BIOROCK Luxembourg and Hummingbird SA sign agreement for the establishment of BIOROCK AFRICA

Posted on 19 Mar 2019 by Fabian Belin

Pretoria, South Africa

8 February 2019

 

BIOROCK S.à.r.l. of Luxembourg, designer and manufacturer of the acclaimed ECOROCK and MONOBLOCK domestic sewage treatment systems, and Hummingbird Holdings (Pty) Ltd of South Africa, an experienced Water Recycling Systems Integrator, have signed an agreement which gives birth to a new South African entity, BIOROCK AFRICA. This follows the signature of the distribution agreement and licences which enables BIOROCK AFRICA to import, manufacture and distribute the certified BIOROCK product range on the African continent and to the Indian Ocean Islands.

The idea to establish BIOROCK AFRICA is not a new one. When the BIOROCK systems were first introduced to the African continent by two local dealers in 2008, the response was nothing short of overwhelming, however the superior quality, certifications, and extensive warranty as provided by BIOROCK, meant that competing on price with locally-produced systems, which did not meet these criteria, were challenging. It was agreed then that once the market conditions were optimal, the parties would revisit a local arm of the Luxembourg company.

Fast forward 10 years; in 2018 BIOROCK Luxembourg and Hummingbird South Africa reviewed the market conditions and agreed that it was an opportune time to invest into the African continent: global products, locally manufactured, and locally supported.

With over 80,000 units sold globally, BIOROCK is a leading supplier of Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems, and South Africa has the means to manufacture to a high standard.

BIOROCK AFRICA will now finalise the business case to invest in manufacturing facilities in South Africa, with the ultimate objective to supply locally-produced BIOROCK Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems to customers of both partners in the African market.

While design and development of existing and future products will remain within the parent companies, of which both have their own capabilities, BIOROCK AFRICA is looking to drive innovation on the African continent, and is already working on a new locally-developed BIOROCK product for the global market.

Until the Africa-based manufacturing facilities are operational, and the local business is certified to commence production of the BIOROCK products, the systems will be imported and in larger volumes than before. This will enable better pricing and shorter lead times to both System Integrators and End-users.

With over 30-years of experience in development and industrialisation, and in recent years a broad expansion of its product portfolio, BIOROCK Luxembourg has been recognised as a partner of choice for Hummingbird. At the same time BIOROCK Luxembourg has found Hummingbird and their management team as an established partner with broad experience in the African domestic wastewater market.

BIOROCK AFRICA through this partnership, has full development capabilities for high-quality local manufacturing. With South African-based production of the BIOROCK Wastewater Treatment Plants, both companies see a materialisation of their long-term commercial strategy for further development of the African market.