www.aFRIC aoutlookmag.Com
C a s t r o l
s o u t h
a f r i C a
W W W . C a s t r o l . C o M
C a s t r o l
S o u t h
A f r i c a
g n i n n u R 2
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
E
n
e
r
g
y
y l h t o o Sm Castrol South Africa has been making oil since men have been making cars. Writer Chris Farnell Project manager Sheridan Halls
hen you’re driving your car it’s possible you don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about the engine lubricant. It’s an essential part of your engine, sure, but it’s like the margarine in a sandwich - you don’t tend to think of it as the most essential component. And yet Castrol knows that for an engine to work to the absolute best of its potential you need an oil that has been developed alongside the engine itself. That’s what it has been doing for over a century. “We’re a global company that’s been around over 100 years and we continue to shape the whole industry,” explains Castrol South Africa’s marketing director, Shren Moodley. “We’re about driving new technology and leading the agenda for our market sector. We work in the automotive, the industrial, aviation, marine, and mining sectors. We’ve got a wide portfolio and a depth of over 100 years experience. There simply aren’t many businesses in the market that can match us for specialisation or longevity.” Castrol uses its experience to create a top of the line product. “We’re a premium brand and a market leader,” Moodley says. “We’re slightly more expensive than most products on the market, but what most people don’t know is that we invest that money right back into our research and development. We continue to keep our R&D breakthroughs going forward, just as we have continued to do that consistently for the last 100 years. Our products have often been used at the forefront of world changing breakthroughs such as land speed records, marine racing and aviation.” Castrol is able to do this because of the close partnerships it has built with its customers, over the years developing products to specifically meet the needs of the products those customers are designing.
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
3
C a s t r o l
S o u t h
A f r i c a
“What sets us apart is that we work very closely with our partner companies,” Moodley says. “We’ve got a long history with firms such as BMW and Volkswagen and we’ve worked with them developing technology to fit their purposes. In terms of our depth of partnerships we’re second to none. There are more cars on the road in Africa that are born with Castrol oil in the engine than any other oil. So we have a great relationship with those manufacturers, they’re developing their technology with us, from basic cars to supercars such as Lamborghini.” Of course, you don’t reach levels of recognition and success like that without having to overcome some pretty big challenges along the way. “Everything we do is done to the very highest safety standards,” Moodley points out. “Lubricant is basically oil and we know that that can have a big effect on the environment, so we have to have very high standards in terms of how it is used and how we protect the environment. “For example, if you look at South Africa, we’re on the board of the Rose Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides education and encourages for used oil to be collected and disposed of. We’ve been at the forefront of that foundation ensuring that lubricants are used in a safe manner. “When we supply lubricant we have checklists and check points to help customers be aware of the safety issues. We’re driving for safety measures such as extinguishers. We start every meeting talking about safety. And we try to spread that attitude to both our customers and suppliers.” Along with an increasing appreciation of the environmental issues that their industry must consider, Castrol is seeing other changing attitudes among the markets it traditionally sells to.
4
ANIKCOR INSTALLATIONS Emerging as a leader in the oil and lubrication industry, we pride ourselves on excellence and workmanship. Our breakdown call-centre is managed by qualified staff that excels in: Efficiency – Our carefully designed services and superior products are manufactured and compiled with our customers in mind. Reliability - The quality of our product range and our workmanship is superior, ensuring confidence in our products and service. Being a one-stop provider – Our expert design department ensures that we supply exceptional quality installations. We maintain, upgrade, and provide consultation to ensure cost-effectiveness, promote productivity, reduce risks, and increase safety. Tel +27 11 395 2144 Email info@anikcorinstallations.com
www.anikcorinstallations.com “We’ve had a very good year, within our region one of the best years ever,” Moodley says. “There’s a strong move towards synthetic products and synthetic oils are where our strengths are. Many manufacturers are demanding more sophisticated lubricants and oils, which plays more and more to our advantage. That’s really helping us out. We’re getting a really good performance out of our products; there are growth opportunities out there that we’re looking at. It’s been good all round. “We’re also seeing the rise of the emerging middle class in Africa,” Moodley continues. “We’re working to provide solutions for this rising middle class that will be the future of Africa.” To take the best possible advantage of those growth opportunities, Castrol makes a concerted effort to employ the best and brightest.
