GEDORE TOOLS. GEDORE SA's manufactures over 1 200 products in its manufacturing plant in KZN
Since its established 50 years ago, tooling manufacturer Gedore South Africa (SA) has been hot forging and manufacturing quality hand tools, which come with a lifetime guarantee, having introduced hot forged, German-engineered hand tools into the South African market, thereby “revolutionising the industry”, says marketing manager Bruce Hodgkinson.
He says Gedore SA’s products have become the tools of choice for professionals and tradesman because of their unrivalled quality and value for money.
“Not only has Gedore SA enjoyed 50 successful years of trading in South Africa, the brand is genuinely revered and its unique selling point is clearly understood by its market,” maintains Hodgkinson.
He adds that the brand is so well supported locally that there are Gedore tool owners who actively promote the brand through daily referrals.
Hodgkinson attributes this achievement to Gedore SA’s commitment to never compromise on the quality of its products. “Quality is a given; we have always produced a high-quality product and will continue to do so. Quality is not negotiable at Gedore,” he comments.
Hodgkinson further notes that, since the company’s inception, Gedore SA has dedicated its time to maintaining exceptional standards and innovation. “This strategy, together with the quest for supplying superior product quality, has given the company a sustainable competitive advantage, which has allowed us to become South Africa’s leading supplier of quality tools.”
Gedore SA’s association with its German holding company has also provided the local branch with a benchmark for quality, products and processes with international standards.
“Our relentless desire to strive for quality and innovation is Gedore’s secret to success,” says Hodgkinson. Having invested in machinery such as forging hammers, grinding robots, a shifter manufacturing cell, sheet metal plant, a South African National Accreditation System-accredited laboratory, enterprise resource planning systems and warehousing solutions, Gedore SA is capable of attending to all of its clients’ needs.
Today, Gedore SA manufacturers more than 1 200 products and various tool assortments. The company has also expanded its product range of branded products from Gedore’s European and Brazilian operations to increase its tools offering to South African customers.
The Dowidat brothers, who manufactured hand tools in their family home in Remscheid, Germany, founded Gedore in 1919. The company has since grown into a multinational organisation, with subsidiaries in nine other European countries, as well as Asia, Brazil, the US, and South Africa.
The South African Gedore brand began in the 1950s when tools were imported from Germany through a local agent. This developed into the establishment of a factory in New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal in 1965, under the name of Gedore Tools South Africa.