John Thompson, a leading South African boiler manufacturer, service provider and subsidiary of the ACTOM group, Africa’s largest electromechanical engineering business, recently celebrated its 90th year in business, marking a significant milestone for the division.
Gladstone Mbili, CEO of the Utilities Division, said behind this milestone are skilled people and a strong commitment to customer service.
“We invest in our people, make sure that people know what they’re doing, understand what the customer needs, put safety first in whatever we do, and pride ourselves in that when we go into a customer space, we look at where the performance is, we look at where the pain points are, and we partner with the customer and work with the customer to make sure that there’s a benefit to support that,” he said.
Touching on the energy transition, Mbili said they do not feel threatened by the metamorphosis but are striving to work with it. He said it opens an opportunity for the company to expand and strengthen electricity infrastructure.
“It’s creating opportunities in those communities because, remember, in other parts of the country, there aren’t many real industrial type of opportunities. Now, with the upcoming Transmission Development Plan that will be rolled out, that will also create opportunities for companies like us.
“We’re in manufacturing, our skills are transferable. If something needs to be manufactured, rolled out, welded, or put together, it’s a team effort, so we see ourselves playing in that space as well.”
