Reginald Jordaan of Strategic Outsourcing Solutions with wife and business partner Cathy Jordaan.
Two Cape Town business owners were able to buy new machinery resulting in increased production and turnover thanks to the Enterprise Development Fund (EDF).
The fund, launched late last year by the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, is aimed at assisting business owners with funding to purchase goods and services needed to grow their businesses and create employment.
Reginald Jordaan, one of the recipients of the fund and owner of engineering business Strategic Outsourcing Solutions, says he received R 50 000 and was able to buy a welding machine.
“I save on labour now because we don’t have to clean the products when we are done welding because the machine does this,” says Jordaan.
Jordaan who has had a number of businesses over the 30 years he has been in the engineering field says in the past he always went back to working for an employer.
However, by October 2010 the business Jordaan worked for closed down and he decided that he now had the skill set to start his own business for good.
“I have had the same cellphone number for as long as I can remember and when customers called me thinking I still worked for my previous employers, I started taking on work for my business after explaining to them that the other business had closed down.”
Services offered by Jordaan include building specialised conveyor belts, enclosures for protecting high-tech equipment, manufacturing stainless steel ribbon blenders and fencing projects for big name clients such as the National Sea Rescue Institute, the University of Stellenbosch and local government.
The other business that received R50 000 in grant funding from the EDF was Custom Graphics located in Ottery.
The business is owned by husband and wife, Tania and Kevin Andrews.
Tania says they were approached by the department and the application process went relatively quickly.
“We completed the forms, provided the documentation such as tax clearance and business registration documents ,” says Tania.
Shortly after, they received the money and bought a screen printing machine.
The screen printing machine has assisted the pair in saving on outsourcing the printing as well as having much more control of the business.
“Before we had to rely on the other company and now we can control our deadlines by doing the printing ourselves,” says Tania.
Since receiving the funding and buying the machine the business increased production by 50%.
The Andrews’ started their business more than 13 years ago, combining Tania’s experience and qualifications in signage and Kevin’s in printing.
The business has won several awards over the years namely, the Nedbank Business Achiever Awards and a finalist in the Eskom Business Investment Competition.
Business owners interested in applying must be based in the Western Cape, operating for at least 12 months, be in possession of a valid tax clearance certificate and must be majority black-owned.
- Go to www.westerncape.gov.za