Vol 101 issue 03 2017 by My Office

MARCH 2017 R50. inc

vat

My Office Magazine www.facebook.com/shopsa.ZA

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STATIONERY, HOME AND OFFICE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

Back to basics:

Pencils, crayons and paper

Ready, steady, shred:

Buy the perfect shredder

The office in 2017

Contents the Southern African Association for Stationery,

In every issue

home and Office Products (shop-sa). It was first

02 EDITOR’S LETTER

published in 1916. The stationery and office supply

03 ARE YOU CUSTOMER DRIVEN? Aki Kalliatakis

My Office magazine is the official magazine of

industry is a fast-changing environment. We aim to write and select articles that will both inform and benefit readers, keeping them abreast of current and future market trends. The magazine is read by over 25 000 buyers and sellers of stationery and office products each month.

Vol 102 | March 2017 www.myofficemagazine.co.za | www.facebook.com/shopsa.za

04 A RIGHT TO KNOW Dr Ivan Israelstam 05 BURN, BABY, BURN Dr Peter Tobin 06 KEEPING WATCH Gavin Moffat

FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1916

18 EVENTS 19

PUBLISHER Rob Matthews - robm@icon.co.za

ECO NEWS

20 ARTS AND CRAFTS 22

INDUSTRY NEWS

31 CRIME ALERT

EDITOR

Leigh Richter - leigh@shop-sa.co.za ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND MARKETING Wendy Dancer - wendy@shop-sa.co.za NATIONAL OFFICE Design and Layout: Vanessa Bentley New Membership: Wendy Dancer Johannesburg Office PO Box 3226, Parklands, 2121 2 Capricorn Park, Capricorn Road, Paulshof, 2191 Tel: + 27 12 548 0046 Email: info@shop-sa.co.za Website: www.myofficemagazine.co.za CONTRIBUTIONS Letters and editorial contributions are welcomed and should be addressed to the editor at editor@ shop-sa.co.za. Publication cannot be guaranteed and is subject to space and the editor’s discretion. THE LEGAL BIT Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy the publisher and editor cannot accept responsibility for supplied material. The opinions of contributors are not necessarily those of shop-sa. Copyright is strictly reserved and no part of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Stationery sponsored by

Published by

Office paper sponsored by

Printed by Colorpress (pty) ltd.

Features 08

US CUSTOMERS BUY ONLINE But bricks-and-mortar stores still rule

WHY AFRICAN MARKETS BUY FROM DUBAI Demand for stationery from the Middle East is growing

14 PENCILS AND PAPER A guide to these stationery stalwarts

Marketplace 17 WEB BUTTONS 24 BUYERS’ GUIDE 32 PUNCHLINE

Punchline

Don’t forget to enter our competition on page 32

editor’s letter

The winds of change

s South Africans we are used to change. We encounter it every day, in the fluctuating value of the rand, in hiking food prices, in extreme weather conditions. Our ministers change, our policies change and our outlooks change.

Once again we waited with bated breath for the next round of changes brought about by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s annual Budget Speech. This year tax hikes will hit South Africans’ pockets hard as government scrambles to bridge a R28-billion budget shortfall. In tax season 2017/18, government will roll out a new top personal income tax rate of 45% for the estimated 100 000 individuals with taxable incomes above R1.5-million. The previous top bracket of 41% is now set at R701 301. This move will help raise R4.4-billion. The primary, secondary and tertiary rebates and the levels of all the taxable income brackets will increase by 1%, and the tax-free threshold rises slightly from R75 000 to R75 750.

my office magazine

A 5% increase in the tax on dividends, from 15% to 20%, will raise a further R6.8-billion. A general fuel levy of 30c per litre, combined with a 9c per litre road accident fund levy, will raise a total of R5.1-billion. Sin tax on alcohol and tobacco of between 6% and 10% will raise R1,9-billion more; and the longdebated sugar tax will come into effect during the year, raising further capital. These are the methods Gordhan is using to right the listing ship that is South Africa’s economy. But it is not all doom and gloom. In fact, stationery sales in Africa are booming thanks to the continent’s close relationship with the Middle East – Dubai alone has seen a 27% increase in trade in the last two years. See our Industry Insights article on page 10 for more. Pencils and paper, two of the stationery industry’s stalwarts, continue to be in demand. We look at all the different types on page 14. And finally, in the spirit of change, My Office will be unveiling something exciting in the next few months, so watch this space for more!

Lei g h

Until next time

Vol 101 - March 2017

customer care

Are you customer driven? he evidence is in: customerdriven companies are far more successful than those that neglect their customers.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the ROI of customer management is that your business will still be around in five years to talk about it. But what is it that makes one company stronger than its rivals? Is there a checklist of factors that can be used to benchmark your firm? At its simplest, effective customer management comes down to five broad strategic steps: • Find out what your customers want and do your best to give it to them, in a better way than your competitors can. • Identify and win over the customers that you desire based on their needs and characteristics, but be very careful not to invest in those that you don’t desire. • Retain the desirable customers making sure that they never leave by having a meaningful retention and loyalty strategy that emphasises innovative value-adds and puts relationships first. • Grow the business value of these customers through cross-sales and up-sales, and by proactively using the power of referrals and recommendations. • Constantly work on reducing the cost to serve customers without compromising the business relationship. Of course, these broad strategic goals need to be translated into meaningful steps that can be rated. Real management commitment – is the leadership team in agreement on key business goals and priorities in customer management? Do they understand the importance of a strong service culture to www.myofficemagazine.co.za

achieve these goals? Customer value proposition – is there a clear customer value proposition that describes what kind of “perfect experiences” customers should have when they deal with the business? Measurement – are current strategic measures aligned with the service vision as well as business priorities, or are traditional financial metrics measured? Customer feedback – map out all the key customer “moments of truth” or touch points for all customer groups, and have a visceral and deep understanding of what they like and don’t like about the business. Customer needs and desires – is there an active and formal process that gives a deep understanding of all of the customers’ changing needs, wants, desires, expectations and fears, as well as those of non-customers? Customer retention and loyalty – are there visible, irresistible and proactive programmes in the organisation that ensure effective retention of customers, as well as better cross-selling and up-selling? Valuable customers versus the long tail – determine the worth of individual customers or segments of customers, and target the right customers rather than waste resources. Knowledge of customers – institute a customer intelligence process or system that provides powerful information about all the important aspects of customers’ businesses and lives. Referrals and recommendations – institute a formal programme to mobilise the power of referrals, recommendations and customer testimony. Consequences – every single employee in the organisation must understand the benefits of customer loyalty, and the price paid when things go wrong. People behaviour and attitude – this knowledge and insight must translate into customer-focused behaviour where

customers’ interests are put first, and where every employee takes full responsibility for all of the customers’ experiences. The right people need to be recruited for exceptional customer service, and those recruits need to be rewarded. Problems and complaints – when breakdowns occur in customer experiences, the complaint management system must respond immediately and consistently, with empathy and in a positive manner to ensure “customer bounce-back”. Value innovation – the organisation must be good at value innovation in order to create customer loyalty. Does the service improvement process seek new ideas from every employee and every customer? What percentage of ideas are about improvements or added value for customers, rather than saving money for the company? Are these given priority? Looking out the window – is there a benchmark for customer management performance with companies both inside and outside the industry? Technology support – the company should be ahead of the game when it comes to using technology (hardware, software and social media) to ensure that customers have flawless experiences. Giving back – the company should be a responsible member of society that gives back to the communities in which they operate, and honours their commitment to the viability and sustainability of the planet for future generations. While this is by no means a comprehensive list of the characteristics of a customer-driven company, but using it to create a snapshot of where you currently stand can be very useful for determining your future direction. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AKI KALLIATAKIS

my office magazine

labour law

A right to know What job applicants must tell prospective employers

t is not unusual for job applicants to deceive prospective employers in order to improve their chances of getting the job.

In South Africa, where jobs are particularly scarce and competition for work is fierce, such deception is very common and takes many forms. For example: •

Claiming qualifications that do not exist; • Falsification of CVs and academic certificates; • Provision of false reference letters; • Exaggeration of skills and experience; • Lying about reasons for termination of previous jobs; • Denying that the employee is pregnant; • Lying about the employee’s age; • Provision of incorrect referees. That is, replacing the names of previous superiors with names of friends or colleagues who then give glowing references; and • Withholding of information such as criminal convictions and disciplinary action. The key questions are: • What information does the law require the job applicant to provide? • What legal recourse is there for the employer who subsequently finds that it has employed someone who deceived it prior to employment? It is generally accepted that the employer has a right to full and accurate information that is genuinely pertinent to the decision to employ a job applicant. While this is the general rule, many exceptions exist, particularly where the information in question relates to the

my office magazine

employee’s personal circumstances. For example, Section 6 of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) prohibits discrimination against job applicants on a number of arbitrary grounds including race, gender, pregnancy and age. Logically therefore, it would normally be unacceptable to fire an employee who had withheld information related to these prohibited arbitrary criteria. I would, in most cases, be wrong to fire an employee for having failed to inform the employer, during the job application stage, that she was pregnant. Although the employee may have proved to have been dishonest about this at her interview, job applicants are not required to divulge such information. However, where the deception of the employee relates to the employee’s ability to do the job and thereby satisfy the employer’s operational requirements, the employer is on firmer ground should it wish to bring disciplinary action against the employee. For example, in the case of Evans versus Protech (2002 7 BALR 704) the employee had, prior to employment, informed the employer that she had previously worked as a qualified hairdresser and that a certain person was to be contacted for a reference. The employee was then employed. Thereafter the employer discovered that the employee had never worked with the alleged referee and that the employee had not been a qualified hairdresser. The employer therefore dismissed the employee. The CCMA found that the dismissal was procedurally unfair because no disciplinary hearing was held, but substantively fair because the employee had not been justified in lying about her qualifications during the job application stage. In the case of Tawu obo Louw versus Volkswagen (2003 BALR 493) the job applicant, during the job application

stage, falsified the salary he had been earning at a previous job. On the weight of this false information Volkswagen employed him in a senior post. Volkswagen dismissed the employee on discovering the lie. The CCMA found the dismissal to be fair on the grounds that the employee’s dishonesty had destroyed the trust relationship between the parties. However, in the case of Numsa obo Engelbrecht versus Delta Motor Corporation (1998 5 BALR 573), the CCMA found the dismissal of Engelbrecht to be unfair despite the fact that he had failed to inform the employer, at the job application stage, of a previous act of dishonesty. The arbitrator re-instated the employee. The above labour law cases neither mean that it will always be acceptable to dismiss employees for having given false information when applying for a job, nor that it will always be unfair to fire employees who had withheld information such as acts of dishonesty. What these cases do show is that: • Employers need to check all information that job applicants give them; • Employers have the right to question such information even after having hired the job applicant; • Employers must hold disciplinary hearings before acting against deceitful employees; and • Employers must, before holding such hearings, consult with a reputable labour law expert as to whether the deceptive behaviour in each individual case merits discipline and dismissal. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT DR IVAN ISRAELSTAM

Vol 101 - March 2017

POPI

Burn, baby, burn

Ford Kuga, Samsung, reputation management and POPI

uring January 2017 Samsung announced the results of a monthslong investigation when some of the devices it was selling started to self-ignite. This saw a steep decline in its global reputation, resulting in a recall of 2 500 000 Galaxy Note 7 units.

