Astore Keymak celebrates 40 years
ASTORE KEYMAK is celebrating 40 years in business this year and, if anything, the company has geared up further to celebrate the milestone in style.
Besides manufacturing PVC hose, Astore Keymak is a market leader in the supply of thermoplastic fittings, including compression fittings from Unidelta of Italy, PVC valves, fittings and pipe from Astore and FIP of Italy; a wide range of finished products such as electrofusion fittings and polyethylene and polypropylene sheet from Agru of Austria. That’s just the highlights package though.
The company is owned by JSE-listed Hudaco group.
The business was founded as Astore Africa in Cape Town in 1985 as a small importer of specialised plastic fittings from Astore Valves & Fittings of Italy, setting the tone for what has now been a four-decade journey as a supplier and more recently a manufacturer of various products for the water reticulation sector in southern Africa.
Evolution has been continuous since: in ’92 it commenced with the supply of plastic welding machines, with supply to the thermoplastic pipe market becoming key, and has opened branches around the country progressively. A top highlight was its purchase in 2008 by Hudaco group (originally Hubert Davies Co, founded in 1891 in Johannesburg as a supplier to the mining industry) and it is in this multi-pronged group that the company has since flourished.
Production of PVC hose commenced in 2012 and in 2017 it rebranded as Astore Keymak.
However, more was in store with several investments undertaken, beginning with the purchase of a large manufacturing site in Randfontein for the production of its range of PVC hoses in 2023 and, later that year, Hudaco purchased Plasti-Weld, a specialist supplier of plastics welding systems in Benoni, adding a superior range of plastic welding equipment from Leister of Switzerland and Ritmo of Italy.
Shenon Botes of BTCap fame was appointed managing director of Astore Keymak in 2023 and instilled energy and vision in the business.
The company has 10 branches around South Africa and, according to Shenton, has refined its systems to completely support the water reticulation sector across southern Africa.
“Astore Keymak is delivering on one of our most precious resources, helping you save every drop of water for a sustainable environment,” Botes concludes.
The actual celebrations are scheduled for November!
