30 Jul 2013

The consumer fair is increasingly becoming a platform for new companies to market themselves.

Marblexperts is of the companies that embraced such an opportunity for exposure by displaying its products at this year's consumer fair.

The company, which started operating in March this year, manufactured sanitary ware such as bathroom accessories, bathroom countertops, bathtubs, wall panels, bathtubs with whirlpool, shower bases, lavatory bowls and wall surrounds for tubs or showers, among others. In an interview, Marblexperts managing director, Mr Thapiso Kaeka said they were involved in mass production and customised production.

He said for mass production, they manufactured products and sold to hardware wholesalers such as Builders World, A to Z and Golden Hardware among others. Marblexperts, the only company which manufactured marble products in Southern Africa, was funded by the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) at the sum of P3.7 million.

The managing director said it all started when he was studying Bachelor of Science Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California in the United States. “My interest in molding developed when I was an intern at plane manufacturing companies such as Boeing, Moog and Honeywell,” said the engineer.

However, he said the main challenge in the business was that the advertising and marketing was expensive, hence exhibiting at the consumer fair was an opportunity for exposure. He also cited the determination of prices by wholesalers he provided as a challenge to his business, noting that the wholesalers bought the quality products at lower prices as they were the ones who set prices.

Mr Kaeka further said there was also competition for customers as there was a trend where many Batswana preferred to purchase products from China.

Meanwhile, the Molepolole born businessman intends to open other stores in different towns of the country while currently Marblexperts is found in Gaborone only. ENDS