Never Give Up

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All we are hoping to be doing is a simple supply and demand operation solving a problem that would not be an easy fix. This would be impossible if companies that used to supply these products had stayed open and hadn't disappeared due to "cheap" Chinese imports. China is no longer cheap and is a myth of years gone by. Chinese prices destroyed any competition 20 years ago and have been slowly creeping up ever since. Locally produced goods can compete favorably and in most cases will be cheaper with no waiting on shipping as another plus. Companies are outlaying huge capital on increased orders and warehousing which can now become savings.

I am one of those people that don't believe certain things happen for a reason and it is up to you to make that reason happen. In most cases there is a fair amount of luck involved as timing is everything. The happening for a reason part is all down to you, the individual. Your personality along with the people skills you have carries a hell of a lot of weight when applied in these situations.

During lockdown which is crazy to say nearly two years ago when it first hit our scene I was put onto someone through a contact of mine and then put onto someone else via them. I was told their business was changing in how they do their buying and that the importing of certain supplies would end as per a new head office policy. Items from Belgium, Dubai and China were now going to have to be sourced locally as even though they are a global giant in logistics this made more sense financially.

Many companies are going this route streamlining their purchases so they are not carrying months of stock tying up much needed cash resources. Throw in the supply chain issues and there is even more reason to do away with imports.

This has been a long journey with the monthly phone calls to see where exactly they are in the phasing out process. This has not been a cheap exercise for them as they have had to outsource via tender a go between company to handle this new system. Warehousing and staff which would be funded via a set amount on a service agreement. I found out too late as otherwise I would have put my hand up for this particular gig. This company has it for the next 5 years so all I can say is good luck to them.

Where I come into the picture was not planned, but more on an advisory capacity to offer solutions to certain problems. I have already put forward a couple of proposals where I would be part of a joint venture together with the global logistics company manufacturing what was not available. I was told this was different to every other pitch they had received so far and I wasn't even really pitching. The word of trust kept coming up so I obviously said the right things.

I haven't spoken to this go between company before, but have been expecting their call. I am now seeing them tomorrow morning and being given a bag of samples that cannot be sourced locally. Certain items can but quite honestly if you are not in the packaging industry and have no experience in buying then all I can say is good luck.

Obviously I am happy for this to happen this way as it gets my foot firmly through the front door. Who else will set up machinery just for you to manufacture what is not available locally. Fortunately with my long list of contacts I know who has what machines and how busy they are. There are one or two machines no one has and that is where the joint venture has to come in. No one is going to outlay hundreds of thousands if there is no guarantees. The JV does that allowing for a decent profit which we would all share together making their purchases even cheaper. This becomes in essence another service business with guaranteed payments monthly. A new company is born from nowhere just by listening. I must have been a woman in my previous life as most guys don't listen and pick things up.

The way one does business has to change with the times and I see this as a way forward which in practice makes sense. The volumes are there as this venture is not supplying one countries needs but 54 or possibly more. This is by far the biggest adventure I have bitten into as this would be 10 x the biggest account within South Africa. Just their business footprint here is massive and have no clue how big they are in the rest of Africa and the Middle East.

No matter how frustrating the lock down was for my business in general the one thing that kept the positive vibes going was these types of phone calls once per month. Nothing is ever guaranteed but if you can see the bigger picture you just have to hold on for the ride. Where this will lead I have no idea and will it succeed who knows. I do fancy my odds however as I know the position they find themselves in which is reliant on what we have discussed.

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