Durban — A KwaZulu-Natal-based manufacturer of precision-machined metal components, including critical engine components, Microfinish, has won the Black Industrialist Exporter Award at the first Black Industrialists and Exporters inaugural conference.
This was held last week on Wednesday at the Sandton International Convention Centre in Johannesburg and was officiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Microfinish is a father and son-run business in Pinetown, with Brian Naidoo, who is the father, the chairperson and sole owner of the business, and Deshan Naidoo, the son, who is also chief executive officer (CEO).
Deshan is one of the youngest automotive component CEOs in South Africa in a company that operates a world-class manufacturing facility in Durban, which won against 17 applicants who had applied for the award.
Deshan is also a National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers national executive committee member.
Accepting the award, he said running Microfinish has been a long ride and that the award gave them more courage to excel.
“This has been a long journey for us. Over the last eight years, our youth-dominated leadership team has worked hard to create a culture of excellence and become a world-class, lean manufacturing company that thrives on change and technological innovation,” he said.
Microfinish’s products are supplied globally, with 98% of its products being exported to the EU and markets such as France, Italy, Belgium, the US and the UK.
According to the CEO, the company’s products are so precise that the quality cannot be seen with the naked eye as their key customers include Porsche, Deutz, and Perkins (CAT).
“Microfinish management has created a learning organisation that practices distributed leadership and supports the country’s National Development Plan with approximately 120 staff, the average age being 35 years, and 43% are young black women,” Deshan said.
Naidoo senior said things had not been easy with the pandemic, the unrest and the floods that hit the province.
“Receiving this award is a testament to our perseverance in striving to achieve our vision.
“The award also proves that, as a manufacturer based in South Africa, especially KZN, it is still possible to compete on a global scale. This milestone was not only a great and deserved achievement, but a phenomenal case in point of our persistent success as a team.
“Having a young and dynamic team who are all qualified in their fields has certainly elevated our position as a leader in the automotive sector,” said the chairperson.
He said despite their success and how far they have come, they had serious concerns about the state of the nation as their international customers have specifically highlighted infrastructure, civil unrest and shipping delays as significant risks and barriers to increasing order volumes.
Asked about the future of the company, Microfinish’s chief operating officer, Suveer Singh, said they were actively exploring opportunities to diversify their products and revenue base and see the transition to new energy vehicles as a strategic corporate imperative.
This is not the first award the company has received. They received the KZN importer of the year in 2017, which they say gave them the chance to reach greater heights despite the challenges they have faced.
Daily News