‘Tipping the scales’: Bolt and Engineering Distributors Group weighs up well with cutting-edge services to Klerksdorp customer
The investment in customers’ businesses through a solutions-driven approach, continuous, personal interactions and outstanding customer service ensures long-standing and strong relationships, with notable achievements in operational efficiency.
For Bolt and Engineering Distributors Group (B.E.D.), which supplies a vast product range to a wide variety of industry sectors – including agriculture, mining, materials handling, working at height and welding – this dedicated commitment has resulted in many robust service accomplishments over the years:
“In particular, B.E.D.’s consistent interaction with valued industrial weighing equipment manufacturer and supplier Klerkscale for more than 30 years has created a resilient relationship of mutual respect,” says B.E.D. Klerksdorp Sales Representative Pieter Joubert.
Founded in Klerksdorp in 1958 to meet the high demand for weighing machines, local manufacturer Klerkscale specialises in advanced technology for industrial weighing systems, such as those for on-road vehicle and off-road vehicles, axle, rail and container weighbridges, and heavy-duty platforms.
“B.E.D., as a ‘single source supplier’, has been able to steadfastly provide Klerkscale with the day-to-day supply of fasteners for their weighbridges, tools and personal protective equipment (PPE), significant industry knowledge; as well as several welding and cutting equipment solutions which have enhanced the customer’s operational success and continuity,” explains Joubert.
Recent outstanding products and solutions supplied include the provision of technologically advanced, premium welding and cutting equipment to Klerkscale, such as high-quality Fronius TransSteel CO2 welders for Klerkscale’s manufacturing facility in Klerksdorp; a plasma cutter and 3 x 6 metre plasma cutting table – believed to be one of the largest cutting tables in South Africa – as well as a Hypertherm XPR300 power source, screw compressor and software.
Thanks to their ability to provide excellent welding quality, higher welding speeds resulting in faster production and lower operating costs, the Fronius TransSteel CO2 welders have been standardised across Klerkscale’s manufacturing processes.
“The plasma cutting solution, meanwhile, has enabled significant productivity increases, as opposed to manual cutting with oxygen or acetylene units. This has resulted in reduced material waste, increased manufacturing efficiencies and improved project delivery times,” says Klerkscale Director Robert Stephenson.
B.E.D.’s Welding and Cutting Product Specialist Sean Christian also recently conducted a straight line welding demonstration to Klerkscale. In this demonstration, a Messer Portacut straight line cutter was specially converted for welding applications – which yielded excellent preliminary results.
“This automatic cutter allows for enhanced manoeuvrability, and economic and flexible cutting, in a straight line, in contours, strips, and bevel cutting. In converted form, the machine facilitated continuous welding for welds up to 4 m in length,” Christian points out.
World-class welding
As cutting and welding are essential to fabrication and manufacturing across most industries – requiring the highest efficiency and quality results – B.E.D. strives to offer customers the perfect welding or cutting fit fast, through an impressive and comprehensive portfolio of world-class international and local suppliers: including Fronius, Messer, Hypertherm, Zenweld and Castolin Eutectic.
“Armed with this portfolio, full global support from our suppliers on all product solutions and complex applications, a solid track record and pool of experience built up over our 37 years in servicing the market – as well as a dedicated welding support team with more than 75 years of experience in the welding and cutting industry – B.E.D. knows what ‘makes the cut’,” says Joubert.
“Drawing on the strength of these skills and knowledge, we furthermore facilitate knowledge transfer to our customers, for enhanced productivity, financial benefits and ultimately, peace of mind in terms of their business longevity and growth,” he adds.
Stephenson agrees, advocating that the strength of the distributor-customer relationship lies in B.E.D.’s responsive and immediate service in resolving any concerns – enhanced by relevant and very informative product demonstrations, testing opportunities and training when required.
“Based on our personal relationship with B.E.D., we can trust that they will always give us the attention and service when and where we need it. Moreover, reliability is ensured, as there is never a reason to think B.E.D. will not follow through. These efforts to provide great customer service experience, and are what differentiates B.E.D. in the market,” Stephenson says.
To this end, B.E.D. proactively invests in knowing its customers’ businesses, consistently taking 100% responsibility in ensuring it provides the right solution – whether it is product supply or training – to ensure the most efficient results.
“By assessing and analysing our customers’ businesses, and focusing on any challenges or room for improvement, we can ‘weigh up’ the important issues and come up with products and solutions – helping them to ‘tip the scales’ in their favour, by strategically streamlining, adding to and improving their production processes.
On this note, we are extremely honoured to have been able to serve our valued long-term customer Klerkscale for the past three decades, and look forward to many more years of helping them to ‘get the balance right’!” Joubert concludes.
Appeared in Press
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