This was not the first time a tech device has experienced such problems: do you remember the issues Dell (at one time the world’s largest supplier of PCs) had in 2006 when some of its laptop batteries also displayed auto-combustion characteristics and it recalled 4 000 000 of them? Of course you can see where this story line leads us already – the Ford Kuga debacle which has been almost constantly in the media over the last few months, with a much more modest recall target of only 4 500 Kuga units. When your good name is on the line, and you enjoy global recognition for your brand, the value of effective reputation management is kind of obvious. So what has this got to do with the POPI Act? A great deal, if international experience is anything to go by. When the Information Regulator announces commencement of the 12-month transition period to full effect of the POPI Act (which had not happened at the time of writing this article, but is widely expected in the first half of 2017), there will be a number of possible negative consequences to non-compliance with the Act. Whilst a security compromise (more often called a data breach in global markets) is the most obvious concern, there are numerous other grounds on which the Regulator and interested stakeholders (data subjects to use POPI parlance) may feel they have reason to take action where failure to comply with the Act is concerned. www.myofficemagazine.co.za

Any and all of these possible failures could have the direct negative consequences of a monetary penalty (issued by the Regulator), civil damages claims (from data subjects) and the costs of disruption to normal business in the recovery period after an incident has occurred, potentially including revenue lost from disaffected current and future clients. Not yet mentioned in this article but almost certainly surpassing all the other negative impacts to be expected, but not welcomed, is reputation damage. That’s where the Kuga and POPI noncompliance have something in common: headlines for all the wrong reasons. International surveys conducted over the last few years by information security companies such as Kaspersky Lab and Trend Micro provide some indication of the types of risks that need to be addressed where personal information protection is concerned. So what action is recommended to help to manage your reputation when it comes to POPI? Clients of mine have evaluated several frameworks which can be used to better manage their compliance activities. One of the most popular is from the US which is part of the Obama legacy from 2014 (not yet overturned by a Trump Executive Order at time of writing) that offers the following five groups of the Cybersecurity Framework Core Outcomes which can help with protecting your reputation, whether you are in Bloemfontein, Benoni or Bloubergstrand: • Identify – develop the organisational understanding to manage cybersecurity risk to systems, assets, data and capabilities. • Protect – develop and implement the appropriate safeguards to ensure delivery of critical infrastructure services. • Detect – develop and implement the appropriate activities to identify the occurrence of a cybersecurity event. • Respond – develop and implement the appropriate activities to take action regarding a detected

cybersecurity event. Recover – develop and implement the appropriate activities to maintain plans for resilience and to restore any capabilities or services that were impaired due to a cybersecurity event. If you follow this advice your reputation is less likely to get burned than Samsung, Dell or Ford. Good luck with managing your reputation. n •

Cost of security incidents by type (high to low) • Failure of third party suppliers • Fraud by employees • Cyber espionage • Network intrusion/hacking • Intentional leaking • Phishing • Accidental leaking • Malware/viruses • DoS/DDoS • Software vulnerabilities Top three major consequences of a breach: • Loss of access to business-critical information • Damage to company reputation • Temporary loss of ability to trade Top three most expensive types of security breaches: • Third-party failure • Fraud by employees • Cyber espionage Top three IT security threats that lead to data loss: • Malware • Phishing attacks • Accidental data leaks by staff Source: Kaspersky Lab report: Damage Control: The cost of Security Breaches ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PETER TOBIN

my office magazine

business savvy

Keeping watch You know it’s a new world when a cover band eats your lunch

am a fan of Linkin Park, a band that came to prominence in 2000 with their debut release Hybrid Theory. I loved their energy, attitude, approach to song writing and efforts to buck the music system of the day.

Over the past nearly two decades they have lost some of their vim and vigour as many angst-ridden young musicians do, and have strayed from their nu-metal path. That’s OK, we all change and grow and creative growth doesn’t come from remaining static. On 16 February 2017 they released a track called Heavy off their new album One More Light. It’s an average song for them. Quite poppy, which is also OK, but has very little character and sounds like so many of the other bands running around California attempting to break into the big time. The astounding part has nothing to do with the band but is about two guys, Karan Katiyar and Jayant Bhadula, who call themselves Bloodywood. They love Linkin Park and to show their love recorded their take on the track Heavy and posted it on YouTube within a couple of days of the song’s release. They prefaced their cover version with the comment “If Linkin Park were still nu

my office magazine

metal …”. They interpret Linkin Park’s new track as they believe Linkin Park should sound. Wow, what a world we live in that a bunch of musicians can cover your song, days after release, in a way that both pays homage to your roots and at the same time lets you know that fans believe you are straying from your path. What a world indeed. It is self-evident that this kind of passionate relationships exists between pop stars and their fans. They love passionately and hate with the same degree of emotion. This expression of emotion and relationship also exists within the world of brands, as can be witnessed by iconic global names such as Puma and Apple. Apple fans will forgive the company just about anything but will at the same moment hate on them for not giving them what they want or need. We live in an age where the fundamentals of day-to-day life and understanding it have changed. The Millennial generation in the States are asking Coca Cola why it is that they need to buy a six pack of Cokes, and why they can’t have a pack that contains, two Cokes, two Fantas and two Sprites. They’d also like to have this delivered to them instead of having to get it at the store. How is the Coca Cola Company going to deal with this? It completely upends their supply chain because they

currently drive the product to market – they are not used to having the market drive demand and tell them how to package and deliver their goods. This daily upheaval in the norms of interaction between and a brand and its stakeholders is not something that is going to slow down; in fact, much the opposite. If Coca Cola is unable to adapt its market-approach strategy it will lose out to other products because the Millennials are much less brand loyal than preceding generations. In fact, they’re selfish enough to boycott Coke even if it is their favourite drink. Are we in touch with just how much the market is changing around us? When was the last time you looked around to see who out there is eating your lunch? Who is giving your customer what they want, while you’re looking the other way? Whose fans are quietly talking to them with messages regarding what they need, and are they being listened to? A virtual cornerstone of today’s business is listening to what’s happening externally. Are you? Can you? Do you even know who to listen to? Start today. See who’s talking about you, what they’re saying and see if there is a space for new revenue and relationships right there. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GAVIN MOFFAT @GAVINMOFFAT

Vol 101 - March 2017

Check out Rexelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new website!

FO L LO W U S

www.rexelsa.co.za

international insights

US customers buy online ... but brick-and-mortar sales continue to dominate consumer spending

otal retail sales for the United States office and school supplies industry grew 1% in 2016 to $12,1-billion, with e-commerce the thrust behind the growth, according to global information company The NPD Group.

Brick-and-mortar sales remained flat though the channel, and accounted for 89% of the total industry, while online sales grew 12% for the year; however, the online growth rate has slowed compared to previous years. “Continued industry consolidation via mergers, exits and store closings has not only reduced the number of physical store locations, but has also led to fierce competition, both in stores and online, among office supplies brands and retailers,” says Leen Nsouli, director, office supplies industry analyst at The NPD Group. “Gaining prominent position on shrinking in-store shelves is now more valuable than it has ever been. Understanding the best assortment to have on shelves, and providing consumers with multiple options to simultaneously research and shop online, will become increasingly important for industry players in the coming year.”

my office magazine

Category performance Creative expression and personalisation were key themes for the industry in 2016. Category groups contributing to the industry’s growth in 2016 were writing instruments, colouring and art, and dated products. Stemming from the consumer demand inspired by the adult colouring trend, colouring pages (+49%), coloured pencil sets (+44%) and gel pens (+18%) were among the top dollar growth subcategories in 2016. Sales of appointment books/planners were also a top contributor to growth (+9%).

“Continued industry consolidation has not only reduced the number of physical store locations, but has also led to fierce competition, both in stores and online.” Back to business Accounting for more than one-third of total industry sales during the year, back-toschool is the biggest season for the office supplies industry. While back-to-school shoppers are not the only group the industry relies upon to drive sales, small business customers also play a big role.

According to NPD’s 2016 report, Understanding the Small Office/Home Office Consumer, two-thirds of small business and home office consumers reported purchasing supplies at least once a month or more. Among these purchasers, 51% shopped exclusively at brick-and-mortar retailers, while 26% shopped exclusively online. “Small business is big business. With attention to capture the business customers’ share of wallet and loyalty running high within the office supplies industry, continuous innovation to improve and personalise their online and in-store experience can give retailers and manufacturers the competitive edge they need in 2017,” says Nsouli. n

Top US e-commerce suppliers B2B credit management platform Apruve analysed 50 office supply e-commerce sites between 9 and 13 January 2017 to determine which was ranked the best based on user experience and usability, checkout and B2B product needs. The top six are: • Amazon • On Time Supplies • Quill • Shoplet • Office Depot/Office Max • Best Buy

Vol 101 - March 2017

product news

Trodat releases new Professional 4.0 stamp Stronger. Cleaner. Faster. These were the main criteria in the thoughtful development of the new Trodat Professionalâ&#x201E;˘ 4.0. The polished stainless steel reflects the high-quality processing of the stamp. The robust and sturdy casing provides a worthy frame for numerous new application benefits. Stronger The solid metal construction made of polished stainless steel guarantees maximum stability and durability, even in the toughest application conditions

www.myofficemagazine.co.za

in offices, logistics or government. At the same time, it boasts the smallest possible size with a low weight. Cleaner The innovative finger protection keeps your fingers clean when replacing the ink cartridge and setting the date. The optimised control curve ensures a round and consistent stamp movement and perfect imprint quality. Faster The special grip zones on the feet make it easier to compress the stamp when

setting the date. The slim stamp design simplifies the turning of the date wheels, and the new date band drive guarantees faster and more precise date setting and alignment. Like its predecessor model, the new Trodat Professionalâ&#x201E;˘ 4.0 also offers climate neutrality as standard and is manufactured with the technically highest proportion of recycling material and 100% green electricity in Austria. Experience the many benefits of the new Trodat Professionalâ&#x201E;˘ 4.0 for more information, scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit www.trodat.net.

my office magazine

industry insights

Why African markets buy from Dubai Dubai-based traders focus attention on African markets as demand for stationery registers unprecedented rise

frica represents a huge market for stationery and a host of enterprising traders in Dubai – and elsewhere in the Gulf – are busy fulfilling a major slice of this demand. Sourcing products from North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region, they are in a position to supply the entire gamut of stationery products including writing instruments, paper products, envelopes, fax rolls, photocopy paper, markers, staplers, highlighters, sticky tapes, note pads, drawing instruments and file covers.

