Barloworld Equipment Botswana, a subsidiary of Barloworld Equipment Southern Africa, recently completed Phase One of its new Centre of Excellence at Phakalane. The project marks a significant investment in Botswana’s economy and serves as a pivotal step in Barloworld’s strategy to grow their Sub-Saharan African footprint. South African manufacturer and supplier X-Furniture played a key role to assist with the interior office furniture fit-out of this state-of-the-art facility.

“Part of our vision as Barloworld Equipment is ‘Building Nations’,” comments Pierre Hill, Country Manager, Barloworld Equipment Botswana. “The new facility confirms our commitment to the country’s economic development and prosperity, and we will ensure we continue to be successful for the next 60 years.”

The new facility prides itself as a Centre of Excellence hosting associated functions such as administration, finance, procurement and SHEQ in-house to service the entire region. It includes a 1 200m² parts warehouse to keep more stock in-country to support all mining, construction and power customers.

A complete workshop includes a state-of-the-art Component Rebuild Centre (CRC) with full capabilities to service and rebuild machines and components. The workshop will have the capacity to accommodate the size of a 100t off-highway truck. Remanufacturing is supported by a new welding bay, including a spray booth and wash bay.

“In terms of our value proposition to customers, it represents a major investment. The new Centre of Excellence allows us to offer a full suite of services to the mining, construction, energy and transportation sectors in Botswana,” says Hill. A training centre has been included to promote local skills development and empowerment.

Phase One completed final snagging at end April 2024 and the company anticipates relocating from its old premises at the beginning of May 2024. With the new facility serving the entire region as a dedicated Centre of Excellence – including supporting major mining operations at Jwaneng, Orapa and Ghanzi – it was important to not only have a full-service facility, but an iconic head-office building as well, inside and out.

The facility itself is based on the iconic curved façade of the main Isando head office in Johannesburg. “Our aim was to have an integrated world-class facility to provide the service excellence our customers rely on,” says Hill.

Another key factor was to boost staff morale. “We wanted a working environment where people want to come to work every day to contribute towards the company’s objectives, to grow as individuals, and deliver breakthrough results – not only for ourselves but also for our customers,” stresses Hill.

A major component of the design and interior fit-out has been to align with Barloworld Equipment’s own Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. It means that the Centre of Excellence is a fully sustainable green facility, with 70% of water used on-site recycled, and back-up power in place for any contingencies.

This required a flagship design and interior layout and fit-out, adds Dennis Matlhaga, Facilities Manager, Barloworld Equipment Botswana. Matlhaga collaborated closely with X-Furniture MD Conrad Burger and his team from the initial concept stage. “They had a major input from the planning and design phase,” notes Matlhaga.

The brief to X-Furniture was to provide a complete solution with respect to the different business lines represented at the Centre of Excellence, from administration to service and spare parts. “We wanted an overall solution to cater for all our diverse requirements. X-Furniture delivered on all our expectations, from ergonomic office chairs to shelving units in the storeroom and steel tables in other areas. From that perspective, we are very satisfied with the quality of the furniture supplied and the total solution in line with our brief,” comments Matlhaga.

What made the project unique is that Phakalane could serve as the benchmark for future Centres of Excellence elsewhere in Africa, which demanded a high attention to detail and quality and ensuring that Barloworld’s corporate identity is included throughout.

X-Furniture supplied all the office furniture, from soft seating for the reception area to amenities such as breakout and open-plan areas, even extending to the bathroom lockers for the changerooms and an external social area.

“It was a full turnkey furniture project. We had access to the building layout and assisted our client with anything and everything to do with the fit-out. We manufactured, transported and installed, all the way to final sign-off,” says Burger. All the furniture was manufactured at X-Furniture’s South African factory according to Barloworld Equipment’s exact specifications.

While X-Furniture manufactured the bulk of the furniture, certain items came from other suppliers. “We project managed that aspect as well,” says Burger. The company consolidated product from 17 suppliers into its own warehouse packaging process in the correct sequence, from where it was transported to site to be installed in the correct order. “This is an important part of what we do because if you are unfamiliar with that process and try and do it yourself, it can become quite tricky,” notes Burger.

What gives X-Furniture a definite advantage in such cross-border projects is that it has all the necessary export codes and certification in place. All product was consolidated in three trucks in South Africa in sequence of the installation and construction progress.

“We knew the open-plan areas and offices would be accessible first, so that was the first truck. Then all the items that could potentially get damaged while it was still a construction site, for example reception furniture or soft seating, was sent on the final truck,” says Burger.

X-Furniture managed this complex logistics operation with a single point of contact for the client, including a full-time team and project manager on-site to assist with the project from day one when the initial skids arrived, all the way to three weeks later when it was completely signed off.

“The aim is to make it as simple as possible for the client, from purchase order to sign-off. We take care of that entire process, from logistics to manufacturing and installation. Other clients or suppliers do not necessarily provide that service. For us, it is to make the project team’s life as easy as possible. That is giving feedback from experience as to what will work best. It is a challenge, but we always provide the best solution,” says Burger.

Commenting on the result, Barloworld Equipment Marketing Specialist Thamiso Manne concludes, “We are the market leader with this Centre of Excellence. It is the pinnacle of our marketing and branding strategy for Botswana and the region. In terms of our customer base, our world-class facility will drive our services and solutions. At the end of the day, our facility will speak for itself.”