In April 2018, Resulta Exporters hosted a dozen clients from Africa and Europe at its offices in Stellenbosch. The 5-day gathering featured a one-day conference, factory tours, and a meet and greet with the team and partner PROFEA.
The aim: connecting with clients on a face-to-face basis, showcasing Resulta’s latest projects, and providing delegates with the opportunity to sit with management and discuss their process engineering machinery and stainless steel engineering equipment requirements on a face-to-face basis.
“Organising these annual events, which we have been doing for a number of years, are valuable for us and our clients. They allow us to truly connect with one another, helping us to understand our clients’ needs better and solve their engineering problems more efficiently,” says Resulta’s Managing Director Eric Juncker.
Personal client approach
He notes that these face-to-face discussions are much more efficient than having those same discussions via email or the phone. “We live in a time in which we can do everything via the internet. Resulta nevertheless continues to believe in the importance of engaging with our clients on a personal, face-to-face level. There is only so much you can convey via email,” Juncker says.
“That is we have made a habit of visiting prospecting clients on-site and anywhere in Africa at our own expense before tendering. This helps us to identify bottlenecks and evaluate any engineering equipment requirements. Only once we have all information we need will we send a detailed proposal.”
Amongst this year’s delegates were representatives Belgian agro-industrial group SIAT, Cameroonian palm oil company Socapalm, and Ivorian edible oils company Sarci as well as various South African companies such as South Focus Enterprises, Rhodes Foods, Le Coquin Foods, and Cape Food processors.
“It was great to connect with these companies, listen to their achievements over the past year, exchange ideas about the latest developments within Africa’s food, edible oils, and beverages sectors, and discussing the latest engineering breakthroughs,” Juncker says.
Stainless steel process engineering equipment
This year’s conference’s agenda was jam-packed with valuable information. The talk by Michel Basson from the South African Stainless Steel Development Association (SASSDA), in particular, stood out. “He spoke in detail about the various grades of stainless steel South Africa manufactures, supplies, and exports – including 3CR12,” Juncker recalls, referring to the type of stainless steel that is recognised as the world’s most specified 12% chromium utility ferritic stainless steel.
“It is a phenomenal product that is price competitive, corrosion resistant, and tough, even when welded in thicknesses of up to 30mm. It retains this toughness at temperatures below freezing point, Juncker continues, adding that 3CR12 meets the European standard 1.4003 and conforms to ASTM A240-UNS-S41003. “Many delegates were blown away by Basson. They had no idea about the stainless steel sector in South Africa and South Africa’s stainless steel engineering equipment manufacturing capabilities, which are world-class and price-competitive!”
Better than emailing a brochure
The gathering’s biggest benefit for attendees was them getting a first-hand account of what Resulta can do for them, what products it delivers and that South Africa’s technical manufacturing capabilities and the quality of its raw materials are top-notch. “Such tours are much better than emailing clients an online catalogue or brochure,” Juncker says. “During our factory tours, our clients once again realise that we are a capable and reliable supplier of quality process engineering equipment – and responsive to their needs!”
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About Resulta Exporters: Resulta is a consulting project engineering company in South Africa that supplies quality process engineering equipment, components, and other machinery to dairy companies, food manufacturers, and processors across Africa. We partner with companies in the edible oils, palm oil, dairy, fruit & vegetables, beverages, and agro-processing sectors. Our competitive edge lies in our ability to customise all design elements of our process engineering equipment. This allows meeting our customers’ very specific and ever-changing needs time and time again.
This is amplified by our personalised service ethos, which includes on-site meetings with prospecting clients (on our account) prior to tendering.