Supplying projects across sub-Saharan Africa: Bolt and Engineering Distributors Group (B.E.D.) on logistics, reliability and the value of partnership

As Pan-African Trailblazer Award sponsor at the SAISC Steel Awards for the third consecutive year, Bolt and Engineering Distributors Group (B.E.D.) is well positioned to speak to the realities of supplying engineering components and equipment across sub-Saharan Africa. CEO Mike Giltrow shares the company’s hard-won insights on cross-border project supply.

Navigating the sub-Saharan supply opportunity

Supplying Pan-African infrastructure and construction projects is no longer as logistically challenging it once was. B.E.D. focuses its export activity specifically on sub-Saharan Africa, where South African influence, infrastructure and logistics networks provide a meaningful advantage, and where receptiveness to South African expertise and technology has grown considerably. “The doors are open even wider now, and so are the opportunities,” says Giltrow. “With our exchange rate traditionally being somewhat weak, South African products have always offered good value for money to the rest of Africa – and we have learned to make the most of that.”

Stock investment: supply chain safeguard

Supply chain reliability is, in B.E.D.’s experience, the single most critical factor in successful pan-African project delivery. Disruptions in recent years (from the conflict in Ukraine to shipping delays in the Strait of Hormuz) have reinforced the importance of proactive stock management. In response, B.E.D. has significantly increased its stock-holding across the group, supported by its dedicated distribution centre, which effectively functions as a fourteenth branch. The company has also moved decisively away from the just-in-time (JIT) stockholding model: sea freight lead times of eight to sixteen weeks make long-lead times and strategic stockholding essential for B.E.D. and its customers locally and in Africa.

Quality assurance: pivotal in pan-African supply 

When supplying products into African markets, quality assurance takes on heightened importance. “We cannot afford to send something all the way to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, and have it come back,” says Giltrow. “We learned that lesson the hard way, many years ago – and it shaped how we approach quality on every export order since.” B.E.D. works exclusively with local and international suppliers whose quality is of the highest standard, implements pre-shipment inspection processes for significant export orders, and supports local manufacturers wherever possible – boosting quality assurance and job creation locally, to supply the export market.

Partnership: cross-border competitive advantage

B.E.D.’s robust cross-border capability rests on a foundation of trusted relationships: with customers, with logistics partners experienced in over-border routes, customs and documentation, and with suppliers who provide the technical support which export clients require. The company’s ‘one-stop-shop’ model – supplying fasteners, welding equipment, bearings, tooling, personal protective equipment (PPE) and associated consumables – reduces complexity and risk for project managers working far from their home country. 

“B.E.D.’s Pan-African Trailblazer Award sponsorship for the third consecutive year is both a celebration of construction and infrastructure project excellence in Africa – and a firm commitment to the steel supply chain which makes such excellence possible!” Giltrow concludes.