Leading electrical and instrumentation company B&W are one of the largest specialist electrical and instrumentation (E&I) contractors in South Africa, with over 48 years’ experience in the industry.

As one of the first companies in its sector to achieve an ISO 9001 quality certification, B&W has developed into one of the country’s most successful home-grown electrical and instrumentation companies. B&W provides specialist services to blue-chip companies, offering its clients a complete range of services delivered by highly-qualified teams.

B&W is a Level 2 broad-based black economic empowerment company with 51% black woman ownership and it views empowerment as both an obligation and an opportunity to improve skills distribution, thereby growing the company and the economy.

With its wide footprint across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, B&W services the mining, chemical, oil and gas, industrial plants, transmission and distribution, power generation and renewable energy sectors. It is committed to providing professional services that are consistently on-time and on-budget, helping to build plants that function optimally electrically and instrumentally, in accordance with specific designs. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pontins, B&W also provides leading earthing, lightning and surge protection services and products.

Separating from the ELB group in 2019 led to a thorough re-evaluation and paring down of B&W’s processes and procedures, helping the company to remain future-focussed and relevant in the E&I industry, which has been especially advantageous in light of recent global disruptions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

B&W emphasises that it is now able to approach business services from a more agile and dynamic position and that client projects benefit from enhanced problem solving, shorter lead times and quicker turnaround times. While its core business strategy has changed to ensure a dynamic response, B&W asserts that it remains focused on providing the same key services to the same exacting standards.

Pursuing new large-scale projects and creating sustainable working capital on a day-to-day basis are core drivers of B&W’s business strategy and the company received orders to the value of R146-million in pandemic-hit 2020.

COVID-19 has led to a sharp focus on improving B&W’s internal processes and structures, spurring a re-evaluation of all its operations. The resultant streamlining has brought about improved business continuity by enabling B&W to better meet customer expectations while alleviating supplier constraints.

The concepts of sustainability and growth strongly inform B&W’s roadmap, as evidenced by products such as its industrial and utility-scale solar offerings. A safe and healthy working environment and strict adherence to all local legislation and regulations as well as internationally recognised standards and guidelines are paramount and B&W recently surpassed 11-million injury-free hours. B&W’s environ-
mental policy and procedures are indepen-dently audited by the South African Bureau of Standards and National Occupational Safety Association. 

B&W specialises in a range of services, including:

• Construction management
• Material supply
• Calibration and commissioning
• Earthing, lighting and surge protection
• Installations
• Aftermarket support

B&W strives to attract and retain employees of the highest calibre and prioritises optimal working conditions and opportunities for development. In response to the skills shortage in South Africa, B&W has invested substantially in the training of locally sourced field labour to increase its skills pool. B&W is an accredited service provider through the construction Sector Education and Training Authority and implements South African Qualifications Authority, or SAQA, accredited training programmes to advance employee skills. 

Ongoing innovation ensures optimal process capabilities and helps to affirm B&W’s position at the forefront of technological developments in the industry, maintaining its ranking as a market leader in E&I, earthing, lightning and surge protection.