Dubai has emerged as a major supplier of stationery and office automation products and has developed an extensive network of retailers, wholesalers and stockists with an impressive track record. According to a recent report issued by the Emirates Industrial Bank Journal, demand for stationery and allied paper products has seen a growth of almost 27% in the

my office magazine

last two years. A major portion of the increased imports of stationery products has been attributed to the increasing demand for these products in Dubai’s reexport markets, especially the emerging markets in Africa. Demand for stationery products has registered a two-fold increase among importers in East African countries because of the increase in the number of educational institutions and commercial organisations. It is believed that the ongoing economic liberalisation programmes in most African countries have resulted in attracting multi-national companies who have set up their offices in the region – not to mention the many non-government organisations and UN offices operating from within Africa. With greater emphasis on education and vocational training, demand for stationery and related products has witnessed a substantial rise. In the absence of a truly self-reliant manufacturing sector, most African countries have to depend on overseas imports to fulfil demands within their own countries. The trend is to import low-priced goods from nearby countries and distribute them locally and regionally on a high profit margin.

Why African markets buy from Dubai Low prices, easy availability and a highly conducive business environment have made Dubai an extremely lucrative market for African consumers who have emerged as major buyers of stationery products in the recent past. In addition to the price advantage, African buyers are able to choose from a wide variety of goods that are available in the UAE. So whether it is suspended files or rolls of facsimile paper, one can source virtually every stationery product from Dubai – and at excellent prices too. “The wholesale market in Dubai is very active in promoting re-exports to Africa,” says Aziz Ahmed Karim, director of Copier Trading. “African buyers generally buy in bulk from suppliers in Dubai and then undertake retail selling in their own countries at a very healthy profit.” The biggest advantage of making their bulk purchases from the UAE, for African buyers, is that they can purchase just the quantities they require. While theoretically it is possible for African buyers to source their supplies directly from manufacturers in the Far East, such orders would normally be for at least

Vol 101 - March 2017

industry insights one container load, if not more. Most African buyers, on the other hand, do not require the merchandise in such large quantities and are more comfortable with sourcing smaller quantities of different commodities from Dubai, stuffing them into one or two containers and then shipping the goods to their African destinations. The fact that Dubai has excellent shipping connections means that African buyers can ship their purchases to literally any destination on the continent. Thus, not only do African stationery dealers have in Dubai the ideal location where they can find all their requirements in one city, but also have the means of transporting it back home very conveniently and cheaply. With the emergence of Africa as one of the major re-export markets for the United Arab Emirates, many Dubai-based exporters have begun concentrating their marketing efforts towards the “dark continent”. In the recent past, UAE companies have begun developing direct contacts in the African market to further boost their market share in this booming

www.myofficemagazine.co.za

continent, and the indication is that Africa will become an increasingly important destination for UAE re-exports in the months and years to come. Exhibitions and trade fairs Exhibitions and trade fairs have played an important role in promoting Dubai’s status as a trading centre for Africa. “A large number of African visitors are now vesting Paperworld Middle East in search of new sources of supply,” says Alexandria Robinson, senior show manager of Paperworld Middle East. “By visiting the exhibition, African buyers are able to meet suppliers from all across the world under one roof. The ease of doing business with Dubai, its geographical proximity to Africa, convenient and efficient air and sea connectivity – have all attracted a growing number of Africans to Paperworld Middle East.” The forthcoming Paperworld Middle East, being held in Dubai, is being billed as a major showcase of all kinds of paper products and stationery items from all across the world.

“The immense success of the Paperworld Middle East in attracting African buyers is proof that the African markets are eager to find serious business partners in order to develop long-term contacts,” says Dr Mohammad Ahmad Kisule, Ambassador of Uganda to Saudi Arabia. “Events like these play an important role in promoting direct trade and people-to-people contact – an essential part of Africa’s business ethics,” he says. Referring to the measures being taken by the stationery trade in the UAE to make even further inroads into African market, Mohammed A. Basith of Al Hathboor Stationery says that a number of Dubai traders have appointed distributors in many African countries – especially in Kenya, which has emerged as one of the leading distribution centres for the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. Other countries that are significant importers of stationery from Dubai include wholesalers, retailers and traders in Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Nigeria and South Africa.

my office magazine

industry insights

Images: www.paperworldme.com

Africa is a price-sensitive market Industry experts believe that African markets are extremely price sensitive and most of the requirements originating from Africa are for low priced goods – quality being a secondary consideration. It is for this reason that goods from China, Korea, Hong Kong and other Far Eastern countries have been more successful in African markets when compared to those from Europe. Stationery dealers in Dubai have identified Africa as one of the fastest growing markets for re-exports and are actively engaged in promoting their products in African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, South Africa, Tanzania and Senegal. Traders and businessmen from these countries have been purchasing bulk quantities of stationery items from Dubai not only to meet the increasing demand for these products in their own countries, but also to meet the requirements of neighbouring countries as well. Traders from Uganda, for instance, have been buying from Dubai bulk quantities of low-priced exercise books for schools and distributing the same to nearby countries of Rwanda, Congo and Tanzania. The tremendous growth of UAE’s stationery trade has resulted in the development of a small but significant manufacturing sector. A number of stationery items like fax rolls, exercise books, notepads, box files, computer paper, photocopy paper, laser printing paper and diaries are now being manufactured in the UAE itself to meet the increasing demands for these products. The Jebel Ali Free Zone has become a major centre for the manufacturing and export of stationery products from the

my office magazine

United Arab Emirates. Several companies based in the Jebel Ali Free Zone have been actively feeding the African markets. Most of these companies have been vigorously promoting their brand names in the African markets through their exclusive dealers and distributors. Speaking about his experience in the stationery trade with Africa, Ramakant Sherke, GM of Majlan Stationery, says that it is very profitable to do business with African buyers because they are generally “cash” customers and regularly come up with repeat orders. “The market for stationery products in Africa is growing at a fast pace and the prospects for the short-term future remain very bright,” he says. Among the major destinations for stationery products from the UAE to Africa is Kenya, which has become a very important trading partner. The liberalisation of the Kenyan economy has resulted in a marked increase in demand

for products such as stationery and office supplies. This demand was earlier being serviced by certain European countries, especially the United Kingdom, which had enjoyed the status of being the larger supplier of goods to Kenya for many years. The UAE entered the Kenyan market in a big way by supplying quality goods at extremely competitive prices to importers. Trade ties between the two countries are especially significant in light of the fact that both countries enjoy the status of being the distribution hubs of their respective regions. Dubai is now the undisputed trade and distribution hub of the Middle East, and Kenya, through its port in Mombasa, has been servicing trade traffic not only for many countries on the East coast of Africa but also for many landlocked countries in the subSaharan African region. Mushtaq Imran Ali, director of Al Uloom Stationery, says that the UAE’s trade with Africa has more than doubled in the past

Vol 101 - March 2017

industry insights

two years. Stationery being a sizeable component of this trade has shown very healthy growth trends, and traders see continued profitability in these operations. Another major destination for stationery products is South Africa, which has emerged as one of the UAE’s leading trading partners in the region. Though South Africa’s links with the Gulf are not very old, they have gained in prominence, especially among the business community. After sanctions were lifted in the early 1990s, South Africa emerged as one of the most active trading partners of the UAE. Rather than depend on local sources of supply, African traders are now turning more and more to the international market to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of their customers. People are no longer satisfied with poor quality

products, and they are willing to pay good prices for quality. Sourcing these materials from suppliers in Dubai, makes eminent sense as the emirate is the trading hub of the entire region. “Transportation links to all parts of the globe, low freight rates, wide variety, high quality goods and very remunerative prices make this the ideal location for African buyers to procure all their stationery requirements,” says Dawood, director of Noor Al Ilm Stationery. Not only are traders in Dubai able to source quality products at most competitive prices from virtually all the reputed international manufacturers, they also have experience in the re-export business that make them the ideal partners for stationery traders from Africa. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WWW.AFRICA-BUSINESS.COM

pencils and paper

Pencils Standard pencils Graphite pencils are the standard pencils found in homes, offices and classrooms. There are more varieties of graphite pencils than any other kind. In spite of the name, pencil leads do not contain the toxic chemical element lead, but are typically made with graphite and clay, or plastic polymers. This mixture leaves grey or black marks on the substrate, which can be erased easily. Most graphite pencils have a combination of numbers or letters stamped onto it. These numbers and letters indicate how hard or soft the lead of a pencil is. The higher the number H, the harder the lead, meaning the pencil will produce a lighter line. The higher the number B, the softer the lead. This results in a darker line. The numbers and letters usually range from 6H to 9B. The standard, familiar yellow pencils with pink erasers on top are HB, which sits right in the middle of the range. Mechanical pencils A mechanical pencil â&#x20AC;&#x201C; also known as a clutch pencil, a propelling pencil or

my office magazine

technical pencil â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core. Unlike traditional wood-encased pencils, the graphite in a mechanical pencil is not bonded to the outer casing, but is instead extended as it becomes blunt. Mechanical pencils provide lines of constant width without the need for repeated sharpening. They are used by people who work in pencil all day, such as draughtsmen, architects and mathematicians. Mechanical pencils can also be used for fine-art drawing. Mechanical pencils can be divided into two basic types: those that both hold the lead and can actively propel it forward, and those that only hold the lead in position. Screw-based pencils were the most common type of mechanical pencil in the earlier part of the 1900s. This mechanism ensures that the lead is brought down the dispensing column by twisting a screw. A slider is moved down the barrel of the pencil.

