Between 70% and 80% of businesses fail in their first five years in South Africa.  January 2019 saw home-grown water and wastewater specialist Talbot & Talbot celebrate 30 years of achievement in delivering sustainable solutions that help organisations address their water needs. This represents a momentous achievement for a business that was started by two brothers in a garage in Pietermaritzburg – and is indeed testament to their vision and tenacity over three decades.

Talbot & Talbot quickly became an early leader in the field of water and wastewater management in Africa and has since grown to employ more than 140 people with vast experience in this highly-specialised field. 

Over the past three decades, the company has delivered advice, design and turnkey delivery of water and wastewater solutions, as well as utilities and laboratory support to a range of blue-chip global and international clients. It has provided innovative water, wastewater and water recovery solutions in a range of sectors, including food & beverage, breweries, distilleries, mining, pulp and paper, agro-industrial, automotive, textile and municipal. Talbot & Talbot has also delivered projects in over 25 countries across Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands, Australasia and Eastern Europe.

“In addition to our world-class advisory, design, implementation and operational capabilities, we have established one of Africa’s most advanced commercial environmental laboratories, through substantial investments into strengthening our in-house capacity and up-skilling local resources rather than shipping analysis offshore,” says CEO Carl Haycock.

Haycock believes that Talbot & Talbot owes its success to its ability to deliver appropriate solutions by partnering with clients to develop an in-depth understanding of each customer’s specific water needs – whether they relate to maximising efficiencies or to strategic advice on how to address their most pressing water risks and effluent discharge challenges.

Having grown from a small, family-owned business, the company is well-poised to meet future challenges and opportunities in an environment where organisations are faced with increasingly diverse and complex water challenges.