EAST COAST BOARD CELEBRATES TWO DECADES OF GROWTH AND SUCCESS

EAST Coast Board, a leading supplier of a large variety of top quality boards and board products, is celebrating 20 years of growth and success – a significant milestone for a family business that had modest beginnings in the challenging late 1990s. A look back … East Coast Board was started by brothers Vinodh Jaiwan (known affectionately as Vee) and Ramesh Lutchman in August 1997.

The brothers were already working in the board supply industry and has amassed years of experience and expertise (Lutchman was a partner in one of Durban’s leading board suppliers) when they decided to strike out on their own and set up East Coast Board.

“We wanted to be the owners of our own business, where we were making the decisions and driving the growth of the company. We had a vision for the kind of quality and service we wanted to deliver – and knew that we could only achieve this by running the company ourselves,” explains Lutchman

The brothers launched their fledgling business from rented properties in Westmead. About five years later, they got the opportunity to buy their own premises at 52 Alexander Road, which they had been were renting up until then.

The purchase of this 3 000m2 property with 2 000m2 under-roof space ensured the company had the spaced it needed to flourish and expand it production capacity – thereby securing the company’s future and setting the stage for its growth and sustainability.

“From humble beginnings, we grew the business into what is today a multi-million rand operation with its own premises and a staff complement of 50.”

Unfortunately, Vee passed away earlier in the year, but Lutchman is determined that the continued success and growth of the business will be their shared legacy.

He is now happy to be “semi-retired” and is handing over the reigns of the company to managing director, Sandheer Sewgoolam. “It’s been a tough but nice journey,” says Ramesh, who is confident that the principles on which the company was founded and drew its success, will remain an integral part of its fabric – principles and values such as hard work, dedication, experience, empowerment and an unwavering commitment to customer service and quality assurance. Product range East Coast Boards’ wide product and service range includes hardboard / softboard, shutterply, melamine, chipboard / veneered chip, post form tops, PVC wrap doors, formica / laminates, supawood, high gloss boards, cut and edge / “S” profile, handles / hinges / hardware, plywood, ABS and PVC edging as well as CNC cutting and profiling.

The company services both the retail and wholesale markets, and supplies largescale operators in the furniture, shopfitting, construction, transport and government sectors.

Its head office in Westmead is now complemented by two further branches in Isipingo and KwaMashu, which serve as production facilities offering cut and edge facilities as well as hardware distribution. B-BBEE and expansion East Coast Board is a Level 1 B-BBEE company. While its core business remains the bulk supply of flat sheets of board, the business has expanded significantly with the addition of six new affiliated companies that offer specialised services or products. These include:

• A cut-to-size and edging facility that utilises specialised software to optimise the use of the selected board;

• PVC wrap doors for kitchen and bedroom cupboards, available in a range of colours and patterns.

East Coast Board has quickly become a leading company in the wrap doors sector in terms of its competitive pricing and exceptional quality;

• A post-form tops manufacturing facility that was launched in May 2016.

This expansion enabled ECB to create more employment and bring this specialised service in-house.

• Hardware and allied products. Logistics To ensure the company continues to deliver the sterling customer service for which it has become well known, the logistics department within East Coast Board efficiently handles all product deliveries to clients throughout KZN as well as further afield.

For local customers, the company’s premises has ample parking space for order pick-ups and is open on Saturdays from 8am to 12midday. Empowering people Since its inception two decades ago, East Coast Board has placed a great deal of emphasis on empowering and supporting its workforce through education, training and skills development opportunities.

“Over the years, we have trained staff members – many of whom had few formal skills before joining East Coast Boards – to become artisans, machine operators and forklift drivers.

Even our admin, accounts and sales staff members have been given the opportunity to improve their skills and qualifications,” adds Lutchman. Future vision The company’s vision for the future is to further cement its dominant position in the KZN market and become a leading supplier in the board industry by constantly striving for excellence. To achieve this, it will continue to invest in new machinery and state-of-the-art technology that will equip the business to grow into the future.

“While never losing sight of our strengths in quality and customer service, we are continuously devising and developing strategies for the company’s ongoing development,” says Sewgoolam. “This includes looking at emerging markets as well as sourcing and importing specialised products that meet our clients’ specific standards and exacting needs.” 52 Alexander Road, Westmead Tel: 031 700 5205/6 Website: www.eastcoastboard.co.za