Pencils of this type typically have a locking mechanism to allow the lead to be pushed back into the pencil. Clutch pencils are activated by pressing the cap at the top. This opens jaws inside the tip, and the lead is able to drop down the barrel towards the tip of the pencil. When the cap is pushed down and the lead is in free-fall, it can fall out of the pencil entirely. It is worth holding the pencil just above the work surface, and the lead will stop when it touches the obstacle. Some types of clutch pencils contain mechanisms to incrementally advance the lead. Clutch pencils use thicker leads than screw-based pencils, and can only hold one piece of lead at a time. Ratchet-based pencils have lead which is held in place by two or three small jaws inside a ring at the tip. A button on the end or side of the pencil controls the jaws. When the button is pushed, the jaws move forward and separate, which allows the lead to advance down the barrel of the pencil. When the button is released and the Vol 101 - March 2017

pencils and paper

Crayons Pencil crayons Pencil crayons are a classroom staple. They consist of narrow, pigmented cores surrounded by a wooden cylindrical case. They are available in a wide range of colours and their pigment cores can be wax- or oil-based. The barrel of a pencil crayon can be round, hexagonal or even twist-up. Standard varieties come in packs of 12s and 24s, but they are also available in comprehensive art packs of 100 or more colours. Wax crayons Affordable and available in a vast array of colours, wax crayons are a favourite among children. Crayons are made primarily of a white clay called kaolin, wax or fatty acids, and dyes. Crayons differ from oil pastels in that they are harder and contain more filler materials. Because they are firmer in texture, they can be sharpened to a point or shaved. Generally speaking, crayons are not ideal for artists as they do not have a good level of colour permanence. Exposure to light will dull the colours of wax crayons, especially blues.

jaws retract, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;lead retainerâ&#x20AC;? (a small rubber device inside the tip) keeps the lead in place, prevents the lead from either falling freely outward or riding back up into the barrel until the jaws recover their grip. Ratchet-based pencils are a variant of the clutch pencil. Mechanical pencils that are shaken back and forth to release lead are a type of ratchet-based pencil. Pencils of this type may also have a button so that the user can manually advance the lead if necessary. Another type of ratchet-based pencil www.myofficemagazine.co.za

advances the lead automatically. In this design, the lead is advanced by a ratchet but only prevented from going back into the pencil by friction. The nib is a spring-loaded collar that, when depressed as the lead is worn away, extends out again when pressure is released. Yet another type of ratchet-based pencil has a mechanism that twists the pencil lead at six degrees counterclockwise every time the lead is pressed on to the paper. This means wear is evenly distributed and lines are of uniform thickness.

Most mechanical pencil mechanisms can only house a single lead diameter. Some pencils contain several mechanisms within the same housing, so as to offer a range of thicknesses, but these are rare. The lead of mechanical pencils is also available in a range of hardness ratings. The hardness required will depend on the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desired balance between darkness and durability. The lead most commonly found in mechanical pencils is identical to HB, although not as thick. Mechanical pencils with coloured leads do exist, but they are quite rare. my office magazine

pencils and paper

Paper There are many different types of paper for many different applications. Continuous form paper Continuous form paper is usually perforated at regular intervals and is joined together like an accordion. It is typically used by impact (dot matrix) printers. It can be single ply or multi-ply, with carbon paper between the layers. The highest grade of continuous paper is similar to typing paper, with a fine perforation. The most common sizes are 241mm x 279mm and 381mm x 279mm. Continuous form paper is commonly used by businesses that are required to give customers copies of invoices, such as mechanics and couriers. Cut sheet paper The standard white paper bought in reams and used in inkjet and laser printers is called cut sheet paper. It ranges in size from A5 (148mm x 210mm) up to A0 (841mm x 1 189mm) in speciality printers. Variations are offered in thickness, smoothness or a combination thereof. Paper is often supplied by printer manufacturers to ensure the best colour reproductions. Photograph paper If you want to print photographs at

my office magazine

the home or office, you will require special photographic paper coated with specially developed chemicals for a glossy finish. The chemicals also ensure there is no bleeding or smearing of ink. The paper itself can be thin sheets of plain paper or thick, multi-layered paper. Different types of photo paper have different thicknesses and textures. Some photo papers have the grain and weight of watercolour paper or art canvas. Thermal paper Thermal paper is a fine paper coated with a chemical that changes colour when exposed to heat. The paper, which comes in rolls, has a protective topcoating to prevent fading. Despite this, the paper is light sensitive and fades easily. This type of paper is used to print receipts, such as those from tills and credit card machines. Security paper Security paper is a type of paper that incorporates features that help to authenticate a document as original. This is done through the use of watermarks or invisible fibres. This type of paper is used for identification documents such as passports, certificates and government documents.

Handmade paper Handmade paper is made using a frame. It contains different types of plant fibres and cotton rags. Each fibre has its own properties, giving the paper a particular characteristic. The mould is covered by a flat frame called a deckle, to contain the run-off of wet pulp. This is dipped into a vat of pulp, shaken to distribute the fibres evenly and drained of its excess water. The wet mat of fibres is dried by hot pressing, cold pressing or air drying. Handmade paper is 100% woodfree, 100% recycled and is dried using renewable energy sources (such as solar). Buy handmade paper if you are looking for something unique that is ideal for both writing and printing. Handmade paper has greater tensile, bursting, tearing and double-fold strength when compared to conventional paper, so it is ideal for scrapbooking. It always has minor variations in shade, thickness and density. Recycled paper Recycled paper is any paper made with recovered fibre. This may be preconsumer waste (such as paper off-cuts and rejected or surplus printed matter), which is a by-product of the production process; or post-consumer fibre (which includes boxes, old newspapers, Vol 101 - March 2017

Web Buttons

pencils and paper

www.parrotproducts.biz

www.penflex.co.za

www.hortors.co.za

magazines, junk mail and mixed waste paper), which is essentially items that people throw away. In order to recycle printed matter, it needs to be de-inked. Waste paper has the ink, fillings and coatings removed before being pulped. Recycled paper comes in the same formats as standard paper. The key selling point of recycled paper is the environmental impact it has. Printing on a paper with a high ratio of post-consumer content is a popular option but, due to the de-inking process, it is not that environmentally friendly. Scrap paper that is recycled into newsprint requires far less energy, water and chemical treatment and is better for the Earth.

www.redfern.co.za

www.treeline.co.za

www.rexelsa.co.za

www.silveray.co.za

email: sales@redfern.co.za

THE LABEL SPECIALIST Stick with the best!

www.nikki.co.za

Metallic paper Metallic paper is just like normal paper, except that, instead of just paper or plastic backing, it has a sheet of Mylar between the paper and the emulsion. It is high gloss and high contrast, ideal for black and white prints, wedding invitations and scrap-booking. However, metallic papers do not work well in a dark environment and need to be displayed in a well-lit area. Metallic papers are available in a range of colours, including gold, silver and bronze, and come in standard paper sizes. n www.myofficemagazine.co.za

www.koloksa.co.za

www.interstat.co.za

www.bop.co.za

www.kmp.co.za

ÂŽ

www.towerproducts.co.za

events

Diarise this

A list of industry-specific events and exhibitions to mark on your calendar 19 - 20 Apr 2017

21 - 23 Apr 2017

SIGN AFRICA – DURBAN DURBAN ICC, DURBAN This two-day event showcases all aspects of wide format digital printing, garment decoration, screen printing and signage and allows visitors to explore the latest technologies and trends right in their own city in the media and advertising industry.

INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE CONVENTION & EXPO HYATT REGENCY JOHANNESBURG This three-day event showcases products like franchises; franchising consultants; investment firms and regulatory bodies and law firms; small business consulting; legal services; financial advisors; banking institutions; Web/Internet solutions; government support; marketing and advertising assistance; business associations; IT support; and business services in the business services industry.

19 - 20 Apr 2017

27 - 30 Apr 2017

AFRICA PRINT REGIONAL EXPO DURBAN DURBAN ICC, DURBAN This expo will be a showcase for the entire digital print process – from sheet-fed A3 machines up to grand format digital equipment. It will include both suppliers and manufacturers of commercial and digital printers, finishing equipment, software, media and consumables in the computer hardware and software, industrial products, printing and publishing industries.

14-23 Apr 2017 RAND SHOW EXPO CENTRE JOHANNESBURG This 10-day event showcases a plethora of performances and events, exhibitors and presenters in the building construction, home furnishings and home textiles, architecture and designing, real estate agents and furniture industries.

my office magazine

27 - 30 Apr 2017

AFRICA’S LARGEST DECOR, DESIGN & LIFESTYLE EXHIBITION PORTFOLIO CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE, CAPE TOWN This four-day event is a comprehensive showcase of the latest decor and design trends, products and services in the business services industry.

10 - 11 May 2017 DECOREX CAPE TOWN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA This event showcases products like bathrooms, beds and mattresses, linen, wardrobe systems, accessories, cookware, food and drink, massage equipment, kitchen, dining and entertaining, and outdoor furniture in the architecture and designing industry.

MARKETING INDABA CAPE TOWN This two-day event showcases products like marketing services, CRM providers, advertising/media, sales, promotional gifts, printers and companies wishing to market to marketers across industries.

Got something going on? Upcoming event? Send the details and an image to editor@shop-sa.co.za for publication on our Events page.

Vol 101 - March 2017

eco news

Demand for

‘green’

ith growing concerns about the environment, office supplies are no exception to the consumer drive for products that promise wellness and sustainability.

More than half of small office and home office consumers buy environmentally-friendly office supply products, according to Understanding the Small and Home Office Consumer, the latest report from global information company The NPD Group. That number increases to 76% among those purchasing for an office of 31-50 employees, who have a larger carbon footprint. An online survey was conducted in the United States in July 2016 among a representative sample of males and females age 18 and older who were responsible for purchasing office supplies for themselves or their co-workers, and who worked from home or in an office containing 50 employees or less.

www.myofficemagazine.co.za

stationery grows

“Consumers today are becoming increasingly cognisant of the products they use and food they put into their bodies. With office products also part of everyday life, they are just as important,” says Leen Nsouli, director, office supplies industry analyst, The NPD Group. “The emphasis consumers and marketers are placing on green products presents a big opportunity for revenue and innovation within the office supplies industry.” Paper products such as notebooks and janitorial supplies are the most popular green supplies purchased, driven by printer/copier paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. Overall, purchasers are pleased with the choice of green products, with nearly 80% indicating they are very to extremely satisfied. In particular, green product users like the fact that they are using non-toxic products, and are doing their part to help the environment. At the same time, some feel they lack the quality of noneco-friendly products, and can be expensive. “Environmentally friendly products are popular among office supplies purchasers; however, there is room for improvement and further development,” says Nsouli. “Manufacturers should take consumer dislikes into consideration, to further capitalise on this trend and get ahead of the competition.” n

Danish eco-pencils that grow into vegetables Sprout, a Danish firm based in Taastrup, is quickly growing success outside of Denmark. The company’s sustainable pencils that turn into plants and vegetables recently caught the attention of the influential US television programme The Today Show, opening the product up to a much wider market. The morning programme, viewed by millions of Americans, featured the sustainable pencils in a recent backto-school feature, something the company hopes will give it a major boost in the US. “It’s really difficult to feature The Today Show; it sort of came out of the blue,” says Sprout CEO Michael Stausholm. “The US market is very important for us. Right now about 90% of our business is within Europe, but the idea and the production comes from US. We want to get the European and American markets on the same level.” Sprout, which has pencils that can grow into 13 different plants, has also seen its popularity rise in European countries like Spain, getting featured in the newspaper El País and the parenting magazine Serpadres. “Right now, our biggest market by far is Italy,” Stausholm says. “Maybe because the Mediterranean climate is better for planting and growing plants.” The Sprout team told TV2 that their pencils may also soon be featured on the Martha Stewart Show, another programme with a massive audience in the US. The concept behind Sprout is simple. The pencils contain seeds and once it is too short to write with anymore, you can just put it in a flowerpot with soil and water and wait for it to flourish. Within 8-22 days, depending on the seed variety, your old pencil will become a plant of basil, rosemary, coriander, cherry tomatoes or green peppers. Source: www.thelocal.dk

my office magazine

arts & crafts

Make your own

Easter Bunny A lovely Easter-themed craft project by Emma Williams

his Victorian inspired Easter Bunny burlap panel captures the imagery and style of the beautiful vintage illustrations from this era.

