Industry veteran Ricky Correia, who is currently fulfilling the role of project manager - Mozambique at DCC, is tasked with the start-up and initial management of the branch.
"Mozambique is one of the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world and there has been much investment in the country as a result of the discovery of coal and natural gas in the region. Government has also begun to grow the local infrastructure to support new business. For a company like DCC, there is significant opportunity to grow our own business and service emerging enterprises in the region. We are now geared to take advantage of this," says Correia.
MD, Neil Rex adds, "Our neighbouring countries are experiencing GDP growth rates far higher than those in South Africa, making expansion into these regions a logical move. Furthermore, the establishment of an office and warehouse in Mozambique fits with our strategy of becoming the preferred IT distributor in the SADC region, leveraging the ideals of a free trade zone.
"Although the Mozambique office and warehouse facility is a new move, the company is no stranger to the region, having serviced resellers in the past from South Africa. It also has a presence in Namibia and Botswana and further growing its Southern African footprint means it needs to make its products as accessible as possible to new markets. The opening of the Mozambique branch is an essential component of this strategy."
With a dedicated presence in the country, resellers can now purchase stock locally. This means they will benefit from shorter turnaround times, as well as the ability to purchase in smaller quantities than previously, which reduces their need for working capital and alleviates the high cost of maintaining stock themselves. This makes the entire range offered more accessible to resellers in the region and their customers as a result. A local presence also ensures that the company can be more agile and responsive to the market and the needs of customers in the region and provide more effective customer service.
"Although we anticipate that this market will be competitive, there is much room for growth. Our solid reputation gained over more than two decades, along with our existing experience in the Mozambique market and a policy of hiring local skills to complement our sales team, will enable us to leverage new business in the market," concludes Correia.
