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Home / SME Corner: Meet the tenderers in the market......Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical - COMPANY PROFILE
SME Corner: Meet the tenderers in the market......Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical - COMPANY PROFILE
2015-03-13Staff Report 2 DESPITE struggling for the past eight years to secure tender awards, Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical has never given up hope. New Era’s Tender Reporter, Steven Klukowski, spoke to the Managing Director, Rozelio “Rhozeo” Fillipus on why he believes that his company’s better days will eventually come by with time. New Era (NE): How long has Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical been in existence and how big is the company’s workforce? Rozelio Fillipus (RF): Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical has been in existence since 2007. We currently have a workforce of three Namibian men, and we take in trainees from vocational training centres on a six-month rotation basis. NE: Tell us about the shareholding or ownership of the business? RF: I am in partnership with a fellow Namibian, we each own 50 percent of the company. NE: What business is your company involved in? RF: Brosel Refrigeration & Electrical specialises in refrigeration and electrical repair and maintenance services. NE: Being an eight-year old company, what challenges are you experiencing when applying for standard mandatory, good standing certificates at Inland Revenue, Social Security, Trade and Industry, etc? RF: Initially, I struggled to obtain these certificates, but now having the services of a financial expert I do not experience challenges, especially with regards to good standing Inland Revenue certificates. NE: What is your view regarding the frequent reports about ‘tenderpreneurship’ and its association with corruption in the tender process and what can be done to address it? RF: It is very bad, but [corruption is] difficult to prove. Although it is not easy to stop it, I feel the procurement process should be more transparent to address this issue of corruption. NE: Some Namibian companies are increasingly entering into joint ventures with foreign companies. How, in your view, can Namibians benefit from joint ventures? RF: Firstly, I believe that the local shareholding percentage will be determined by the financial strength of the Namibian partner. A continuous process of skills transfer should, however, take place whereby the unskilled workforce should consist mainly of Namibians while only specialised foreign employees should be accommodated. NE: What programmes are in place in terms of skills development and capacity building of employees at your company? RF: The permanent employees are receiving on the job training while the job attachment trainees also gain valuable experience during their tenure with us. NE: What is your company’s view on giving back to the community? RF: Our company is still growing and not yet financially in a position to plough back to the community, but this issue will definitely enjoy our favourable consideration in future. NE: What is the rate of success of your company’s output with regard to tenders being awarded to you? RF: We solely depend on sub-contracting jobs from big tenderers while we also do individual repairs and maintenance, but we are hopeful that we would be awarded a big tender in the near future. NE: Do your employees belong to a pension fund and medical aid scheme, and if not in which way are they assisted in this regard? RF: All employees are registered with the Social Security Commission and we will with time provide them with medical aid and pension benefits. NE: How well equipped are your employees when it comes to Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace? RF: All our employees are equipped with safety hand gloves and facemasks to protect them against hazardous substances at the workplace. We furthermore make use of the lock out procedure whereby we “lock” the electricity flow when working in an electrical environment to prevent shocking. NE: Anything else you want to mention? RF: Yes, I just want to inform the general public that opening a business is not easy or a quick money-making venture since there is a lot of competition in the tender process out there. I will never give up and are positive that this company’s better days will also come. 2015-03-13Staff Report 2
