PG Bison Kenya Limited established in 2002 in conjunction with PG Bison South Africa has emerged one of the East Africa’s top distributors of the widest colour range of medium density fibreboard (MDF), particleboard a selection of complementary decorative materials such as kitchen worktops, sinks, formica, laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring, doors and furniture fittings.
The company has been driven by adhering to its customer needs. The value proposition that PG Bison offers to its customers is in the form of quality products, value added services, product range, and technical support and customer relations.
Hitesh Mediratta the Managing Director said, “We source all our products from companies with recognised international quality standards and organisations that have FSC accreditation, which is a mark that certifies that their products are derived from sustainable forest plantations. Some key global brands that we represent in East Africa are PG Bison,Hettich, Egger, Formica and Krono Flooring.
“Hettichis a leading global company in the manufacture of hinges, drawer runner systems, sliding door fittings and other components for the furniture industry. Krono Flooring is one of the world’s top quality laminate floor producers, Egger is a leading panel product manufacturer and Formica is a renowned brand for high pressure laminates. These European players are highly rated around the world.”
NishitMediratta, the Commercial Director took up the story, “In both our facilities in Kampala Road in Nairobi and Lumumba Road in Mombasa we have design centres for free use by carpenters and contractors to help their customers plan kitchen, furniture and wardrobe requirements.”
“Skilled designers produce three dimensional (3D) diagrams on a computer. This creates a precise cutting list for components, saving customers from wasting material. The service is free for purchasers of the Company’s products and helps carpenters and contractors with the professional preparation of quotations.”
“Our machine room has state of the art equipment for cutting, drilling and edging materials to the exact specifications required by our customers. Components are sorted, labelled and wrapped ready for transportation,”
“In order to further improve on our value added services, we invested in a fully automated top and face circular saw sharpener which is the only one of its kind in East Africa. This sharpens blades for cutting wood based panel PVC and aluminium products. Our high tech sharpening service is available to the furniture and construction sector in Kenya and neighbouring countries,” added Nishit
Asked about PG Bison’s customer segments, Hitesh Mediratta replied, “These range from individual carpenters who work with home owners to large scale contractors, developers and furniture manufacturers. The informal sector is becoming increasingly important, we also supply interior decorators and designers, and there is a growing trend of “Do It Yourself” (DIY) enthusiasts.”
East Africa is joining the global transition from traditional solid wood carpentry to using panel products like MDF and particleboard. This necessitates training artisans and carpenters to upgrade their skills to become panel fabricators.
Gareth Jones, the Business Development and Operations Manager of PG Bison explained, “We have been training artisans free of charge for over eight years to work with panel products to create and install wardrobes, kitchens, office and furniture cabinets to an acceptable standard to satisfy customers’ expectations. In addition, our technical team assists our customers and their production staff in establishing best practices for machining and handling PG Bison products”
Asked about the Company’s operations and plans for the future, DipanMediratta, the Chairman replied, “Interior decorative building materials are supplied from our Nairobi facility in Kampala Road to customers in Kenya, Northern Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. The Kenya coast is served by our branch in Lumumba Road in Mombasa.”
“Our strategy for the future centres on expansion within East Africa by exporting from our Nairobi base which is designed to be our logistical and value addition hub for the region. We are planning a network of branches starting with the opening of premises in Kampala, Uganda in January 2012.”
