List of countries now includes Mexico.
Just over three years ago Vincent van der Walt decided to emigrate to the United States of America. There were a number of reasons that Vincent took this big decision but one of the primary factors was to explore the possibility of extending Knight Sales’ penetration into the export market with the US being a primary target.
“We already had a client in the US and they were becoming more and more important to us with a steady increase in orders. We could look after the manufacture of the castings and then ship them internationally. Once the castings left the shores of South Africa we were in the hands of the unknown, which sounds like a strange comment in this highly connected world that we live in today. But when the pandemic emerged it did heighten our concerns of having no control and making sure that our export orders were delivered timeously,” explained Vincent van der Walt, President of Abrasion and Corrosion Solutions LLC.
Knights Sales now exports more than 50% of total production
“Our strategy was that if we had someone close on the ground, we could at least make sure that our shipping companies that we had engaged were kept on their toes. And yes, we have been successful on this front.”
“Despite these logistical challenges our main objective was to increase our export orders. As we already exporting to the US it made sense to pursue this area. I left South Africa in July 2019 and settled in Jacksonville, Florida where our main US client, a family-owned and operated American manufacturer of slurry and abrasive pumping products since 1975 serving a global market with worldwide distribution and product support, is situated. They also have an African manufacturing and engineering centre that is based in Johannesburg.”
Family business
“When I left South Africa, it was with a heavy heart as I was leaving my whole family behind with whom I had been working side-by-side with for all my working career.”
The Van der Walt family involvement in Knights Sales includes the younger generation of Vincent, brother Cobus, sister Belinda, brother-in-law Louis Miller and mother Letitia, who has been the mainstay of the admin side of the business since the beginning. Father, the late Johann, was one of three brothers who started the company in 1985 when they established EJ van der Walt Patternmakers.
The bulk of Knights Sales’ exports to the US have comprised of mostly slurry pumps, slurry pump spares, dredging pumps and ladder dredge chains
Johann’s elder brother Koos had always been the ‘salesman’ of the family while Johann and Jan were the craftsmen. Both trained as patternmakers, completing their apprenticeships at Ace Patternmakers and Scaw Metals respectively, while Koos ran a brokerage business buying and selling castings.
The name Knight Sales, which was the brokerage side of the business, did not readily associate itself with the foundry business. It was derived from its location in Knights Industrial area in Germiston, Gauteng. However, because the name had a long association with the foundry industry when the family began manufacturing castings in 2005, at first sub-contracting to a foundry before starting their own foundry in 2006, they kept the name Knights and the company now trades as Knights Foundry.
Exporting castings to Mexico
The growth in the US business has been significant since Vincent has been located there. “Of course, like everyone else, the pandemic did have a meaningful effect on us but with us only running an ‘office’ here our overheads were relatively low so the impact was lessened. If we were manufacturing here, it could have been a different story.”
The weight of the castings and components can vary between 2 kilograms and 3 500 kilograms
“The bulk of our exports to the US have comprised of mostly slurry pumps, slurry pump spares, dredging pumps and ladder dredge chains, but we are not limited to these.”
“The castings are made in various high-chrome alloys, manganese steels, stainless steels, as well as Duplex and Super Duplex stainless steel grades. The weight of the castings and components can vary between 2 kilograms and 3 500 kilograms.”
“Castings and components include pump casings, impellers, wear liners, stuffing boxes, bearing housings, chain links and many others, all used by companies manufacturing mining and aggregate products and equipment.”
“Currently we are exporting about 700 tons of castings annually but we are projecting to reach the 2 400 tons per annum total in the not-too-distant future. The potential is endless, especially if we keep up the quality.”
“The foundry industry in Mexico is positioned among the top 10 countries in the international production ranking of the sector. Annually the country has an approximate production of close to three million metric tons. When castings are imported, Mexico imports most of its castings from India, China and Brazil.”
Castings are made in various high-chrome alloys, manganese steels, stainless steels, as well as Duplex and Super Duplex stainless steel grades
“The foundries in Mexico are active in the automotive, railway, aerospace, pumps and hydraulic systems, construction, machine tool, metal-mechanical, agriculture and mining industries among others and the total number of foundries is estimated to be around 800 companies.”
“The standards of quality for the Mexican casting industry are internationally recognised. The Mexican foundry industry not only produces high class castings, but the industry is also engaged in research and development, able to produce technologically complex components. Despite some uncertainties in the markets and technological challenges, Mexico remains economically stable because of an expanding automotive sector.”
“Despite these obstacles and challenges put in front of us we have still been able to win our first orders to deliver castings to Mexico. It is a new market for us and we have plenty to learn, especially if you compare the vastly different spoken languages – Afrikaans and Spanish. Fortunately, English offers a happy medium.”
“However, we are not just exporting castings, components and spares, for example slurry spares, to the US and Mexico. As I said earlier exports make up 50% of our total production and we have also increased the number of countries that we export to. We are now very active in the European and Australian markets and between these two markets they account for 50% of our export sales. It is our intention to increase our penetration into these areas which ultimately will be very good for our manufacturing plant in South Africa.”
“Again, the potential is huge and we look forward to penetrating further into Mexico and the rest of the Americas.”
Exports worldwide
“However, we are not just exporting castings, components and spares, for example slurry spares, to the US and Mexico. As I said earlier exports make up 50% of our total production and we have also increased the number of countries that we export to. We are now very active in the European and Australian markets and between these two markets they account for 50% of our export sales. It is our intention to increase our penetration into these areas which ultimately will be very good for our manufacturing plant in South Africa.”
For further details contact Knights Sales on TEL: 011 827 2517 or visit https://castingssa.com/knights-sales-cc