Now you too can create a piece of seasonal home decor that encapsulates the same feel.

my office magazine

Images: www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/happy-easter/

You will need: Rabbit-shaped chipboard or stiff card cut-out Butterfly card cut-out Burlap panel Metal frame corners Chalk paint of your choice in blue, pink, brown and white Gesso Texture paste Tissue tape Modge podge glue Ribbon Flowered cardstock Brown cardstock Long fasteners Rose embellishments Hot glue gun Palette knife Dried grass or moss Fine gauze or cheese cloth Apply random strokes of colour to the surface of the burlap panel using your choice of distress paint. It’s not necessary to cover the entire surface, as it’s nice to see some the natural hessian colour popping through.

Tear small amounts of tissue tape and attach these to the panel, wrapping the tape around the sides and securing them into place with modge podge. Cut a piece of the flowered cardstock to measure 13cm x 18cm and distress the edges.

Mount the cardstock onto the brown cardstock and glue. Mount the matted layers onto the front of your burlap panel. Attach metal corners to the bottom left and right hand corners of the panel, adhering them in place with modge podge. Vol 101 - March 2017

arts & crafts Stain some ribbon and dry it. Cut a strip of the dyed ribbon the width of the panel. Stitch the ribbon over the top of a piece of burlap ribbon and wrap it around your covered panel. Tie the remaining strip of dyed ribbon into a bow on the left hand side of the panel. Cut pieces of chipboard or heavy card using a cameo- and oval-shaped die. Cover both pieces with gesso, and then paint each piece with blue paint. Using a palette knife, apply texture paste onto the solid die cut shape. Once the paste is dry, apply a small amount of paint to colour it. (Use your fingertips.) Place the aperture die cut over the top of the first die cut and ink around the edges of the frame. Flick small amounts of brown paint over the frame and then attach to your covered burlap panel using foam pads. Apply a small amount of texture paste to the surface of the chipboard or cardboard bunny, stippling the paste to provide a textured effect. When the paste is dry, paint the textured bunny with brown paint and then apply small amounts of pale paint to create a bobtail and nose. Paint the bow with pink paint and then

sprinkle it with glitter. Attach the bow to the bunny and add an enamel dot for the eye. Place the bunny in the centre of the frame using foam pads to attach it. Arrange various pieces of floral ephemera around the base of the die cut, together with some dried moss or grass, and cheesecloth. Attach some small roses by tucking them in amongst the moss. Shape the wings of two butterflies to

give them the appearance they are in flight and attach the butterflies to the panel by adding a small amount of glue to the centre of their bodies, leaving the wings to flutter freely. Finally, place two decorative pins into the bow. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TROCRAFT

A3 LAMINATOR – 2 ROLLER With PFT Heat System Technology. Energy efficient with internal heaters in the rollers, allowing heat to be evenly controlled. • • • •

Hot or cold lamination Overheat protection 3-5 mins Pre-heating time Jam release or reverse function

• • •

Heat range is 95° to 120°C Anti-Blockage Function System 250mm per minute

Tel: 0861 262 737 Email: sales@parrot.co.za www.parrot.co.za

A4 LAMINATOR – 2 ROLLER RETAIL PACK The A4 Laminator Retail Pack includes 10 x A4 pouches, 10 x 4R pouches, and 10 x 3R pouches. • Hot or cold lamination • Overheat protection • 3-5 mins Pre-heating time • Jam release or reverse function • Heat range is 95° to 120°C

Tel: 0861 262 737 Email: sales@parrot.co.za www.parrot.co.za

w w w . m y o f f i c e m a g a z i n e . c o . z a

my office magazine

industry news

BIC urges South Africans to ‘Buy a Pen Donate a Pen’ Each year, the back-to-school season sees many children go without the most basic tools, such as pens. This adversity is what compelled BIC to develop its “Buy a Pen Donate a Pen” campaign, in an effort to advocate for educational opportunities for a better future. Through the campaign, BIC has managed to donate 6-million pens to underprivileged children in South Africa in just five years. “As a brand, BIC recognises that every child carries the precious combination of potential and imagination. Understanding that these incredible attributes need to be harnessed and preserved, through the

‘Buy a Pen Donate a Pen’ campaign, we are able to provide children with the tools to unbar their creativity and access their imagination and potential. We are pleased to have been able to make a contribution in empowering and enabling children who are in need,” says Ronette Kishun, BIC marketing manager of stationery. Kishun also urges South Africans to join the movement and create magic for children in need by choosing to change a future. In the absence of a sufficient stationery toolkit, the process of learning and educational development is hindered and delayed. Unfortunately for many, as

MEA stationery market will be $12-billion by 2019 International suppliers of stationery and office supplies are turning to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for future business growth, with the UAE presenting itself as the ideal gateway to access hard-to-reach markets. Analysts TechNavio forecast an annual market increase in the region of 15%, while Conlumino, another analyst, estimate the MEA market for paper, stationery and office supplies will be worth $12-billion by 2019. While some suppliers are now just testing the waters, others have been in the market for many years, says Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of an upcoming industry event. Paperworld Middle East will see more than 300 exhibitors from 36 countries and will focus on a wide range of products – from school and gift articles, office or household paper, arts and crafts, and party and festival articles, to printers and multimedia. Growth in the global stationery and office supplies market is expected to come from emerging markets such as the MEA. Karl Vytiska, the MD of Austrian company VOS, says: “VOS began exhibiting at Paperworld Middle East

my office magazine

a result of the economic climate in South Africa, this hindrance is a reality. As a means of addressing this and ensuring that no dreams are delayed, BIC is able to donate a pen to a disadvantaged child each time a BIC stationery product with the ‘Buy a Pen Donate a Pen’ sticker is purchased. BIC urges parents and companies to make a difference and ensure a brighter future for children in need, instilling a sense of dignity in their educational journey. BIC’s “Buy a Pen Donate a Pen” campaign will end on Friday, 31 March.

Paperworld Middle East will be held from March 14 to 16 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

since its first edition seven years ago, and it’s where we first tied up with Dubai Library Distributors as our local partner. “Over the years, we have placed increased emphasis on exhibiting at the show, as it helps us reach over 95% of our clientele.” The strong European presence will be complemented by exhibitors coming from the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, with household stationery names such as Lamy and Olympia taking part. Other key exporting exhibitor countries include China, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Turkey. Portuguese companies include The Navigator Company, Olmar, Bi-Silque, DKT and Olmer, which exports its range of Fegol office supplies and Pajory school supplies to over 25 countries. “Over the last three years we’ve increased our sales in the Middle East by over 45%, which reflects the compatibility of our products with the region,” says Joao Oliveira, the chief executive of Olmer. “We have created very good partnerships with distributors that we’ve established through Paperworld Middle East.” Meanwhile, Zebra, a Japanese maker

of writing instruments, will also return, and will eagerly look to increase its footprint in the African market with its range of gel tip pens and mechanical pencils, says the organiser. “We’ve been present in the Middle East for more than 20 years through our distributors, and so we’re looking out for other markets to develop, specifically Africa,” says GM Terry Miyata. “We’ve had strong leads from Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia that were actually through Paperworld Middle East. Our export market is about 40% of our annual turnover, so we are looking to increase this through Africa, while also strengthening our position in the Middle East.” Ahmed Pauwels, the chief executive of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, says: “Shifting tides in international trade and economic uncertainty over the last 12 months has meant global manufacturers have had to refocus their export outlook, and the MEA is grabbing their attention.” Paperworld Middle East 2017 will return with popular features including the Green Office Area, where the spotlight will shine on sustainably-produced essential office supplies; and the Wrapstar gift wrapping competition. Source: www.tradearabia.com

Vol 101 - March 2017

industry news

Office products industry in uncharted waters The unprecedented situation in which the three largest office supplies companies are on the market at the same time has muddied the waters for both sellers and prospective buyers for obvious reasons. So many businesses for sale, so many options and so many dollars at stake. The total amount of sales involved is quite staggering – an estimated total of around $3-billion in Australia alone, based on the combination of Officeworks ($2-billion), Staples ($800-million) and OfficeMax ($280-million). With Staples and Office Depot-owned OfficeMax fielding interest from private equity interests, it can be assumed that a joint buy is a favoured option, although there are complications. Staples’ Australian business has trimmed down over recent years and has ‘stopped the bleeding’ according to the company’s management. Staples’ New Zealand business is understood to be a minor consideration in the sale process. On the other hand, OfficeMax Australia has been a financial ‘basket case’ while its NZ business has done well due to its strong hold in the education sector. OfficeMax NZ would be a desirable add-on to a Staples/OfficeMax Australia deal but might not be an outcome that would sit well with the OfficeMax Kiwis. Whoever buys either or both companies will be acutely aware that both companies are facing big challenges. Firstly, two of their nearest B2B contract competitors, Complete Office Supplies (COS) and Quick Corporate Australia (QCA) are well-positioned to take advantage of the uncertainty around the big three. A third competitor, Europebased Lyreco Australia is understood to

www.myofficemagazine.co.za

have expressed interest in OfficeMax, sources say. Meanwhile, the Australian Financial Review recently reported that private equity firm KKR is among parties studying the potential for a three-way office supplies merger. The prime target would be Wesfarmers-owned Officeworks, which is up for review via Macquarie Capital and Gresham. While Wesfarmers talked about potentially listing the business, it’s expected to be open to trade and/or private equity interest and has a whole delegation of bankers at its disposal. Incidentally, Wesfarmers’ decision to put Officeworks up for sale may or may not have something to do with the increased competition from Amazon but with so much at stake in the launch of Bunnings in the UK, the cash from an Officeworks sale may help avoid a Masters-type disaster in the Old Dart. There’s also a story doing the rounds that Wesfarmers threw Officeworks into the ring to bring the price down for Staples and OfficeMax on the basis that Wesfarmers could enter the B2B market easily and cheaply. Pure speculation, of course. Staples Australia, which has 9% of the market according to the AFR, is on the block via Morgan Stanley while Goldman Sachs is handling OfficeMax,

which as has another 3%. AFR sources said private equity firms were taking innovative deal structures to the vendors and their respective sets of advisers, seeking to roll at least two of the three players together. A merger of Staples and OfficeMax would not create regulatory problems due to the government already giving the green light to a local deal during the illfated global merger negotiations involving the two companies. However, a three-way merger involving Officeworks would come under scrutiny. On a more positive note, should private equity interests end up with Staples and/or OfficeMax, the industry as a whole could see an end to the ‘race-tothe-bottom’ in contract office supplies pricing. Leading independent dealers have long been critical of the international companies’ contract pricing strategies to gain market share and there is an air of optimism that some ‘sanity’ will return to the market, particularly if the new owners are Australian-based. PE firms don’t care much for market share – they are only interested in profit and return-on-investment. Unprofitable lines and all the trimmings of multi-national operations will be the first to go in the new order. Source: Barrie Parsons for Stationery News

my office magazine

SOURCE PRODUCTS HERE A ADDING MACHINE, POINT OF SALE AND MACHINE ROLLS PaperGeni Rotunda (Pty) Ltd.

