CONSTRUCTION Building a
CONSTRUCTION Building a proudly South African legacy As PPC celebrates 130 years, Njombo Lekula points out that the company’s strength is the country’s strength. With new products and a decarbonisation strategy in place, the foundations are being laid for another century of building. Lekula is Managing Director PPC Cement RSA and Botswana. Innovation: PPC offers an application-based, fit-for-purpose range. Providing for the needs of all consumers: from home-owners who need a product for DIY renovations to more technical products that require early strength or more technical characteristics. Adaptability: PPC introduced a loyalty programme which was the first of its kind in the cement industry. PPC Surerewards rewards consumers with cash back for buying a bag of cement. The App is available on Play Store and iStore or ww.ppc.africa. Tell us more about the diversity of your product portfolio. This is what sets PPC apart. We offer a range of complementary products, which includes cement, concrete, aggregates, fly ash and more recently, our Premix range for plaster and mortar, which brings convenience to customers and consumers, just add water. These are technical products so you are guaranteed that you have the backing of technical specialists to assist. No matter how big or small the job. Njombo Lekula, Managing Director PPC Cement RSA and Botswana What were the key points along the way in building the PPC legacy? PPC was founded on the outskirts of Pretoria back in 1892. PPC is a proudly home-grown brand which has been offering quality cement products and solutions for 130 years. The success of the PPC journey is its people – our people are our strength. Our purpose – to empower people to experience a better quality of life – is at the core of what we do. Partnering with customers and communities has contributed to the 130-year legacy. What is the secret behind PPC remaining a top brand in such a competitive industry? Key to our success is offering more than just cement. We offer consistent quality products, supported by quality customer service. Our products are backed by strong technical support, which improves cost efficiencies in application of the product. What are the most important lessons that PPC has learnt in its long history? The customer is king. Understand the needs of the customer in order to provide them with the right product and solution. At PPC, we consider our customers, communities, suppliers and other stakeholders as business partners. By being dynamic and responsive, we can strengthen our relationships with our communities and invest in meaningful initiatives that advance customer excellence and supplier experience. Being a responsible corporate citizen is part of our DNA. Our brand ethos of “going beyond” applies to every aspect of the business, to delight our customers. Tell us something about the market challenges and how PPC has dealt with those. We are very proud of our 130-year milestone and getting here was no easy feat. The strength of PPC is the strength of South Africa. We have been through many eras of our country’s history and have contributed to the development and building of our country. It is only through the support of Mzansi that we have been able to achieve this milestone. The market and industry continues to be challenged with the influx of imports so it’s important that we continue to build our brand in the communities where we operate. We are able to continue to build and support our communities through various social and enterprise development initiatives and it is only through the continued support of South Africa that we can do this. Our success is South Africa’s success, our customers and South Africa’s success is our success. 18 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
How do the next 130 years look for PPC? Firstly, we would like to ensure that we continue to build a sustainable business that will see another 130 years. It is only through innovation and being relevant that we will achieve this. We have recently launched our decarbonisation strategy and are looking at innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Initiatives such as solar power at our plant and alternative fuels (tyres and refuse-derived fuels) are just some of the ways that we are exploring how to reach our 2030 carbon targets. As a corporate responsible citizen, we will continue to look for innovative ways of doing business. Where are the next business growth areas? We will continue to keep the home fires burning, with a strong focus on our Southern African business. Developing and expanding our building materials and solutions portfolio are areas of growth for the business. This includes new kinds of building technologies, which are more environmentally friendly. What is likely to change? There will be continuous improvement through product portfolio diversification and innovation. Change is the only constant in life and in doing business, so we will remain agile enough to deliver on our promise of empowering people to experience a better quality of life, through products and services as well as continuing to make social contributions to South Africa. We thank South Africans for their continued support of our locally home-grown business. This 130-year story would not have been possible without their support. Celebrate with PPC and win R10 000 To celebrate PPC’s 130-year milestone, the company is giving back to South Africa. Consumers have a chance to win R10 000 a day for 130 days, until 27 June 2022. Consumers must buy at least 10 bags of any of the PPC “Sure” range cement products in stores. Spot prizes are also available, when PPC personnel are in store when PPC products are purchased. Various other celebrations are planned for the rest of 2022, as PPC celebrates and says thank you to South Africans for their support over the last 130 years. Follow on social media for updates. www.ppc.africa
