COVER STORY
Local manufacturer gearing up for growth Becoming South Africa’s leading valve manufacturer, serving both the local and African requirements and meeting the local content policy set by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is a top priority for the LVSA Group. Pipes, Pumps and Valves Africa met up with CEO, Sagren Pillay, to talk about how the company is preparing itself for market expansion and growth. There is much to be said for local manufacturing especially with today’s global market demanding ever-shorter lead times. Customers want quality products delivered yesterday. Manufacturing locally in the current climate is by no means easy and is not an undertaking for the fainthearted. There is no denying, however, that local manufacturing is a fundamental driver of GDP growth and associated with direct employment for the youth. Much has been achieved by the LVSA Group that opted to start manufacturing a range of valves for the local market in 2019. “We have a background in manufacturing having birthed out of Thermal Valve Manufacturers (TVM), at the time one of
the country’s top valve manufacturers,” explains Pillay. An opportunity with well-known petrochemical companies, however, led to the development of a purely import and distribution company, the LVSA Group. “At the time it made sense to import products from overseas markets as it delivered quality valves at competitive prices. Our focus was on the petrochemical industry and we built up a range of clients in this sector.” Pillay, however, never lost sight of the potential or importance of manufacturing – a vision he was determined to fulfil. After many years of research and development on the manufacturing of valves for refineries, power, mining and water industries, they are proud to announce that the
