Specialist expands portfolio in sub-Saharan Africa

Following its acquisition of chain solutions manufacturer IWIS Drive Systems South Africa in November, industrial supplies specialist Bearings 2000 (B2K) has become the exclusive distributor of IWIS in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing IWIS brands, including Elite, Flexon and Jwis, to B2K’s customer base.

Customers can also benefit from the company’s local support services, says B2K sales director Michael Stamatiadis.

A key motivation behind the acquisition was to enhance B2K’s power transmission offerings with renowned, high-quality brands, while providing local stockholding and expertise.

The market response has been positive, with customers already engaging with B2K to explore additional chain and power transmission options. The acquisition has created many opportunities for B2K, enthuses Stamatiadis.

B2K offers on-site technical support, application design, product selection, failure diagnosis, remedies, recommendations, customer training and condition monitoring, besides other services, while its in-house engineering workshop can provide product customisations in short turnaround times.

To support the integration of IWIS brands into its portfolio, B2K has employed product specialists to support its sales teams and branches. The company has also launched comprehensive training programmes to upskill staff on the IWIS products.

B2K’s being the exclusive distributor of IWIS in sub-Saharan Africa enables customers to streamline procurement by consolidating product sourcing, reducing lead times, improving inventory management and enhancing logistics efficiencies, explains Stamatiadis.

“We have big plans for the IWIS products in sub-Saharan Africa, and plan to invest and [allocate] considerable resources towards this strategy,” says B2K MD Ross Trevelyan.

The IWIS acquisition marks the company’s second successful integration following the acquisition of MCL Engineering Products, in 2022.

B2K aims to continue growing its footprint and product offering and is actively seeking future deals aligned to its long-term strategic goals.

A significant challenge impacting on the distribution industry is supply chain fragility and disruptions.

“The products we distribute are fully imported; this makes stocking, planning and meeting customers’ deadlines very difficult,” says Trevelyan.

To mitigate the impact of supply chain challenges, B2K has significantly increased stock levels, ensuring that critical items are always in stock. The company also prioritises continuous engagement and collaboration with customers to ensure that their critical stock items and projects are planned correctly.

Stamatiadis notes that exporting into sub-Saharan countries presents additional complexities and, therefore, B2K has small margins for error.

Consequently, to ensure smooth delivery, B2K has established a dedicated export team, with over ten years of experience dealing in cross-border supply, to manage cross-border customers.