ADHESIVES, GLUES AND SPRAYS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd. - Correction Fluid, Glue sticks & Super Glue Palm Stationery Manufacturers - New Wave

ART, CRAFT, GRAPHIC AND DRAWING MATERIALS CTP Stationery - A4 coloured poster boards Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd. - Oil pastels and watercolour paint

B BAGS AND CASES D.O.S - iStay Flip File - Business cases. Kolok - Kenton, Port Topmark - School Bags, Laptop Bags, Pencil Cases, Sports Bags, Luggage BATTERIES Kolok - Duracell Nikki Distributors - Duracell Batteries Nikki Distributors - Energizer Batteries BIN RANGE Krost Office Products BINDING ACCESSORIES AZ Trading - Plastic Comb, Wire, Thermal & Covers CTP Donau - Donau files and slide binders, A4 poster board Kolok - Geha binding combs and covers Parrot Products - Parrot Comb Binding Machines Press Products - wire, combs, coil, covers Rexel Office Products - Rexel and GBC

BINDING MACHINES AZ Trading - DSB, Neorel D.O.S - Prima, DSB, Leitz Kolok - Geha binding machines Parrot Products - Parrot Comb Binding Machines Press Products - Bindquip Rexel Office Products - GBC and Rexel ranges

BOARDS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - BIC Velleda School Whiteboards CTP Stationery - Flip Chart Pads Hortors Stationery - Legal Notices i.e. Basic Conditions & OSH Act and Leave and Absence Chart Kolok - Geha interactive boards Palm Stationery Manufacturers - New Wave Parrot Products - Full range of boards and accessories. Custom boards printed to your specification Rexel Office Products - NOBO whiteboards, pinboards, easels and accessories. Quartet magnetic white/cork boards BOOK COVERS CTP Stationery - Poly Prop Donau heavy duty covers Empire Toy & Stationery - Butterfly paper Gordon’s Productions - contact paper woodgrain, marble, pattern designs. Magic cover back to school clear and coloured self adhesive paper. (4M rolls, A4 and lever arch). Plastic coated brownkraft rolls and pre-cut polythene covers. Grafton Paper Products Palm Stationery Manufacturers - brown paper rolls, poly rolls, gift-wrap RBE - Papersmart BOOKS AND PADS BSC Stationery - Treeline CTP Stationery - Impala and premier books and pads Hortors Stationery - Legal registers Palm Stationery Manufacturers

Power Stationery - Powerstar RBE - NCR Business Books Rexel Office Products - Colourhide notebooks BOXES AND CARTONS CTP Stationery - Archiving Systems Rexel Office Products Specialised Filing Systems - Archive and Off-Site Tidy Files - Acid free archiving products

C CALCULATORS Kolok - HP Nikki Distributors - Truly calculators Palm Stationery Manufacturers - New Wave Power Stationery - Powerstar Rexel Office Products - IBICO CALENDARS CTP Stationery - Diaries assorted sizes CANTEEN Kolok - Tea, Coffee, milk etc, Sunbeam (appliances) CARBON PAPER AND FILMS RBE - NCR Business Books CARTRIDGES Dis Cartridges - Stockists of generic/original cartridges CD’S, DVD’S AND DISKETTES Kolok - Verbatim, Kenton CLIP BOARDS CTP Stationery - DONAU brand Parrot Products - Masonite and whiteboard CLIPS, FASTENERS AND PINS Grip Binders - Essentials, Stephens, Penguin Tidy Files - Filing solution

Binding doesn’t get any simpler! CombBind 100

CombBind 110

CombBind C200

CombBind C210

buyers’ guide

See page 46 for contact details

COLOURING BOOKS Empire Toy & Stationery - Empire books Palm Stationery Manufacturers - New Wave

refills and T-card kits, Quartet Monthly/ Weekly planner South African Diaries - For all your diary needs

COMPUTER ACCESSORIES Kolok - Verbatim, Kenton, Port Krost Office Products Pyrotec - Tower Inkjet-laser labels, business cards and photo paper

DICTATION - TRANSCRIPTION Olympus Audio S.A - Digital Voice Recorders, Transcription Kits and Accessories.

COMPUTER CLEANING Kolok - ComputerCare, Multipro Pyrotec - Tower computer cleaning range

Powerhouse Dictation for Philips Dictation, transcription, meeting recording, mini-tapes, foot pedals, accessories

COMPUTER CONSUMABLES CTP Stationery - Full range of DONAU files KMP - for computer consumables Kolok - Penguin (Ribbons, Toners, Inkjets), Till and fax rolls Redfern Print Services - Redfern inkjet/laser/ copier labels and a full range of stationery labels

DRAUGHTING AND DRAWING OFFICE SUPPLIES CTP Stationery - A4 Poster Boards

COMPUTER HARDWARE Kolok - Blazer UPS systems, Geha (Interactive white boards)

EMBOSSERS AND ENGRAVING Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Ideal & Trodat Embossers (pocket, desk and electronic), Trotec

CORPORATE STATIONERY & GIFTING Star Stationers and Printers CRAYONS AND CHALKS Palm Stationery Manufacturers - Chalks and Crayons Power Stationery - Powerstar

D DESK SETS AND ACCESSORIES BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - Desk Set Solo Delux Krost Office Products Rexel Office Products - Rexel Eco Range DIARIES, PLANNERS AND ORGANISERS CTP Stationery - CTP Brand Hortors Stationery - Legal diaries Rexel Office Products - NOBO planners,

F FAX ROLL MANUFACTURERS Rotunda (Pty) Ltd. FILES AND FILING African Filing Systems - Top retrieval filing and arching products BSC Stationery - Treeline, Mobifile CTP Stationery - Full range of quality DONAU brand Flip File - Executive display files, expanding files, Document folders, dividers Palm Stationery Manufacturers - Lever arch, Ringbinder files, Manilla flat folders Grafton/Star Kolok - Geha (Binding machines) Palm Stationery Manufacturers - leaver arch, ring binder files, manilla flat folders. Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd. - Display book Vivid, document file, clip file and presentation file Rexel Office Products - Prima and Rexel ranges Specialised Filing Systems - Top Retrieval, Archive and Off-Site Tidy Files - Filing solutions

ENVELOPES AND MAILING BSC Stationery - Leo Envelopes CTP Stationery - Commercial envelopes Global Envelopes - CelloWrapped, peel+seal, Self-Seal, FullGum and Printed Grafton/Star KZN Envelopes - Manufactures of Printed and Plain Envelopes Merpak Envelopes - Complete range of quality envelopes RBE - Papersmart

FOLDERS CTP Stationery - DONAU Brand Palm Stationery Manufacturers - View files, polypropylene & board folders Tidy Files - Specialised

ERASERS & ERASING / CORRECTION FLUIDS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - Tippex tape, bottle and Pen Palm Stationery Manufacturers - Tape/ Erasers Pentel S.A (PTY) LTD - Hi-Polymer and Ain eraser, correction tape and pens Power Stationery - Powerstar

FURNITURE - OFFICE & SCHOLASTIC Krost Office Products - accessories New Era Office cc - Specialising in all office furniture desks, chairs, credenzas, boardroom tables, etc Reboni Furniture Group - Manufacturing and distribution of educational and office furniture

FORMS - LEGAL AND MISCELLANEOUS Hortors Stationery - complete range of custom, company, miscellaneous, magisterial, etc.

Working for you

CombBind C250 Pro

WireBind W20

MultiBind 230 Comb & Wire

ThermaBind T400

www.rexelsa.co.za

SOURCE PRODUCTS HERE Specialised Filing Systems - Cabinets, Shelving and Hi-Density

G GUILLOTINES AND TRIMMERS AZ Trading - DSB, Kobra Maynards Office Technology - IDEAL Shredders & Guillotines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SA Distributors Press Products - BindQuip Rexel Office Products - SmartCut and ClassicCut

I 26

INDEX TABBING AND DIVIDERS CTP Stationery - DONAU Brand board and P.P Flip File - Index Tabs, Flip tabs Grip Binders Palm Stationery Manufacturers Rexel Office Products - Rexel, Mylar and Prima board

INKS KMP - for computer consumables. Rexel Office Products - Numbering machine ink Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Trodat, Noris fastdry, security, numbering, franking. Laundry.

L LABELS Pyrotec - Tower stationery, inkjet-laser labels Redfern Print Services - Redfern Inkjet/ laser/copier labels and a full range of stationery labels Rotunda (Pty) Ltd. Specialised Filing Systems - Filing Tidy Files - Filing solutions LABELLING MACHINES Kemtek Imaging Systems - Distributor of Brother P-Touch Labelling System LAMINATING MACHINES AZ Trading - DSB, Speedlam, Lamiace D.O.S - Tofo, DSB, Leitz Kolok - GEHA and Galaxy Parrot Products - Parrot A4 and A3 Laminators Press Products - GMP Rexel Office Products - GBC and Rexel ranges LAMINATING POUCHES AND MATERIALS AZ Trading - A0 to ID card size Kolok - GEHA, Penguin laminating pouches and rolls Parrot Products Press Products - GMP Rexel Office Products - GBC LEGAL STATIONERY Hortors Stationery - All legal registers, forms, diaries etc LETTER TRAYS Krost Office Products

J JANITORIAL Kolok - Goldenmarc (Cleaning products), Brooms, Mops and equipment.

