIAL
Speedfit Africa celebrates
10 years in South Africa
Here to stay
Founded at the Interbuild Africa 2006 show, Speedfit Africa has recently
celebrated its 10th year of serving the South African market. Speedfit
Africa is the master distributor for John Guest in Africa, which is the
manufacturer of Speedfit push-fit plumbing and heating solutions.
“It has been an extraordinary, amazing, and challenging business and
personal journey,” says owner Gavin van Heusden. “We’ve come a very
long way!”
Not always a smooth ride, and having endured several local and
international obstacles, the company continues to grow and strengthen
its stature in South Africa with its many long-standing customers (many
for 10 years) and new ones alike.
Having placed the Speedfit brand at the core of the company from the
start (it only supplies Speedfit), it has built a mature suite of services to
support the brand. It also ensures that installers switching to Speedfit
are looked after, as well as save time and money with its services.
Van Heusden says changing the traditional wholesale plumbing
business model was the key. Polymer plumbing solutions were new
back then, and supporting the installers with training has proven itself
many times over.
The company’s long-standing model of serving merchants as stockists
and installers as final users has really stood the test of time — 10
years to be exact!
Speedfit Africa continues to expand its reach in South Africa and
believes there is still a long way to go in the local market.
Benefits aplenty
Some of the greatest hallmarks of the Speedfit push-fit plumbing
technology are its simplicity, speed of installation, build quality, and
reliability.
“But if pushed to choose,” says Van Heusden, “it comes down to the
quality and reliability of the system. Being able to offer installers an
SABS approved product, which when installed correctly, means never
having a failure. That is something we are proud to sell in the market.
Product quality is a massive problem in South Africa, and we are all
familiar with the cost of returning to a job to correct a problem.”
Looking to the future
At the moment, the company is rolling out its newly formed Accredited
Underfloor Heating Installer Programme. The programme is without a
doubt a first in South Africa, and offers merchants the opportunity to
add the company’s UFH solution to their product mix. It also offers wellestablished plumbing companies an opportunity to expand their own
business growth.
The course is detailed, encompassing everything you need to know
about the company’s UFH products and the installation thereof. It also
includes a full project management solution for delivering successful
UFH solutions, which has been praised by installers and merchants
alike.
The company believes in delivering a high level of service to its
accredited UFH installers. Speedfit Africa carries out the entire CAD
design service, as well as both on-site support and ongoing support to
the accredited installer.
During a recent suppliers’ evening, Van Heusden recalls suppliers being
asked to ‘bring more innovation and opportunity to the market’. Speedfit
has answered that call with the UFH product range and he is quick to
remark that there is more to come — and soon!
We’re truly grateful
With a milestone birthday, it is a fitting time for Speedfit Africa to say
thank you to all its loyal stockists and thousands of plumbers who
use Speedfit in South Africa. “You know the story,” says Van Heusden,
“without you none of the celebrations and milestones could ever
happen.”
Thank you from the team at Spe edfit Africa!