By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa
Here is a company that knows how to make it big in the international business arena.
The South African group, John Thompson is continuing its strong international performance with multiple export orders into the East African tea industry, brewing industry and the highly competitive Far East market, research reveals.
According to JT, the tea industry, mostly concentrated in the East African region, has placed orders for a total of five wood-fired boiler units during the year to date. This industry also has vast tracks of land available for planting of blue gum trees making this the cheapest and most sustainable fuel.
And the John Thompson Simpac boiler has been custom designed for wood log firing. It complies with latest design code yet is robustly built for rural operation.
Bellville-based John Thompson has also been actively involved with the brewing industry in Africa with a total of five units ordered for four separate sites.
“Three of the sites are either upgrading or replacing existing boilers whereas the fourth site is a greenfields brewery project. Two of the boilers have been fitted with specialised combustion equipment to be able to fire the primary fuel of HFO and available biogas simultaneously.”
And more: “The biogas is produced on site by digestors using waste product, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the brewery.
“The success of John Thompson’s coal firing boilers in the South East Asian market has continued with a further 41 units being exported since January 2012. Of these boilers, 70% were shipped in three separate, large shipments where the ship would call in at Cape Town harbour under inducement.”
Although the local competition in the South East Asian region has a price advantage, the quality and reliability of the John Thompson equipment has ensured many repeat as well as new customers, an official added.
“In a price driven market, John Thompson remains successful in maintaining a world class product built to our high quality standards,” he says.