A successful contract extension with automotive and industrial product manufacturer Bosal Afrika is testament to the significant cost-savings that Bramhope Group’s Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) solutions can add to a company’s bottom line.

Specialising in product sourcing and procurement, MRO and inventory management, specialised retail services, consulting, and software solutions, the Bramhope Group has been active in the supply chain industry since 2002.

“Our comprehensive service offering covers the entire business cycle, from marketing to distribution, importing, selling, and procurement, and even encompasses packing,” MD Dries Van Tonder explains.

The Bramhope Group secured the initial contract with Bosal Afrika three years ago when it sought to outsource its MRO function. That contract has just been extended, with the manufacturer set to take up additional services in the near future, including assistance in setting up a new facility in early 2020.

“Our extensive relationship with Bosal Afrika to date, in conjunction with the significant optimisation and cost-savings we have managed to achieve, has resulted in a very happy client,” Van Tonder confirms. The Bramhope Group’s offering has extended from pure MRO to its current involvement with the bill of materials for the actual manufacturing process itself.

“Over that time we have not only become an integral part of our customer’s operations, but it has transformed into a valuable partnership,” Van Tonder highlights. As the Bramhope Group has evolved its own service offering, so it has been able to pass on these advances and benefits to its client as well.

“The difference that we can bring to a manufacturer like Bosal Afrika is that we assume total control of their MRO system, allowing it to concentrate on its core business. We also provide daily reports that give insight into all of the items available to the production process,” Van Tonder notes.

The automotive component and aftermarket segments present significant growth opportunities for the Bramhope Group. Due to rising input costs and constrained economic conditions, any appreciable cost-saving has an exponential impact on productivity and profit.

Apart from leveraging its own supply chain to the benefit of its customer base, the fact that the Bramhope Group is Level 2 accredited means its customers benefit from its accreditation as well. “We are a fully-accredited, single source of supply offering the highest quality products and services,” Van Tonder stresses.

The client feedback to date has been exemplary, with Bosal Afrika confident enough to add even more services as it continues to streamline its own supply chain and thereby reduce its total cost of ownership. “This is an excellent example of our strategy of growing ourselves at the same time as our client develops further. Such synergy allows us to refine our own service offering as technology advances, especially in terms of automation and data analytics,” Van Tonder concludes.

The Bramhope Group has been recognised by Accenture as one of the Top 3 Most Innovative Companies in South Africa in its category. It has achieved TT100 (Top Technology 100 Awards) status for two consecutive years, and was recently awarded the sub-Saharan Africa PPE Industry Customer Value Leadership Award by Frost & Sullivan.