18
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
<< Continued from page 17
During his address, McFarlane also consoled suppliers
who had not performed as well as expected during the
past year, advising them to do some introspection to find
out where they had gone wrong. He said that Plumblink
was ready to offer its support where needed. He also took
the opportunity to acknowledge Plumblink’s procurement
team on their good work. “To the procurement team
from each of our regions: well done. You have done a
wonderful job and you are a great team.”
In conclusion, McFarlane gave an emotional and heartfelt
praise to Luvuyo Mgidlana for being named the 2017
Bidvest Commercial Man of the Year. “We have been with
Bidvest for two years and for two years we have walked
away with an award,” he said.
COMMERCIAL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
The award is awarded to one of nine divisions in Bidvest.
“It is a good feeling to win the award, because it shows
that the work you have put in is recognised by everyone,”
said Mgidlana. He also highlighted how essential it is to
be working in an environment where you enjoy what you
do. “For me, winning an award or not winning an award
does not really make a difference — I just enjoy what I
am doing.”
The year 2017 is the second time that Plumblink has
walked away with the award, with Chandler having
received the award in 2016.
Suppliers and Plumblink
staff networking before the
awards evening.
PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM
After everybody had helped themselves to starters,
Chandler took to the stage to address everyone. He
reflected on the past six years and how Plumblink
had experienced challenges, which it managed to
overcome. Addressing the suppliers in particular,
Chandler was honest about the fact that there
were times where they had differences in opinions,
explaining that it had a lot to do with passion more
than anything else. “The more passionate we are about
things, for me, the better our business is. The better our
business is, I’d like to believe the better your business
will be,” he said.
Chandler also mentioned that Plumblink placed high
emphasis on core products and core customers. He
stressed the importance of suppliers having an
understanding of what Plumblink is about, so that they
can align their business accordingly to get the most out
of their relationship with the company. He encouraged
suppliers to visit the company’s branches to see who
Plumblink’s customers are, to gain a better overall
understanding of Plumblink.
Another important issue that Chandler discussed
was how essential it is for suppliers to comply with
the Black Economic Empowerment regulations. “As a
responsible South African company, we have to comply
with the rules.” He ended his address by thanking
suppliers for their support. “Without you guys we
are nothing. We want to be successful because our
success is your success.”
BIG PLANS IN THE PIPELINE
One of the commercial directors from Bidvest, Howard
Greenstein, was the last to formally address the
audience. He began by explaining how Bidvest has
enjoyed the relationship with Plumblink over the past
two years. “We like their vision, we like their ethos, and
we like the way they treat people,” he said. His view
of Plumblink was that it is a company with individuals
who “believe in industry development and South African
infrastructure”.
Greenstein also highlighted some of the company’s
achievements so far, which included construction of a
new distribution facility in Cape Town, to be completed
early next year. Plumblink has also moved to an
expanded facility in Gauteng. “They are being very
modest about their growth; I personally am very proud of
their growth.”
Looking ahead, Greenstein said Bidvest has set
Plumblink a target to double their business in five years’
time. “You must look at the world stage and you must
be competitive within the world. That is what Plumblink
set about doing — benchmarking not only suppliers,
but industries.” Addressing the suppliers, Greenstein
mentioned that competition is healthy and that they are
not only competing against each other, but against global
markets as well.
November 2017 Volume 23 I Number 9
www.plumbingafrica.co.za