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
Fury Motor Group
T
he Fury Motor Group opened its doors with its first dealership in 1995 and has since grown into a twelve dealership strong motor group, showcasing SA’s leading motor brands. The Fury Motor Group also has its own parts distribution centre and wholesaler, Fury Auto Parts, which supplies a diverse grouping of motor retailers, general purpose motor repairers and panel beaters with a wide range of leading brand genuine auto parts. At our Fury Academy we provide the highest level of technical training and level-testing to up-and-coming motor-trade technicians and autobody repairers.
For more information, visit
www.fury.co.za.
E
n
e
r
g
y
Fury Motor Group – Proud Retailers of SA’s leading brands
Thanks to Castrol SA - Proud oil & lubricant supplier to the Fury Motor Group for 18 years
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
5
C a s t r o l
S o u t h
A f r i c a
McCarthy Motor Group McCarthy Motor Group is proud to be associated with Castrol, one of its partners in automotive excellence. The McCarthy Motor Group provides a 360 degree vehicle sales and service solution, with over 100 dealers nationwide offering 27 major vehicle brands. We can also handle all your fleet requirements.
“Castrol is flexible in terms of how we recruit,” Moodley says. “We will use different techniques depending on the position we have to fill. We have a solid graduate recruit programme as well as a direct entry system where we recruit the right person for the right job from other industries. We also have a strong BBBEE push to find the best black talent out there, and we’re at the forefront of that.” Castrol’s recruitment efforts also benefit from the company’s links with its parent company, BP. “We share a lot of resources with BP, so we enjoy a combination of the cultures of Castrol and BP so that we get a nice diversity within the company. It helps that we also pay really well, so that’s one way we recruit. We also have programmes to identify high potential talent for accelerated development. Our development programme is excellent because of the breadth of BP we offer great sales, marketing and finance expertise that can give you great exposure to all kinds of skills and disciplines.” As well as recruiting the best available staff from a wide array of backgrounds, Castrol also takes measures to ensure that each and every member of its staff is up to date with the latest breakthroughs in the field.
6
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
Our innovative online McCarthy Call-aCar service assists customers to locate their vehicle. After that, our trained and experienced techni-cians provide exceptional after-sales service. We stock only genuine spare parts and a wide range of vehicle accessories. We also sell - and can fit - most leading tyre brands. Our Club McCarthy loyalty programme gives customers peace of mind, both on and off the road. For these reasons McCarthy has remained one of South Africa’s leading vehicle retailers for over 100 years. Tel 0860 22 33 44
www.mccarthy.co.za
We’re a global company that’s been around over 100 years and we continue to shape the whole industry”
“We have a research centre in Pangbourne in the UK that is constantly developing new technologies and they let us know what the latest engine technology or lubricant technology is,” Moodley says. “So right now for instance the market is demanding much more for much less, with engines getting smaller and smaller as we try to conserve fuel while still getting more power out of the engine. This means that there’s demand for a stronger oil to keep up with those changes. Meanwhile, we also work very closely with our customers, so through our partnerships we get a continuous information feed regarding what the latest developments are. We’re seeing a positive future with plenty of growth opportunities and we’re confident we’ll be able to capture those opportunities.” To learn more visit www.castrol.com.
E
n
E
r
g
y
Freightmax is a leading Supply Chain Partner to Castrol. We are very proud to be associated with Castrol and value the partnership that has been built over many years.
Email: brian.giddey@fmax.co.za Tel: (+27) 31 274 9200 www.imperiallogistics.co.za
www.aFRICaoutlookmag.Com
7
E n q u iries Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151 Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053 ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com
S U B S C R I P T I ON S Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 144 ian.armitage@outlookpublishing.com
www.africaoutlookmag.com
10 Junction Avenue Parktown Johannesburg 2193 South Africa Tel: +27 11 488 5111
www.castrol.com