INDUSTRY NEWS
New ownership leads the way for new opportunities Cooper & Cooper, one of the country’s leading suppliers of mining, industrial, marine and engineering products and applications, has announced the securing of Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) following a private female ownership acquisition. Lifting Africa finds out more. Women are increasingly taking their rightful place in sectors that in the past have been considered maledominated. It is no different at Cooper & CooperGroup which now boasts 100% black ownership thanks to its CEO Lorato Mogaki. A well-known name in the mining industry Mogaki brings to the fold nearly two decades of experience in senior and executive-level positions in the mining industry guiding the Group onto a new path. “The empowerment of women in business is imperative,” says Katiso Mogaki, CI Analyst at CooperGroup. “We are seeing a definite shift in business with a move away from the notion that some industries are more suitable for men.” “Women are proving that they are as capable as their male counterparts no matter what the industry or sector.” With the acquisition now forming the core of its business model, CooperGroup is already experiencing the change as they charter this new course while 40
Lifting Africa - Mar/Apr 2022
remaining a preferred supplier of the mining and engineering supply chain across the country.
and grab the opportunity that has seen CooperGroup transform itself once again in 2022.
Previously only rating a BBBEE level 4 the change in ownership now boasts the business level 1 status. “This introduces a range of new opportunities,” says Mogaki.
Managing director Llewellyn Jonosky says the company’s unique offering lies in the basket of products it offers.
“It allows us access to new business opportunities that we previously would not have been able to bid on. It truly is an opportunity to grow our business.” Heralding in a new era Founded in 1897 as a grain merchant, the century-old CooperGroup has a rich and diverse history having evolved into a Motor Body Shop with the advent of the motor car, and establishing itself as one of the first-ever panel beaters in Johannesburg. The ability to identify gaps in the market has stood the business in good stead over the years and has seen it evolve time and time again. Nowadays a leading supplier of engineering, lifting and rigging equipment it is a business that has stood the test of time. It is also this same inherent ability to diversify
With the sole agency to distribute some of the leading international brands in the country and the African continent, the group has a wide range of engineering and marine products across its divisions. It has also established itself as a leading provider of lifting inspection services and has an extensive maintenance and service department under its umbrella. Considered a one-stop shop for its customers there is a major benefit in dealing directly with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) not only for the product but also for the testing thereof and any servicing and maintenance required. “In the mining sector in particular we are seeing this trend developing with the sector increasingly more likely to deal with the OEM than a middleman that comes with
