February 2022 marked an important milestone for Solid Wedge, a southern African electrical and instrumentation solutions provider, as the company celebrated its 20th anniversary. Consistency of supply and service have been key to the company’s success over the past two decades, even in the face of typical boom-and-bust cycles associated with its business environment.
Established in February 2002, Solid Wedge offers a wide range of electrical and instrumentation solutions through a comprehensive product and service portfolio. Over the years, the company has closely associated itself with well-known electrical equipment brands through agency, distributorship and system integration partnerships.
While the company’s flagship brands have traditionally been Schneider Electric and Festo, Solid Wedge continues to research the market for new technologies by carefully selecting ISO-certified products that conform to South African standards, while meeting its customers’ ever-changing needs.
Products and the complementary technical backup and after-sales service are offered through the company’s wide distribution network in SADC countries, which comprises well-manned offices in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“One of the key success factors for our business over the past 20 years has been the quality of products and the service that we offer. As a business, we are also renowned for maintaining high levels of integrity in all our engagements,” said managing director, Llyod Dzinotyiwei. “Central to our success over the years has also been the ability to adapt to the ever-changing market landscape and trends.”
Commenting on some of the key achievements over the past 20 years, Dzinotyiwei is proud of have grown the business to a point where it has become an equal-opportunity employer of a lot of people, thus providing sustainable means of livelihood to many families. “The business has managed to sustain livelihoods of its stakeholders and also provided massive return on investment to its shareholders consistently for many years,” he said. “Over the past two decades, we have also managed to deal with other established companies and added real value to their businesses through our service and product offering.”
One of the biggest challenges in business is to address and adapt to rapid changes. Over the past few years, the business world has changed by leaps and bounds, and it is changing even faster. To retain a competitive edge, Solid Wedge has been quick to adapt to the changing operating environment. In the electrical and instrumentation environment, Dzinotyiwei believes that the Internet of Things (IoT) is shaking up the business world. The use of IoT technology has provided businesses with new ways of managing data to monitor important processes, give new insights, boost efficiency and allow companies to make more informed decisions.
“One of the key trends we have also seen is that the marketplace has become more accessible, albeit to everyone, so we have to continue finding ways to define our space and niche in such a cutthroat environment,” he said. “We have also seen new businesses emerge, grow fast and quickly disappear. We take cognisance of the causes, which helps us to manage our growth and survival trajectory to remain alive and operational.”
Dzinotyiwei sees a bright future for Solid Wedge, but only if the company embraces new market trends as they unfold and adapt accordingly. “Nothing in business today is to be taken for granted. Adaption is key to survival and growth,” he concluded.
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