AfriSam has received an overwhelmingly positive response from members of several rural communities to a pilot initiative that is seeing the cement giant sell its cement products out of “retail outlet” containers in these outlying areas. Grant Neser, sales and marketing executive at AfriSam, explains that “this initiative is a product of the customer value management (CVM) project currently being implemented in AfriSam. CVM can be described as a philosophy of making business choices based on a keen understanding of what different customers want and need and are prepared to pay for.”

The container project is specifically designed to extend and complement the existing network of wholesale and retail outlets supplying building materials to communities in South Africa. To date, eight container retail sales units have been deployed across Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the North West Province in areas within these provinces where AfriSam currently does not have a presence. The first container was set up at the end of July 2012 and within three months more than 13 000 bags of cement had been sold. 

“Not only has this innovative initiative created easy access to the cement needed in these communities to build new homes, extend existing dwellings and conduct renovations, it has also resulted in critically needed job creation,” Roshni Lawrence, strategic growth executive of AfriSam, says. “So far 10 new permanent jobs and 10 temporary jobs have been created for local community members.”

“We’ve strategically located the containers, with a view to boosting local entrepreneurial activities. Community members are now empowered to ‘buy local’ and we’re already seeing small businesses being set up.” One such fledgling enterprise is the Bodibe Business Forum in the North West Province that is being established as a direct result of the container initiative. In addition, there has been an unmistakable increase in the number of people now visiting this area for business purposes. AfriSam recently received a letter of gratitude from the mayor of the Ditsobotla Municipality, Counsellor Molefe Morutse, in which he thanked the company for the “magnificent contribution” it is making to ensure better living standards for the people of the area. Lawrence says the pilot phase will continue to roll out in 2013.