M MAILING TUBES CTP Stationery

MARKERS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - Permanent Markers, Highlighters, whiteboard Interstat Agencies - Edding Parrot Products - White board, permanent and OHP markers. Wide range of highlighters Penflex - White board, flipchart, permanent markers, highlighters Pentel (Pty) Ltd. - Maxiflo, white board marker and paint marker Power Stationery - Powerstar MATHEMATICAL GEOMETRY SETS & ACCESSORIES Palm Stationery Manufacturers Power Stationery - Powerstar MINUTE AND GUARD BOOKS Hortors Stationery - Company registers, minute books and other legal registers

N NUMBERING MACHINES Rexel Office Products Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Reiner Dater/Numberer (manual/electronic), Trodat

O OFFICE ERGONOMICS Rexel Office Products - Kensington copyholders, risers, footrests, Rexel range of electric staplers and punches which reduces chances of RSI (repetitive strain injury) OVERHEAD PROJECTION AND ACCESSORIES Kolok - Penguin Transparencies Parrot Products - Data Projectors, OHPs, screens and rear projection film Penflex - Penflex Overhead projector pens Rexel Office Products - NOBO

Excellence Accelerated Get it right first time, in less time. Fusion 1000L

Fusion 1100L

Fusion 3000L

buyers’ guide

See page 46 for contact details

PENCIL SHARPENERS Palm Stationery Manufacturers Power Stationery - Powerstar

PACKAGING Merpak Envelopes - Postsafe packaging range

PAPER AND BOARD CTP Stationery - DONAU A4 poster boards Empire Toy & Stationery - Butterfly paper Grafton/Star Kolok - Geha (paper media), EPSON, HP, CANON, Palm Stationery Manufacturers - Cubes and board Power Stationery - Powerstar RBE - Papersmart Rexel Office Products - Prima Paper & Board

PAPER FOLDING MACHINES Maynards Office Technology - IDEAL Shredders & Guillotines – SA Distributors

PENCILS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - BIC Evolution Graphite, BIC Matic Clutch ,Velocity Clutch, Atlantis Clutch, BU4 Clutch Palm Stationery Manufacturers Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd - Hotshot, Mechanical Pencil, Techniclick Pencil. Power Stationery - Powerstar Rexel Office Products - Rexel HB & Derwent Staedtler SA (Pty) Ltd - Tradition, Wopex, Technical, Clutch Pencils and lead

PENCIL LEADS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - Criterium 0.5mm leads Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd - Ain lead, standard lead - various grades

PENS BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd - Clic, Crystal, Orange and Prismo Palm Stationery Manufacturers Penflex - Penflex ballpoints and rollerballs Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd - Superb Ballpoint, Energel Pen Power Stationery - Powerstar Staedtler SA (Pty) Ltd - Ball point, Fineliner, Gel and Pigment liner pens

PEN CARBON BOOKS Power Stationery - Powerstar RBE - NCR Business Books

PERSONAL STATIONERY CTP Stationery - Home office and personal filing system, diaries Grafton/Star

PLANNING BOARDS AND ACCESSORIES Parrot Products - Range of year planners, term planners, maps and in/out boards. custom printed boards designed to specification. Rexel Office Products - NOBO planners

PRINTER CONSUMABLES KMP - For computer consumables. Kolok - Epson (inkjet, large format etc), Lexmark, HP, Brother (Toners and Inks), Oki (Toners, inks and Ribbons), Tally Genicom (Ribbons), Seikosha (Ribbons), Panasonic (Toners and Ribbons), Kyocera (Toners), Printronix (Ribbons), IBM (Ribbons), Ricoh (Toners), Fujitsu (Ribbons), Pantum (Toners) Royce Imaging Industries Remanufacturers and suppliers of inkjet and laser cartridges Technical Systems Engineering Suppliers of quality compatible cartridges and bulk inks for Epson, Canon, Lexmark, HP and Samsung PUNCHES AND PERFORATORS Krost Office Products Parrot Products - Parrot range of punches Power Stationery - Powerstar Rexel Office Products - Rexel

R RUBBER STAMPS Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co. - Trodat RUBBER STAMP MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - AZ Liquid polymer, TROTEC laser engraver, flash system

POINT OF SALE PRINTER ROLLS Rotunda (Pty) Ltd.

PRINTING Kolok - Epson, Lexmark (Hardware), HP Printers, Oki (Hardware) Pantum, Samsung Olivetti Imports - Distributors of Multifunctional Printers / Copiers

RULERS Palm Stationery Manufacturers Power Stationery - Powerstar Penflex - PENFLEX rulers

Star Stationers and Printers Unicopy & Stationers CC - for all your printing & stationery requirements

Working for you

Fusion 3100L

Fusion 5000L

Fusion 5100L

www.rexelsa.co.za

SOURCE PRODUCTS HERE

SLATES Parrot Products - Whiteboard and chalk board

SCHOLASTIC SUPPLIES BSC Stationery Sales - Treeline CTP Stationery Empire Toy & Stationery - Butterfly Flip File - Flip File display books A5, A4, A2, A3 Gordon’s Productions - contact paper woodgrain, marble, pattern designs. Magic cover back to school clear and coloured self adhesive paper. (4M rolls, A4 and lever arch). Plastic coated brownkraft rolls and pre-cut polythene covers. Grafton Paper Products Palm Stationery Manufacturers Parrot Products - chalk boards/slates Power Stationery - Powerstar Pyrotec - Tower Adhesive Book Cover 45cm x 2m

STAMPS, STAMP PADS AND INKS Kemtek Imaging Systems - Distributor of Brother Stampcreator PRO Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Trodat, pre-inked stamps, stamp and fingerprint pads STAPLING MACHINES AND STAPLES Interstat Agencies - Genmes Krost Office Products Parrot Products - Parrot range of staplers Rexel Office Products - Rexel range

SCISSORS AND CUTTERS Palm Stationery Manufacturers Power Stationery - Powerstar Rexel Office Products SCRAPBOOKING Rexel Office Products - Trimmers and guillotines Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Making memories, Clearsnap, Marvy, Ranger, Bazzill, Carl SHREDDERS AND ACCESSORIES AZ Trading - DSB, Kobra, Roto, Repairs to all makes D.O.S - Kobra Kolok - GEHA entry level and high-end shredders Nikki Distributors - Nikki shredders Parrot Products - Parrot range of value shredders Rexel Office Products - Rexel range Maynards Office Technology - IDEAL Shredders & Guillotines – SA Distributors

STATIONERY SUNDRIES - SCHOLASTIC CTP Stationery - DONAU Scissors and cutting knives Palm Stationery Manufacturers - New Wave Power Stationery - Powerstar

STORAGE SYSTEMS CTP Stationery - Archiving Systems Suspension Files Kolok - Verbatim (hard drives, USB sticks etc), HP, Sandisk Rexel Office Products - Storage boxes Specialised Filing Systems - Filing Tidy Files - Filing solutions

THERMAL ROLLS Rotunda (Pty) Ltd. TONERS AND CARTRIDGES KMP - Computer consumables Kolok - Penguin (Inkjets and Laser toners), Epson, Lexmark, HP, Canon, Pantum (toners), OKI, Samsung TOP RETRIEVAL FILING Optiplan a div of Waltons - Paper based top retrieval filing systems Specialised Filing Systems - Total Solution and more Tidy Files - Complete onsite and offsite filing solutions TOYS, HOBBIES AND GAMES Pyrotec - Toby Tower Stickers and Activities TRANSFER LETTERING AND SIGNS Parrot Products - Vinyl lettering TRANSPARENCIES Kolok - Penguin transparencies for inkjet and laser OEM, Penguin and HP Transparencies Rexel Office Products - NOBO range

T TAPES Palm Stationery Manufacturers TELECOMMUNICATIONS Nikki Distributors - Siemens office phones TELEX ROLLS AND TELETEX PAPER Rotunda (Pty) Ltd.

Spend 98% less time shredding*

UPGRADE TO

AUTOFEED *Max saving when using an Auto+ 500X compared to a traditional feed shredder in a similar price level.

Auto+ 60X

Auto+ 80X

Auto+ 100X | 100M

buyers’ guide

See page 46 for contact details

DID YOU KNOW? • The Buyers’ Guide is an affordable way to highlight your brands while simultaneously introducing up-and-coming stockists to the trade. • The Buyers’ Guide is a valuable sourcing tool to market your business and the brands that you carry. • To book space, contact Wendy on wendy@shop-sa.co.za or (012) 548 0046.

