FIRST Cut exhibited at this year’s KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE) 2023 and was in demand as a leading manufacturer and distributor of cutting, welding and grinding consumables, capital equipment and precision measuring tools.
The company supplies equipment for the metal, timber, textile, meat, DIY, paper and plastic industries which gives it added versatility and appeal.
“There was a queue coming into our stand,” says national sales director, Stuart Beck, who adds that their presence at KITE 2023 – together with their new Pinetown-based premises – has really put First Cut “back on the map” in terms of the Durban market.
Beck said he was stunned and equally excited by the response First Cut received, with return on investment already showing within a week of the show.
“For example, we have already supplied several brand-new customers, which we had not met prior to the show and introduced our range to many more” he comments.
“The real work starts now though – we have a list of approximately 70 leads. The success of the show rests on how we follow up on these over the next few months. We aim to close deals and create new business from the pending enquiries we received.”
Product performance
With the exhibition aimed at providing industrial solutions to local businesses, First Cut knew it needed to showcase its best products and equipment. In this regard, the company looked to its key consumables suppliers, namely Starrett and Eclipse, while also having two Everising machines on display from their extensive capital equipment range.
What began as a display ended up as a performance, according to Beck, and it certainly drew in the crowds.
“We were cutting steel, with diameters of 150mm and 180mm, and cutting it so paper-thin that the material was bending,” said Beck. “People could not believe that a machine like that could cut steel that thin.”
“We had huge support from Starrett, who flew in one of their international trainers. We were cutting, drilling and sawing steel and drilling holes in wood…we made a huge noise.”
According to Beck, most of the product enquiries came from local business owners, production managers and key decision-makers from Durban and its surrounding areas. Some of the new business leads also came from other parts of the province, such as Newcastle, Richards Bay and even further afield.
“We also have two interested parties from Johannesburg, one of which I have already met with about a supply of blades and abrasives,” Beck added.
The status of industrial technology
KITE also provided opportunities for First Cut to interact with fellow suppliers, swapping notes on key industry trends, innovations and legislative changes shaping the future of the industrial sector.
These trends include product digitalisation as industrial technology evolves.