Welding- and construction-related equipment supplier Renttech South Africa’s acquisition of East London-based gas and welding supplier East Coast Industries (ECI), in July, has afforded Renttech South Africa a far greater presence in the Eastern Cape.
“With branches in Port Elizabeth and Durban, it made sense to extend our reach in the Eastern Cape. ECI has provided expert service in welding and industrial gases for years, and was also a distributor of Lincoln products. As Renttech South Africa is the largest distributor of Lincoln in the country, it made for a good operational and cultural organisational fit,” says Renttech South Africa MD Gerrit van Zyl.
The new East London branch of Renttech South Africa gave the company not only a strong presence in the immediate vicinity, but also the capacity to service customers in more remote areas, such as Umtata and Queenstown.
“Since the acquisition, we have been steadily expanding our cus- tomer base, assisted by the newly diversified product portfolio and the fact that we can now offer a rental service. There was a long- standing demand for rental in this area which previously we weren’t able to offer,” says Renttech South Africa regional sales manager Kevin Townsend.
Renttech South Africa branch manager Dean Victor adds: “We are reaping the benefits of a vastly extended product range. This is particularly true of our range of Kelmeg lifting equipment, a new addition to our portfolio. As part of the Renttech group, we are now also able to offer a preferential pricing advantage to our customers.”
The acquisition of ECI follows two other acquisitions, both in the Western Cape – Western Cape Welding Supplies and SA Welding. This means that Renttech South Africa is firmly on track with its strategy to expand its footprint along the entire East Coast of South Africa, from Cape Town to Richards Bay.
“Through the new East London branch of Renttech South Africa, we are able to offer our customers a much quicker turnaround time and a significantly wider range of equipment
,” he concludes.