African Supplies Ltd. (ASL) began in 2000 with the purpose of establishing strong distribution channels for supply of quality building materials in sub-Saharan Africa. This began with AHI Roofing’s Decra and Gerard branded roofing systems, now used extensively for residential and commercial projects. From a standing start, Africa now contributes 33% of global sales to the company.
This exceptional growth is not only indicative of the explosion in construction across the continent, but also reflects the growth in demand for quality materials, supported by good customer service and reliable, trustworthy channel partners.
African Supplies Ltd also supply a Plumbing Range consisting of fresh water hot and cold plumbing systems, plus rainwater, waste, soil and underground drainage systems. A complete range of drainage solutions is supplied through their distributor network, manufactured by both Hunter Plastics Ltd, a UK manufacturer with over 60 years of experience, and Polypipe PLC.
Rapid future growth is expected from their Plumbing division and opportunities are currently being explored to manufacture in Africa in conjunction with Manufacturing and Distribution partners.
African Supplies Ltd’s unique position in the sub-Saharan Construction Sector places ASL in an ideal position to bring together local and international expertise, investment, products and finance to support residential construction projects. This is supported by installer training initiatives to ensure that the clients not only receive good quality products, but also reliable installation. To date, African Supplies Ltd has trained over 2000 roof installers and over 1800 plumbers.
Committed to improving quality in African construction, African Supplies Ltd are partnering with system manufacturers to provide options for ‘fast build’ dry construction across a range of building types.
ASL have an understanding of supply chains to sub-Saharan Africa, and a comprehensive channel network who understands the dynamics of their domestic markets, this makes them well-placed to carry out due diligence on these opportunities.
ASL’s overriding mantra is to respect the culture of their clients and work with alignment with African partners; not imposing other systems or methods, but by complementing existing working practices.
At African Supplies, their role is to add value (never cost), to the channel, strategic planning, training and marketing, all with a unique blend of local and international considerations.
“In export, especially Africa, big businesses often just don’t get it. Success is not about transactions and job titles and global reach, it is all about relationships and trust. ASL is a classic example of a company one of very few that really understand this” Robert Craven, Programme Director, Cranfield School of Management.
