J O N S S O N WO R K W E A R
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CUSTOMISED… HARMONISED… JONSSONISED For South African workwear manufacturing leaders Jonsson, it’s more than pride in appearance. “Whether you are an employee, a customer or a supplier, once you’ve been touched by the brand you are ‘Jonssonised’”, Group CEO Nick Jonsson tells Colin Chinery.
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our companies, one group, and a single driving culture and vision: workwear manufacturing leaders Jonsson are a striking exemplar of South African business dynamism and growth. Formed in 1955 and re-constructed twelve years ago, the Durban-based Jonsson Work Wear Group is now one of Africa’s leading workwear brands, with 2500 employees and returning each year since 1999 an annual compound growth in excess of 30%. And if you think workwear is workaday you haven’t shared the company and enthusiasm of Nick Jonsson. The brand is not only about the label says the 44 year old Group CEO. “It’s about the product, the quality, and the service. “From the way we do things to the way we treat people. Whether you’re an employee, a customer or a supplier, once you have been touched by the brand you are ‘Jonssonised.’” Pressed for a definition Jonsson says no one can understand his business until they join 2
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Jonsson Workwear FEATURE
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Jonsson Workwear FEATURE
him on a tour. ”Every single thing we do we’ve got to be the best in the world. Coming second has no place in our business. We make sure our factories have the best equipment, we train our people properly, and our distribution centres are laid out magnificently. “If you walked into our offices and didn’t know we were in workwear you’d probably think we were a more creative business, perhaps an advertising agency. “We encourage creativity and independence among all our staff and have an unbelievable attitude and total obsession with getting the job done right.” Originally a family business started by his father, workwear had been just one component of its clothing manufacturing operation. But by the time Nick Jonsson took over twelve years ago it was accounting for 35% of turnover. “The business always had a good reputation but I realised very strongly that workwear was where I could build a serious business.” With South Africa in the throes of huge political change, and major problems for manufacturing, Jonsson closed all non-
workwear parts of the business. What remained was an operation employing just under 300, “and making some pretty ordinary products. “We changed pretty well everything we did – the only thing left was that it was called Jonsson. And luckily for us it’s worked really well. “The first thing we did was to start making terrific products, products that we were so proud of and which we knew wouldn’t fail us, that we could sell with confidence and would change the whole way workwear was perceived by people in southern Africa.” The potentially road-blocking perception factor and the necessity of transforming it into a positive, has been central to Jonsson’s vision and success. “This has always been a market supplied by cheap products that added no value to the wearer. We set about changing that perception to show to both purchasers and wearers that work clothing is a seriously important part of work life, turning it from being a dead overhead of little value beyond satisfying a need, to a spend where it actually added value to the business. “If you clothe people properly you increase their performance and make them proud of the brand they are working for. And customers then feel differently about their suppliers. “If you are finding solutions for people regarding their supply chain you are adding a huge amount of value. So on many fronts we have changed the perception of workwear in South Africa, and I’m happy to say we go from strength to strength.” Four independently-managed companies make up the Jonsson Group; Jonsson Workwear – 33% of whose output is exported,
If you clothe people properly you increase their performance and make them proud of the brand they are working for
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The Alexander Fraser Group of companies is proud to have been associated with The Jonsson Group since the early 70’s providing them with International Trade Finance and logistics solutions.
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Jonsson Workwear FEATURE
chiefly to Europe and Australia (where it will shortly be setting up a factory), Jonsson Uniform Solution supplying bespoke products and service to major supermarket groups, restaurant chains and large security and cleaning companies, Jonsson Manufacturing, and Jonsson International, the global sales division based on the Isle of Man off the north west coast of England. Jonsson has recently moved into footwear – “we think this is going to be the next huge growth area in our business” and safety equipment and appliances. “Workplace health and safety is getting more attention that previously and I feel it will grow even more,” says Nick Jonsson. “With the opening up of our economy over the last 15 years and many of our big businesses listed abroad, there’s been a great deal more talk about health and safety, especially in the mining sector. “Anglo American for example has put a huge emphasis on health and safety and this has had a big effect in South Africa. It’s got
a long way to go but there’s no doubt it’s become much more important.” Jonsson’s declaration of performance is unequivocal: unrivalled quality and service, a unique understanding of its clients markets, form and function in every item produced, tailored solutions for each and every client, and local and international experience. “When you’ve been manufacturing and delivering world-class workwear for over half a century, your experience is as valuable as your product. What keeps us ahead is not our ability to meet our customer’s demands but our ability to exceed them.” Recruitment is a key function, with Jonsson looking for those with strong values “and who are brilliant to be around. “I’m not really interested in how good they are at operations or selling or warehousing or whatever. We want to attract people who want for the business what I want for the business. Everything we do is different, we are swimming against the tide but the bottom line is that it’s worked. “We say everyone who works here has got to be ‘Jonssonised’ because we are different from other firms. And over a period of time our customers hopefully also become ‘Jonssonised’ because they suddenly set their workwear or uniform requirements at a much higher level. We have terrific supplier relationships and we work very hard at this. We want them prosper by doing business with us.” Leadership unsurprisingly, is another Jonsson ‘Must.’ “Right from the lowest levels
We’ve never made an acquisition; we’ve started everything ourselves from scratch
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For further information please contact us using the following contact information: PO Box 105, King William’s Town, 5600 South Africa Tel: +27 (0) 40 608 6200 Fax: +27 (0) 40 608 6334 E-Mail: Kelvyn Breetzke : kbreetzke@dagama.co.za Export Contact - Mike Toet : mtoet@dagama.co.za Shweshwe Contact - Helen Bester : hbester@dagama.co.za National Sales Executive - Peter Campbell : pcampbell@dagama.co.za
ACA Threads:
Exclusive suppliers of sewing thread to Jonsson
www.acathreads.co.za +27-21-9811133
we teach leadership and make sure people government’s clinics. Lesotho in winter is take responsibility. We like to identify leaders coldest place on Earth and a lot of people ACA Flyer.indd the 1 early on and help them develop. Some think fall ill, so we feed them fortified soup two or leadership is only the top few people but I three times a day.” believe it is right down.” Jonsson denies the label of paternalist. In twelve years the Group has never worked “Our business is a meritocracy, but it’s a short-time day, a record of which Nick important to us that everyone who works for Jonsson is proud. “It’s extremely unusual in us is treated with dignity and respect. Just our industry. In factories in Africa people don’t because someone has a low level job doesn’t get a great deal of money, and at all costs mean they are any different to me. We’ve all we make sure they do not have to work short got a role to play. time. I think this is one reason why we do such “We’ve never made an acquisition; we’ve good work; our people trust us.” started everything ourselves from scratch. Our In Lesotho, where it has four factories with a business is going from strength to strength, fifth on stream, Jonsson Workwear set up a clinic and to an extent we limit our growth so we where its employees have easy access to doctors, don’t get ahead of ourselves. an optometrist, and two HIV counsellors. “We see the next three years as extremely “We supply our staff with all the drugs they exciting and there’s no doubt we’ll achieve need. It saves them time and they are seen over 30% per annum over this period. within an hour. Traditionally they would leave “You know, we don’t realise the power we work for at least a day to go to a doctor and have to change people’s perceptions about lose a whole day’s pay. their own brand through our input, and to “And we are giving them better health change people’s business. We are faced with care than they are getting from their some very exciting possibilities.” END
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