Electrical and mechanical engineering company LH Marthinusen celebrated its centenary last month at its Johannesburg facility, where the company’s divisional CEO, Altino Da Silva, highlighted the company’s strategy for future success.

He stated that the company’s strategy was to ensure that it continued to lead the engineering market by going from strength to strength and to become a strong force for the good of its customers and employees, through innovation, technology and better practices.

He added that while many challenges and different circumstances were beyond the control of the company, LH Marthinusen, a member of local engineering company Actom Group would continue to work according to its strategy.

“Business has become more competitive in recent years. We need the interest and enthusiasm of our stakeholders to ensure that we are a driving force of improvement, progress and growth in our company. In changing economic times, there have been new challenges too for all our customers. Our function is to help them meet those challenges and overcome obstacles.

“We can only do that by being professional in everything we do. LH Marthinusen definitely has the strength in unity and we need that strength to continue during this tough economic time,” Da Silva stated.

Addressing LH Marthinusen customers and stakeholders at the event, he stated that they provided the building blocks essential for the success of the business.

Da Silva said that changing practices worldwide must be considered and that the company had employees with particular skills to help with this.

“We need to be aware of different practices and different ideas. We have to learn from others and indeed learn from their mistakes and successes. That’s the joy of an organisation like ours – we are so many different people with so many different ideas, but with one common vision – customer service,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Actom Group chairperson Mark Wilson stated that the company was proud to be associated with LH Marthinusen and added that Actom’s key strategy was to be a South African-owned competitive engineering business with an objective to grow the business.

“The best thing for us is that we have the skills base in the country. From a strategic point of view, we are happy and positive about our socioacquisition,” he stated.

Actom Group marketing and sales executive Andries Tshabalala said LH Marthinusen had complemented the company’s manufacturing, product distribution and project work offering to its customers well and that, as the company grew, it would consider opportunities in the maintenance area.

Guest speaker and former LH Marthinusen chairperson Greg Marthinusen noted that the company had been competitive for many years and that he was proud of what the company and its management teams had achieved and were achieving.