B R I E F S
Wood-Mizer establishes subsidiary company
in South Africa as part of global expansion strategy
With effect from June 1, sawmill and
bandsaw blade manufacturer WoodMizer is providing a new level of support
to the African sawmilling industry by
establishing a fully owned subsidiary
company.
Located in Johannesburg, the
operation is headed by Jean-Jacques
Oelofse ('JJ') who takes on the new
position of Regional Manager – Africa,
with responsibility for all sales and
service activities. He will be working
directly with customers as well as
coordinating and expanding the network
of agents and distributors throughout
the Continent.
"Local operators and potential
customers respond particularly to a
supplier's dedicated presence, with the
availability of technical support,
engineering expertise, operator training
and maintenance services", said
Richard Vivers, chief operating officer
for Wood-Mizer's Sawmill Division
worldwide.
"Of course, it is essential to have a
manager who is knowledgeable and
sensitive to local needs, and I am
delighted that JJ Oelofse has joined us.
He brings wide experience of sawmilling
and of Wood-Mizer over many years,
most recently from running a large
timber processing business in Zambia
which uses our sawmills.
"As a manufacturer supplying global
markets we have become increasingly
convinced of the importance of
establishing a strong local presence. In
2009 we appointed a regional manager
for Asia based at a subsidiary office in
Singapore, and last year we appointed a
regional manager for South America.
Both of these developments have
proved successful, and we are confident
that the same will be true for the new
office in Africa".
Wood-Mizer manufactures a wide
range of equipment – from mobile
sawmills that can be towed to site,
avoiding the cost of log haulage, to
edgers and moulder/planers for adding
value to the sawn boards, up to fully
integrated lines for efficient small log
processing and a new 'large' mill for logs
Managed by
newly
appointed
Regional
Manager JeanJacques
Oelofse, the
subsidiary
office will be
responsible for
sales and
customer
service
throughout
Africa
up to 1.7m diameter. It is the only
sawmill manufacturer in the world that
also manufactures its own sawblades,
designed for optimum performance on
its own machines and on other makes of
bandsaw.
"It's an exciting time to join WoodMizer and I am looking forward to
meeting ex isting and pote ntial
customers", said Mr Oelofse. "I know
from first-hand experience how well the
company's sawmills and sawblades
perform and how suited they are to the
needs of African timber processors.
"My priorities are to provide top-class
service, competitive pricing, and good
availability of sawmills, sawblades and
spare parts from local stocks, so that we
can work closely with timber companies
to help them improve their productivity,
quality, yield and profits".
Wood Mizer Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd is
the 15th Wood-Mizer subsidiary around
the world and is located at 9 Harnas
Street, Stormill