SOUTH Africa’s largest manufacturer and distributor of major domestic appliances, Defy, today officially opening their distribution and warehousing centre in Danskraal, Ladysmith.
The new facility represents a R170 million investment into the Ladysmith area and will create over 130 jobs within the surrounding communities. It can process the loading and unloading of more than 200 trucks per day and has a storage capacity of 100,000m³ of product.
Defy CEO Evren Albas said the strategic location of the centre creates the opportunity to move product by rail from the Ezakheni manufacturing facility to the Durban port 250 kilometres away.
This drastically improves the export supply of Defy, and sister brand Beko appliances into Africa, and supports the company’s vision of being in the top three appliance brands in all sub-Saharan markets, by 2025.
He said the centre represents the company’s “unwavering dedication” to the people of South Africa and the community of Ladysmith to see another century of prosperous growth.
“Over the last 115 years, Defy has entrenched its footprint in South African households and it is our responsibility to continue making a meaningful impact to the lives of our employees, business partners, consumers and the communities in which we operate”.
Since 2012, the company has invested approximately R642 million in the Ladysmith economy. Danskraal has been designated as a logistics development zone and is strategically located in terms of Defy’s planned network.
“Our company is guided by our core purpose of Pioneering Our Future Together and we relentlessly strive to raise the bar on innovation, quality and processes that better serve the entire ecosystem. With a R170 million investment and significant job creation opportunities, the new… warehouse promises to further contribute to the economic and social stability of the Ladysmith community,” Albas said.
He added that the commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Area in January 2021 had prompted the company to prioritise enhancing its capabilities to service the continent.
“The opening our new warehouse and distribution centre could not have positioned us on a better footing. We look to pioneer the landscape of the African continent with superior local products, under our Defy and Beko brands to ensure a sustainable growth for the future.”