Working for you

Auto+ 200X

Auto+ 300X | 300M

Auto+ 500X | 500M

Auto+ 750X | 750M

www.rexelsa.co.za

CONTACT DETAILS HERE African Filing Systems

Kolok - Port Elizabeth

(

011 614 9445

www.africanfiling.co.za

086 540 6892

info@africanfiling.co.za

AZ Trading (

086 111 4407

www.aztradingcc.co.za

011 792 9732

sales@aztradingcc.co.za

BIC South Africa (Pty) Ltd ( 7

011 474 0181 011 474 6068

PO BOX 43144, Industria, 2042 16 Maraisburg Road, Industria, 2042

BSC Stationery Sales (

011 086 2900

Box 278, Brakpan, 1540

011 420 3322

sales@treeline.co.za

CTP Stationery (

011 226 5600

Box 43501, Industria, 2042

011 474 9242

sales@versafile.co.za

Dis Cartridges (

011 609 3437/9

PO Box 75881, Gardenview 2047

011 609 3448

doe01@telkomsa.net

D.O.S (Denton Office Solutions) (

086 000 7468

info@dosptyltd.biz

086 237 4614

www.dosptyltd.biz

Empire Toy & Stationery (

011 614 2243

Box 261524, Excom, 2023

011 614 3075

empire@netactive.co.za

Flip File (

021 638 3105

Box 2190, Clareinch, 7740

021 633 6942

ashly@flipfile.co.za

www.redfern.co.za

(

041 406 9900

Box 3163, North End, 6056

(

011 837 4119

Box 1445, Crown Mines, 2025

041 406 9920

infope@koloksa.co.za

011 837 8917

jhboffice@redfern.co.za

Rexel Office Products

Kolok - Namibia (

00264 (61)370500

Box 40797, Ausspannplatz, Namibia

00264 (61)370525

valne@kolok.com.na

Kolok - Nelspruit (

013 758 2233

Box 4338, White River, 1240

013 758 2235

infonel@koloksa.co.za

Kolok - Bloemfontein

(

011 226 3300

www.rexelsa.co.za

011 837 2781

sales@rexelsa.co.za

Rotunda (Pty) Ltd. (

021 799 5770

021 761 5601

15 Hillstar Avenue, Wetton, 7780 rotunda@iafrica.com

Royce Imaging Industries (

011 792 9530

www.royceimaging.co.za

011 792 9480

sales@royceimaging.co.za

Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Head Office

(

051 433 1876

PvtBag X01, Brandhof, Bloemfontein

051 433 2451

infobfn@koloksa.co.za

Kolok - Botswana (

00267 393 2669

PvtBag B0226, Bontleng, Gaborone

00267 317 0762

clemencem@vbn.co.bw

Krost Office Products (

011 626 2067

Box 75401, Gardenview, 2047

011 626 2912

sales@krost.co.za

KZN ENVELOPES (

031 465 3992

P O Box 41259, Rossburgh, 4072

031 465 1669

info@kznenvelopes.co.za

Maynards - Olympus Audio S.A / Olivetti Distributors

(

011 262 1400

Box 931, Wendywood, 2144

011 262 1414

trodat@rse.co.za

Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Cape Town (

021 448 7008

Box 931, Wendywood, 2144

021 448 7014

cpt@trodat.co.za

Rubber Stamp & Engraving Co - Durban (

083 377 4109

Box 931, Wendywood, 2144

031 266 1082

dbn@rse.co.za

South African Diaries (

021 442 2340

Box 4862, Cape Town, 8000

021 442 2341

phoneyman@sadiaries.co.za

Staedtler SA (Pty) Ltd (

011 579 1600

www.staedtler.co.za

011 608 3497

admin@staedtler.co.za

Specialised Filing Systems

Global Envelopes

(

011 477 0640

sales@maynards.co.za

011 477 3528

www.specfiling.co.za

www.maynards.co.za

Star Stationers and Printers

(

031 465 5544

info@envelopes.co.za

031 465 5634

www.envelopes.co.za

(

Suite 69, PvtBag X4, Kloof, 3640

Merpak Envelopes

(

031 569 1061

luke@starstat.co.za

jacquie@gordons.co.za

(

011 719 7700

sales@merpak.co.za

031 569 1094

www.starstat.co.za

011 885 3174

www.merpak.co.za

Technical Systems Engineering

Gordon’s Productions ( 7

031 705 8713 031 705 8714

Grafton/Star Paper Products

0860 00 1922

(

011 262 0777

Box 550, Bergvlei, 2012

Nikki - Cape Town

(

011 708 2304

Box 1532, Northriding, 2162

011 262 0780

sales@graftonpaper.co.za

(

0860 006731

cpt@nikki.co.za

011 708 1799

sales@tse.co.za

0800 204868

www.nikki.co.za

Tidy Files

Hortors Stationery (

011 620 4800

Box 1020, Johannesburg, 2000

Nikki - Durban

086 612 4663

orders@hortors.co.za

(

0860 006731

dbn@nikki.co.za

Topmark

0800 204868

www.nikki.co.za

(

011 837 8045

011 837 7442

Ink Spot Suppliers (

011 854 3013

011 852 3013

( 7

031 569 6550 031 569 6559

(

Nikki - Johannesburg info@inkspotsuppliers.co.za

Interstat Agencies - Durban

011 943 4210

www.tidyfiles.co.za info@topmarksa.com

(

0860 006731

jhb@nikki.co.za

Tower (Division of Pyrotec) - Cape Town

0800 204868

www.nikki.co.za

(

021 787 9600

021 787 9791

PvtBag X1, Capricorn Square, 7948

Box 201707, Durban North, 4016

Nikki - Pretoria

interstat@mweb.co.za

(

0860 006731

pta@nikki.co.za

Tower (Division of Pyrotec) - Johannesburg

0800 204868

www.nikki.co.za

(

011 611 1820

59 Lepus Rd, Crown Mines, 2025

011 611 1834

tower@pyrotec.co.za

Interstat Agencies - Cape Town (

021 551 9555

Box 36696, Chempet, 7442

Optiplan a division of Waltons

021 557 5456

Capetown@interstat.co.za

(

011 620 4000

Pencil Park, Croxley Close, Herriotdale

Tower (Division of Pyrotec) Durban

086 681 8256

rcurrin@gp.waltons.co.za

(

031 701 0192

Box 594, Pinetown, 3600

031 701 1285

tower@pyrotec.co.za

Interstat Agencies - Port Elizabeth (

041 453 2558

Box 27693, Greenacres, 6057

Palm Stationery

041 453 8504

pe@interstat.co.za

(

031 507 7051

viran@palmstat.co.za

Unicopy & Stationers CC

031 507 7053

www.palmstat.co.za

(

031 201 8415

122 Che Guevara Road, Glenwood, 4001

031 201 8672

sales@unicopy.co.za

Kemtek Imaging Systems (

011 624 8000

Box 86173, City Deep, 2049

Parrot Products

0866 101 185

labelling@kemtek.co.za

(

Kemtek Imaging Systems - Cape ( 7

021 521 9600 021 551 5032

011 607 7600 011 615 2502

debbie@parrot.co.za

Versafile

www.parrotproducts.biz

(

011 226 5600

Box 43501, Industria, 2042

011 474 9242

sales@versafile.co.za

Box 181, Cape Town, 8000

Penflex

brenth@kemtek.co.za

(

021 521 2400

Box 36964, Chempet, 7442

021 521 2402/3

info@penflex.co.za

Kemtek Imaging Systems - KZN (

031 700 9363

Box 15685, Westmead, 3608

Pentel S.A (Pty) Ltd

031 700 9369

Sandim@kemtek.co.za

(

011 474 1427/8

Box 202, Crown Mines, 2025

011 474 5563

www.pentel.co.za

Kemtek Imaging Systems - PE (

041 582 5222

Box 15685, Westmead, 3608

041 582 5224

clinth@kemtek.co.za

Kemtek Imaging Systems - PTA (

012 804 1410

PO Box 816, Silverton, 0127

012 804 4286

johlettat@kemtek.co.za

KMP (

021 709 0190

Box 183, Steenberg, 7947

021 709 0199

kmppty@iafrica.com

Kolok - Head Office (

011 248 0300

Box 4151, Johannesburg, 2000

011 248 0381

infojhb@koloksa.co.za

Kolok - Cape Town

Powerhouse Dictation (

011 887 1056

086 555 3833

info@speech.co.za www.speech.co.za

Power Stationery (

032 533 4003

Box 1305, Verulam, 4340

032 533 3254

powersta@netactive.co.za

Press Products (

011 493 6332

marketing@pressproducts.co.za

011 499 1019

www.pressproducts.co.za

Pyrotec (

021 787 9600

PvtBag X1, Capricorn Square, 7948

021 787 9791

tower@pyrotec.co.za

RBE Stationery Manufacturers (Pty) Limited

(

021 597 2700

Box 6385, Roggebaai, 8012

021 297 2799

infoctn@koloksa.co.za

Kolok - Durban (

031 570 4900

Box 4206, Riverhorse Valley East, 4017

031 569 6880

infodbn@koloksa.co.za

Kolok Polokwane

031 205 7092

Redfern Print Services - Johannesburg

(

015 298 8795

Box 862, Ladanna, 0704

015 298 8315

infopol@koloksa.co.za

my office magazine

(

011 793 7321

011 793 7348

sales@rbe.co.za www.rbe.co.za

Reboni Furniture Group (

086 173 2664

www.reboni.co.za

086 627 7737

sales@reboni.co.za

Redfern Print Services - Cape Town (

021 552 9680

Box 403, Milnerton, 7435

021 552 9681

sales@redfern.co.za

Redfern Print Services - Durban (

031 205 9598

dbnoffice@redfern.co.za

Vol 101 - March 2017

crime alert

What to do when employees steal from you

s your employee stealing from you? Most business owners will have two options regarding employee theft.

The Labour Law for Managers Web site says theft in the workplace happens when your employee takes goods to which they have no lawful right, with the intention to keep the goods to use or sell, or for any other purpose. Essentially, they have no intention of returning the goods to you as the owner. So what choices do you have when your employee steals from you? You can follow your disciplinary procedure and attempt to dismiss your employee or call the police and have your employee arrested, as it’s a criminal offence to steal. But it is not as straightforward as that. If you call the police and have your employee arrested, they’ll remain your employee until you dismiss them. Also keep in mind that if your employee is in jail, you can’t notify them to attend a disciplinary enquiry and then hold it in

GOLD SPONSORS:

their absence, as you know they won’t be able to attend. It’ll be procedurally unfair if you dismiss the person because they’re in jail. The best thing you can do is to hold the disciplinary hearing first. If the chairperson finds the employee guilty and dismisses them, then contact the police. This will ensure you complete your internal processes and then decide whether to have your employee charged in a criminal case and possibly jailed. That said, if your employee has stolen potentially harmful or dangerous items, such as arms and ammunition, drugs or poisons, you must notify the police at once. Get the employee arrested so they’re not on your company premises, and then begin the process to dismiss them later. Here’s a useful tip to help you deal employee theft: the Labour Law for Managers Web site says you must incorporate theft into your disciplinary code as a serious offence, where you dismiss for a first offence or as part of a group of offences which fall under “dishonesty”.

According to the Small Business Chron, it is also important to note that: “In a small business, stealing by a single employee can have a significant negative impact on both productivity and the bottom line. A thieving employee won’t advertise their illegal activities, so managers must be alert to any suspicious signs and be prepared to investigate when necessary.” It is also important to remember that as an employer you may be able to deduct the value of goods stolen, broken or damaged from the employee’s salary – but there are deductions you can make and then there are deductions you can’t. And it’s your responsibility to follow the correct rules and procedures, so make sure you get it right. If you don’t and your employee disputes this deduction, you’ll land up at the CCMA, where you will lose. Knowing what to do when an employee steals from you will help ensure you deal with the matter effectively. n ACKNOWLEDGEMENT RACHEL PATERSON FOR FSP BUSINESS

SILVER SPONSORS:

Keeping shop-sa members abreast of criminal and fraudulent activity in the stationery and office products industry. To sponsor the Crime Alert page contact 082 963 7441 or 012 548 0046. REPORT CRIME TO wendy@shop-sa.co.za Renew your Crime Alert sponsorship today! Call Wendy Dancer on 082 963 7441 or 012 548 0046 to book your logo placement on the Crime Alert page as an industry leader in transparency, information sharing and anti-crime business ethics. www.myofficemagazine.co.za

my office magazine

punchline

Caption this!

Send us your funniest caption for the photograph below and you stand a chance to win a Rexel Joy A4 Laminator valued at R2 000. Send your Punchline and contact details to competitions@shop-sa. co.za with Punchline in the subject line

Win

Be Brighter with JOY! Brighten up your laminating with this simple colourful modern laminator. Ideal for occasional use in the office or home environment. Featured with hot and cold settings, it has been designed for use with A4 size pouches up to 2x125 microns. With a compact, slimline design it’s easy to store.

• • • • • •

Max Micron pouch 250 Hot and cold settings Occasional office/home use Jam release Colours: Pretty Pink and Blissful Blue Compact slimline design for easy storage

WIN ME

ForFor thethe BRIGHT T T BRIGHT at heart! t heart!

WINNING CAPTION FEBRUARY ISSUE Winning Caption: “This keyboard thingy is awesome, the buttons pop in and out...like 3D hehehe” – Charmaine van der Westhuizen

Rexel PUNCHLine Rexel PUNCHLine Working you Working for for you

Matching staplers available Matching staplers available

www.rexelsa.co.za www.rexelsa.co.za

Get My Office in your office!

Busy? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get the latest industry news sent straight to your device. Visit www.myofďŹ cemagazine.co.za, click subscribe and ďŹ ll in the form.