Motswako Office Solutions regained its crown as Ricoh SA’s business partner of the year at Ricoh SA’s recent annual financial year-end event.
Motswako Office Solutions, a Ricoh SA Platinum Partner and BBBEE partner, won a total of nine awards, including the coveted business partner of the year, which it last won in the 2012/2013 financial year.
“We’ve grown since I bought the company in 2010 and this year revenues have grown 54%,” says MD, Jaco de Jager. “We have 1 500% more machines in the field since 2010, we now have 10 national offices in South Africa and one in London, UK, our staff complement has grown from 25 in 2010 to 153 today and we recently bought a 50% stake in Thepa Trading, the level 3 BBBEE Ricoh partner in Free State.”
“Our partner network is fiercely competitive as they help their customers be ready for the future of business,” says Jacques van Wyk, COO of Ricoh SA. “Motswako Office Solutions has clearly met and exceeded customer needs and that demonstrates that our partnership drives success.”
De Jager attributes much of the company’s success to its exemplary BBBEE level 2 score, in part attained by the directorship of Sebenzile Matsebula, a disabled black woman who owns 26% of the business and who has worked for The Presidency promoting the rights of people with disabilities and who served as an advisor for development agencies including the United Nations.
Motswako Office Solutions has also diversified from solely office automation to offer additional solutions in software and telecommunications such as voice over IP (VoIP). It has also recently been awarded international business to supply its solutions to a UK company and won the tender to supply a large local concern with in excess of 3 000 devices.
“We have always invested in obtaining government and parastatal business alongside our commercial business,” says De Jager. “After-sales service and consulting is a key area that we focus on intensively and we have had some of our large corporate clients for 10 years or more as a result.”
He adds that Motswako Office Solutions has a policy to invest in its employees – a vision shared by him and driven by Matsebula. The business currently has 14 learnerships in progress, a strategy it has always focused on and these success stories infiltrate nearly every facet of the business. A man who formerly maintained domestic gardens, for example, is now a qualified technician servicing corporate customers.
Motswako Office Solutions this year won:
Dealer of the year
Annuity purchases – for achieving 329% of budget
Exceptional growth – 54%
Exceeded 100% of target for production printing value propositions
Exceeding 100% of target for machine and accessories
Highest machine and accessories purchases
Highest consumable purchases
Highest software purchases
Good payment award
The company won three categories in total when it previously won Ricoh SA’s business partner of the year in 2012/2013, including highest consumables sales and highest machine and accessory sales.
“An additional accolade for our Motswako Rainbow Family that year was an award for best spirit in any dealership, which shows the dedication of all employees in our company and their commitment to work together towards the common goal of providing the most efficient and friendly service to all clients,” says De Jager. “That is the true secret to our success.”