BORDIC, one of South Africa’s longest standing suppliers of raw materials into the flexible packaging and labelling sectors, recently acquired Compo Agencies to expand its basket offering beyond shrink polyester, shrink PVC and BOPP films to aluminium foil, specialised coated PET films, synthetic paper tag materials, metallised and recyclable films, and specialised paper laminates.

‘As a distributor and agent, Bordic has always placed a strong focus on adding value in the supply chain, along with unrivalled service delivery, to supply high-quality films to suit wrap around labelling, shrink label, printing or lamination applications and requirements via cost-effective importing and flexible stock purchasing options,’ explains sales director, Craig Lloyd. ‘The acquisition of Compo Agencies, historically an indent agent for a wide range of films and multilayer laminates, opens up the scope for meeting a wider range of our customers’ needs with coextruded sustainable alternatives plus paper- and foil-based grades.’

At the core of both companies’ success has been establishing and fostering long-term partnerships and relationships with customers, offering them what they need when they need it, in the most cost-effective manner possible. Furthermore, both companies have partnered with and represent global leaders and innovators in their respective market sectors.

Craig explains that Bordic has always encouraged visits and meetings with suppliers at their facilities to tour their operations, understand their businesses better, to discuss and develop new products, and to identify where further opportunities can be unlocked for customers in Southern and East Africa. He points out that Bordic is aggressively expanding its regional footprint, and that the addition of the Compo Agencies portfolio further enhances its value addition offering.

‘We’re excited to have Compo Agencies’ MD, Dave Greenslade as a permanent member of the Bordic team. Dave is a well-respected figure in the industry who has built up fantastic product knowledge and customer relationships over the past 23 years,’ Craig comments.

‘In fact, professional curiosity prompted a closer examination into what made some customers so loyal to Compo, which was established by Dave’s father, Roger, in 1973. It revealed a dynamic basket of agencies where we didn’t have a presence and an extensive skillset that would be a valuable asset to Bordic’s customers, so we set about trying to convince Dave to join our team.’

Building on commonalities

Dave takes up the story. ‘Craig approached me with the idea of joining forces and maximising on the areas where Bordic had the customers, but not the products or vice versa. After some informal meetings, the opportunities became clear. Bordic’s well-established infrastructural/administrative support was also a major drawcard in freeing up my time to focus on core customer support services and new business opportunities.’

Negotiations started in earnest in October 2019 and were completed by February.

‘When we set the acquisition date for April 1, we couldn’t have foreseen how circumstances would change because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The benefits have been an opportunity for me to settle and integrate into Bordic’s larger-scale operational and distribution systems and models,’ Dave reports.

According to Craig, the downside has been having to postpone in-person visits with key customers during this critical phase-in and phase-out process. The duo has, however, used online meeting platforms to continue discussions with these customers, and look forward to face-to-face interactions when circumstances allow. Bordic’s stock model has proven to be helpful in alleviating supply uncertainty from the market as possible for customers that had to contend with late and short shipments during the past five months through the dedicated safety stocks Bordic holds in major centre warehouses.

‘Adding value and improving service delivery are the cornerstones of our business philosophy,’ he states. ‘We’ve tried our best to satisfy as many customers’ needs as possible – and balance the increase in demand – during these uncertain times, which has enhanced peace of mind and the market’s regard for our after-sales service,’ Craig asserts.

Dave agrees that customers appreciate the flexibility of drawing off the safety stock when they aren’t able to fully commit or need to preserve cash flow. Additionally, they’re gathering meaningful procurement points through Bordic’s Level 3 B-BBEE compliance certification and have access to Bordic’s facility in Durban for slitting wide format films down to their specifications.

‘This partnership represents the next step in Bordic’s evolution. It demonstrates the wholehearted commitment to keep meeting customers’ needs, and adding value as a raw material supplier,’ Craig concludes.

Ed’s note: The new agencies in Bordic’s portfolio are Ester Industries PET films; Dong Il shrink PVC and OPS films; Gascogne Laminates silicone release paper and packaging laminates; Wentus Kunststoff CPP, PE and coextruded barrier films; Mixpap yoghurt cup lidding; and Banderole labelling materials.

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