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Johannesburg – These days innovation is often the key to an enterprise’s success, and this can even apply to dull tasks like cleaning factories, kitchens and offices.
Cleaning has for long been much more than mere cleaning. Just ask Klippies Kritzinger, majority shareholder of Tharochem Detergents, a Sasolburg business which is successfully supplying cleaning materials, equipment, cleaner training and specialised hygienic services to the food industry.
Tharochem came third in the small business section of the AHI Business of the Year competition which Santam sponsored this year.
Kritzinger says one of the main reasons for the company’s success is that it keeps itself at the cutting edge of the latest innovations and technology.
Its core business is marketing its own range of cleaning chemicals to different industry segments and the domestic market.
His clients include businesses like Sasol’s plants in Sasolburg and Secunda, ArcelorMittal in Vanderbijlpark, and Newcastle and The Bidvest Grop’s Prestige Cleaning Services.
Kritzinger says products are regularly adapted – with the aid of experts – to meet clients’ changing needs.
Tharochem also markets cleaning machines that use the chemicals and it now maintains the equipment as well.
There is currently rising pressure on meeting increasingly stringent requirements and, to meet the demand, many of the products are imported.
A market that is becoming increasingly important to Tharochem is the food industry and, apart from the appropriate cleaning products to ensure that clients comply with the highest hygienic standards, other support services are offered.
In this way clients such as hospitals, clinics, the Spar supermarket group and restaurants have help in training their cleaners to ensure that the cleaning is in accordance with the highest standards.
Tharochem is currently also doing tests in customers’ kitchens to determine the bacterial count.
The company has been operating for 22 years but the current owners bought it in February 2011.
The first year’s turnover growth was modest (1.2%) but, through proper financial management operating profit has improved 230.7%.
In the current financial year there has been much more emphasis on turnover growth with new products and services, and by exploiting new markets.
This year turnover has already risen 22%, with a profit margin of 31.4% having been achieved.
New branches were recently opened in Witbank and Harrismith and the company has additional plans for expansion.
- Sake24
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.
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