COMPANY PROFILE
2013
MBT Petroleum
R6OM investment set to enhance service delivery
CompANY PROFILE
R6OM investment set to enhance service delivery Editorial: Lauren Grey Production: Chris Bolderstone
On the eve of its tenth anniversary, MBT Petroleum is planning a landmark celebration which will see the South African supplier invest R60M in a bid to integrate its business divisions and upgrade its facilities. IndustrySA speaks to founder and CEO, Johan Fouché to find out more…
Many successful business notions take years of careful planning and significant investment to get them up and running, but for Johan Fouché, founder and CEO of MBT Petroleum, starting up the company was the “natural next step”. Fouché started his extensive career with global giant BP in 1987, where he gained vast experience in all aspects of the petroleum industry, from sales and logistics to administration and management. Following his 12 years with the company, Fouché went on to work for Excel and Sasol, before eventually starting up his own business. “I started up MBT Petroleum in 2004, entering a market that was dominated by the likes of Sasol, Shell and BP, but it felt like the natural next step in my career and I knew I was targeting a niche in the market”
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explains Fouché. It was this niche, together with Fouché’s knowledge, experience and determination that propelled MBT’s success and the company has since established itself as a leader in the supply of petroleum, with a strong customer focus. “Identifying a niche was my first step; I noticed that there was a real need for a South African company in the market, with a true South African feel and presence. My next step was to secure a contract for the refinery of our product, and that contract was with Sasol, who is still to this day our main supplier.” In the years that followed MBT grew substantially, in terms of staff numbers, revenue and customer satisfaction, and it is now regarded amongst the leading non-refining wholesalers in the Republic of South Africa.
MBT Petroleum
MISSION AND VALUES Since its inception, MBT has been -as its slogan depicts“Motivated Beyond Tomorrow”, with a focus on superior service deliver and innovation within the industry as Fouché explains, “‘Motivated Beyond Tomorrow’ forms part of our core values, and really the attitude of the whole company because we are continuously looking towards the future.” As a leading petroleum supplier, MBT’s mission to keep looking towards the future not only relates to future development of the company, but hints at a bigger picture, as it strives to create a more sustainable living environment for everyone. “We are busy with research and development in terms of a renewable energy sources; we already have an ethanol and bio-diesel division with a substantial footprint in both of these markets. So “Motivated Beyond
Tomorrow” just seemed fitting to me.”
GROWING FLEET MBT’s drive towards superior service, innovation and customer satisfaction has been a huge asset to the company, and a major reason for its rapid growth; but not to get complacent at the top of the industry, MBT is continually upgrading and developing as a business. One of the company’s most recent developments was an investment in 15 new fuel tankers, bringing its total up to 25; in having its own fleet division, MBT is able to have direct and hands-on information regarding the deliveries of its products to its customers, and it fixes the age old problem of not knowing where, what and when the product will arrive. “The new vehicles make a huge difference to the business; we used to make use of contractors, but we have
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CompANY PROFILE phased that out. Instead we have invested in a new fleet of fuel tankers to enhance our service delivery, because we are now able to take our own product, via our own tankers to our own service stations.” MBT’s fleet consists of various state of the art metered tankers, managed by a competent team of technical, administrative, operational and management staff. The company also has its own 24hour control room to monitor and control all aspects of the customer’s delivery.
INVESTMENT As MBT prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary at the top of its industry, it is also readying itself for a huge investment which will see the company integrate several business divisions under one roof, in a project that is set to cost R60M. “We will be integrating our head office and all of our divisions onto one piece of land, which will allow us to have more control over our operations and enhance our service delivery. Currently we have a head office
situated about 30/40 kilometres away from our logistical operations, and it has taken us a long time to find the right industrial set up where we could integrate all of our operations into one premise,” says Fouché. Construction at the new site is set to start in January 2014, and is significantly larger than the company’s current facilities, “The new site is approximately 10 Hectares and will have state of the art loading facilities and storage facilities...It will also have its own bio-fuel plant” Integration is the key thinking behind MBT’s new facilities, but it will also allow the company to store its product so that it is readily available to the customer. “The new site is centrally situated, just off the highway, so it gives us access to all of the major routes; it’s about being able to stock and store our own product so that it is readily available. At the moment it is a question of loading at the refinery and going straight to the customer, whereas we will soon have a holding facility which will change our operations completely.”
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MBT Petroleum In order to ensure the smooth operation of its new facilities, MBT will be investing in more staff, which Fouché says will “cut the delivery time by half”, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient delivery service.
FUTURE PLANS When MBT was first established, its primary focus was the supply of petroleum to the commercial sector, such as transport, agriculture, industrial and construction. However, this focus has shifted recently and the company’s sole focus is the development of its retail operations. “Four years ago we began servicing the retail market with our own service stations, and going forward, our primary focus is to develop our brand in the retail sector” explains Fouché. MBT has established retail sites in the Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West regions; each site has a comprehensive service offering and a clean and modern look, offering its customers guidance on new and existing developments, assistance
with implementing and managing of effective fuel management systems as well as HSSE training and ongoing support. “Investment into the retail sector is huge, and we are purchasing properties all over South Africa, we also intend to have our own shops at our service stations. The retail sector is really our main focus at the moment, we currently have 24 service stations but the plan is to have 50 within the next two years.” In order to expand its footprint across the country, MBT rebrands as well as upgrades existing sites in conjunction with owners and newly built MBT ‘greenfield’ sites, which allows the company to strategically position its service stations in areas where they will attract the most footfall. On a final note, Fouché says that future plans will see the company franchise its outlets across the entire nation, as well as establish its brand throughout sub Saharan Africa, “The plan is to extend our footprint into areas such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique within the next two years,” he concludes.
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CompANY PROFILE
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MBT Petroleum
Specialising in the manufacture of: • Tanker fittings • Sealed compartment delivery systems • Fuel and gas flow meters • Pumps • Aviation refueling systems • Hose Reels • Elaflex agents (Hoses and fittings) • Manntek agents (Dry disconnect couplings)
Contact
Cape Town –
021 982 5474
info@alfonshaarsa.co.za
www.alfons-haar.de OCT 13 PAGE 7
+27 12 991 3093 www.mbtpetroleum.co.za
(0)1603 618 000 info@industrysa.com East Coast Promotions Ltd, Ferndale Business Centre, 1 Exeter Street. Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4QB