WANAWAKE INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES: New Brands & Internal Investment Paying Off for Wanawake

In 2023, leading tools import company, Wanawake, was experiencing strong growth and aggressive demand from clients all over sub-Saharan Africa as its range of specialised tools and innovative solutions were solving problems in every market.

Quality is the energy that fuels this ambitious organisation. Since its establishment in 2018, Wanawake has been steadfast that its product and service range is second-to-none. 

Formed to revamp supply chains in mining, construction, and other heavy industries, Wanawake has helped introduce many who would never otherwise have joined these sectors to gain a foothold. At the same time, the company has offered some of the world’s best brands a gateway to large and growing African markets.

“We have gone from strength to strength… the business is in a really good place. This is because of the industries we service which must always continue,” MD Sean Sandham told Enterprise Africa in 2023.

Now, further expansion in African markets is still part of the strategy, but Sandham is keen to strengthen internally so that the company can take the next steps with confidence.

“We are establishing a sound base, by working on our internal structures, processes and staff – to make that what we do, as we scale, perfect. We are looking internally first before going and trying to solve others’ problems.”

Bringing on new brands, working on building a quality mindset across the business, and gaining recognition for this hard work, Sandham is expecting growth of around 15% this year.

“Wanawake has also been working heavily on the core function, and we are busy with the ISO 9000 and 14000 accreditations,” he explains. “That gives customers a lot of confidence that the systems within Wanawake are correct. We have also taken on a consultant to ensure we can grow and scale and ultimately create an asset of value.” 

PERFECT PARTNERS

Sandham is a tooling industry veteran and understands the route the market takes for big brands like few others. He is also an advocate for success in Africa and believes that the continent has the ability to produce amazing results. This is why he is steadfast in his approach to bringing only the best to clients.

“We are bringing premium products and solutions to Africa; with the right backup and expertise – that is our focus. We have to make sure our base is 100% solid.”

He highlights three factors that make up the Wanawake value proposition that are non-negotiable when bringing new brands to Africa. 

“The brand must be a premium brand, and must be a top quality brand globally for its industry or product. Africa is a harsh environment and you cannot spend time and money bringing in a sub-standard product that gives headaches. We are highly selective when it comes to quality.” 

“Secondly, we really push support. There must be 100% commitment from the OEM, wherever they might be, to support their product locally in South Africa so that we can springboard the solution into Africa,” he says from HQ in Midrand. 

Lastly, technical expertise is essential. “We are very focused on upskilling our staff to be technically astute in the products, services and solutions we offer. That way, we can provide the right solution, first time.” 

By employing this mentality and culture of quality across the business, clients are left delighted with their tools and any aftermarket service that might be required. From a mining engineer in Gauteng to an aircraft technician in the Western Cape to a quarry operation in Zambia and an oil and gas exploration project in Mozambique, the correct solutions are always available. 

The current brand portfolio includes Hi-Force, alkitronic®, Sygma, InterBolt, HiFi Filter, AESSeal, Uniglide, JBM Tools, and a host of others. Sandham has welcomed new names to the list through 2024/25 and is enthusiastic about how they build on an already strong reputation. 

Hi-Force has been an anchor brand for Wanawake since the start of the business, and Sandham is expecting ongoing positivity and to again finish the financial year as one of the top importers globally. Similarly, alkitronic® is important for ongoing growth and Wanawake expects to further entrench its partnership as one of the top global importers of torque wrenches and accessories. 

“We have taken on a Swedish company that manufactures line boring machines called Metalock Engineering, and we are now partners with Sygma in Africa where we are 40% shareholders. We have expanded the business into on-site machining and the rental and provision of orbital mills, line borers, and flange facing machines. 

“We have also introduced Born2Bond™ from Bostik and have been appointed as the sole importer into Africa for Born2Bond™ industrial anaerobic glues and sealants. 

“Wanawake is very excited about the recent on-boarding of the Blue Sky Energy solution,” he adds, “which is a very innovative product – a coal to liquid solution and we can convert coal to diesel and is then used for onsite mining applications or for power generation. Africa has a power supply problem, and we are looking at where we have access to coal and how we can create power for mining operations to alleviate unstable grid reliance.” 

Displaying innovation and intent to solve problems, Wanawake is proving why it has become the go-to for so many top brands, and why clients return year after year. 

“EGA Master also recently joined our product offering, which is a premium range of hand tools predominantly for the petrochemical industry with ATEX (Atmosphere Explosible) machines and non-sparking tools – very in-demand in that industry,” adds Sandham. 

AFRICAN AMBITIONS  

After Sandham previously predicted comprehensive growth across key sub-Saharan markets, Wanawake’s expansion has been good but slower than expected. Various economic and political factors have strained the ability of project developers and procurement teams. However, the company is busy developing partnerships that will fuel growth when projects are announced. 

“While things have been pretty good, the climate in certain countries has not been conducive for the expansion we were expecting – particularly Mozambique. The oil and gas exploration has slowed, and projects have come to a standstill, and that has been a disappointment,” he details. “We hope that during the course of this year, projects will kick off again. Namibia is also now in oil and gas, and the government there is stable so that looks very positive – we have expanded nicely there. In Kenya, we have taken on a partner and that is going very well. We have an additional 10 people in Kenya which is positive. We are also doing a lot of development in terms of resellers across central and west Africa.” 

Namibia is high on the priority list because of the locality. Just across the border, with good infrastructure, and similar culture – “that is an achievable expansion,” says Sandham. “East Africa – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC – has been tick-boxed with our partner. West Africa, we are holding off slightly at the moment. We supply to West Africa, but through local export companies.” 

Africa holds such a vast amount of the minerals required in the global energy transition, and has open markets for construction and infrastructure development as economies build. Investment will continue to grow and Wanawake is perfectly positioned as a partner of choice for those at the sharp end of each project. With internal advances soon to pay off, this is a company on a long-term growth journey, and Sandham is enthusiastic about every new opportunity.