New brand identity shows commitment to quality and customer service
 | New brand identity shows commitment to quality and customer service | 33.5 KB | Download |
 Preview | BI CEO Burtie Roberts. | 9.76 MB | Download |
 Preview | BI marketing manager Gugulethu Nkutha. | 5.63 MB | Download |
 Preview | Proud staff celebrate the rebrand launch at the BI head office in Boksburg. | 14.2 MB | Download |
 Preview | The modernised BI logo. | 2.18 MB | Download |
 Preview | The ribbon-cutting at the official BI rebrand launch. | 8.82 MB | Download |
Addressing a staff function at BI’s Boksburg head office in mid-November, CEO Burtie Roberts explained that the company had undergone a complete re-engineering process. The highlight of the function saw the official unveiling of the new BI logo, staff uniforms and brand livery.
The familiar logo, with the ‘i’ nested within the larger blue ‘B’, has been modernised and streamlined in line with the company’s new ethos of service excellence and effectiveness. The company’s fresh new look will be rolled out to its extensive branch network in a phased approach.
With a proud track record in the industry of 57 years, Roberts emphasised: “This is the start of a new company. In order to be the preferred supplier, we have to do something different. We have to give our customers a ‘wow’ experience, and we will continuously engage in that process.
“Our aim is to provide a cost-effective, quality service to internal and external customers. The initial process was to catch up with market demands and competitors, and secondly to become a proactive company providing an excellent service to our customers to ensure we are the preferred supplier,” Roberts added.
“This involved relooking at our logo, changing our branch network and even introducing changes at our head office in terms of support services, but most importantly it involves redefining our customer service,” BI marketing manager Gugulethu Nkutha commented.
“The change at BI is a highly significant one, for a company that has been around for 57 years, with a brand that has been very intact. When we looked around at the changes that have occurred in the South African context, we actually had to sit down and look at ourselves in the mirror,” Nkutha explained.
“Some of the questions we asked ourselves were very tough, such as what do we stand for and what do we represent in the market. That involved extensive change, not only from a management point of view, but it also meant engaging with our staff as well.
“They are the custodians of this brand, and have been for 57 years, and going forward we had to ensure that they embraces such change. The changes have come at a time when we, as a company, think it is needed. This is a strong indication of how robust and adaptive BI can be in accordance with the changing South African market conditions,” Nkutha elaborated.
Apart from the calibre of its staff and the company’s overall capability to offer well-rounded expertise in its solutions, BI’s segmented and targeted product offering has also allowed it to compete more effectively without focusing on price, which is a major competitive driver in the current constrained business environment.
“We strongly believe we should rather compete on value to ensure that our cost price fairly reflects the cost of providing advanced, industry-specific solutions and services, and thus safeguard industry sustainability,” Roberts elaborated.
“We are confident that our substantial investment in our quality brands, together with BI’s attractive value propositions, will ensure that we continue to deliver sustainable growth,” Roberts stressed. BI’s strategy to respond to such ongoing challenges is focused on “what we do best – that is, providing the best-quality products and service to our customers.
“We work together with our customers, with the understanding that economic pressure places more pressure on them to do more with less; together we ensure they grow while we grow.”
The function also saw BI paying tribute to some of its long-serving staff members. “We pride ourselves in people who have shown loyalty, with some having been with the company for many years, confirming our expertise and knowledge in the solutions we provide,” Roberts highlighted.
“We have implemented a number of initiatives to support this, especially in our stock levels in order to meet the demand. Similarly, a seamless customers experience in delivery and implementation of our solutions is critical to our leadership position.”
BI’s main industry focus is the automotive, OEM and aftermarket sectors in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and other countries within Sub-Saharan Africa. “With our extensive network of more than 47 branches, we support clients in most major cities. However, where the Hudaco Group expands through acquisitions, we will be willing to look into those areas of opportunity.
“We are focused on transforming our organisation through cost optimisation and increasing operational efficiency. There also remain a number of opportunities to leverage our partnerships in adjacent industries and explore value-accretive activities. We are very excited and positive about the future,” Roberts concluded.
Ends
Notes to the Editor
To download hi-res images for this release, please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Bearings International link to view the company’s press office.
About Bearings International
Bearings International, incorporating Roller Chain-Opti and Arrow Bearings & Transmission, is a leading Southern African distributor of bearings and power transmission products. A complete range of leading brand imported products is offered through 50 wholly owned branch outlets, three on-site operations at customer facilities, plus four independently-owned franchised outlets. Bearings International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hudaco Trading Pty Ltd, a South African public company. Further details pertaining to Hudaco are available at www.hudaco.co.za
Bearings International Contact Details
Gugulethu Nkutha
Marketing Manager
Tel: 011 899 0000
Email: robinab [at] bearings [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.bearings.co.za
Media Contact
Gerhard Hope
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867 7763
Fax: (086) 512 3352
Cell: 078 824 8723
Email: gerhard [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za
Browse the NGAGE Media Zone for more client press releases and photographs at http://media.ngage.co.za