New management structure at Continental Compounders
CONTINENTAL Compounders has restructured its management and operational teams to reflect the growing success of its engineering materials business and bring further focus to customer support and developmental growth. Keagan Govender has been appointed Managing Director of the Durban-based company’s Engineering Compounds business and Darren van Rooyen as MD of the PVC Products division, both focused on the local markets.
The businesses complement each other in many sectors in energy, automotive, agriculture and construction. The restructuring is “also intended to encourage some healthy internal competition and drive,” said Continental CEO George Dimond.
Operating in tandem with Govender and Van Rooyen, Shaun van Praet has been appointed Group International & Export Sales executive. Van Praet joined Continental last year from Snetor Overseas and is a seasoned materials dealer with experience across Africa and western Europe. He has taken direct control of the European and North African markets supplied from the Continental Compounders plant in Portugal, just south of Porto. Based in Johannesburg, he is supported by Ricardo Santos (general manager) and Marcio Raposa (sales manager) at the plant in Cortegaça, an experienced and formidable team.
The Engineering business produces compounded polyolefin grades, including polyethylene (MLDPE, LLMDPE), polypropylene and PA6, PA66, ABS and other materials. The PVC business compounds vinyl grades for cable and footwear, rigid extrusion and injection moulding and flexible extrusion as well as packaging compounds.
Continental has additional capacity coming on stream in Westmead in KZN and at Cortegaça, for both PVC and engineering materials. A new engineering materials line is being installed in Westmead and will be commissioned in July, increasing capacity significantly, said Dimond.
Since 2016
The change in the management structure is evidence of the increasing maturity of the Engineering business, which Continental introduced into South Africa in 2016, having seen the growth in the automotive sector in the EU, USA and China. Although the vast majority of auto compounds were imported into SA at the time, the auto sector localisation programme encouraged local companies to produce locally, beneficiate local raw materials and create employment in this sector. At the same time, China is rapidly becoming a major supplier to South Africa of finished goods as well as local manufacturing.
Dimond, who remains CEO of the group, has dedicated his next few years to rapid growth in sales, technical support and joint collaboration with other overseas players in order to accelerate integration into local and export markets.
“We believe Africa has an incredible trajectory ahead and we want to expand our footprint into West and North Africa (Maghreb). Today’s technology allows for this to happen at a global pace.”
By July, Continental will have an enhanced capacity of over 65,000 tons a year and exports to over 40 countries. The factory and office in Portugal looks after Iberia, Turkey, the UK and North Africa, and there are plans to install additional capacity for engineering materials at the plant in the near future too.
