New First Cut branch in Witbank brings total solutions to mining and engineering region
The newest branch of First Cut, a leading South African provider of cutting, welding and grinding consumables and equipment, has opened its doors in Witbank. Zelda Vorster, who took on the role of Regional Sales Manager for Mpumalanga some six months ago, is at the helm.
Vorster clarifies: “We did not have a branch here in Witbank previously. After I had started with First Cut in mid-2021, working remotely, we realised the potential for the sale and distribution of the full range of First Cut’s products in this area. We believed that growing the regional representation and sales of traditional cutting and hand tools offered by First Cut represented a significant opportunity for the company. Additionally, the fact that First Cut is now stocking products locally means that we are further enabled to offer our customers a first-class service. I am confident that this new branch is going to be successful.”
Existing First Cut customers in the region had previously been serviced from both the Johannesburg and Nelspruit branches. “First Cut is very service-oriented,” explains Vorster, “and so it has been a strategic move to open this new branch in Witbank. We will be complementing the tooling and cutting sides of the business with the addition of welding products and services.
We are also planning to promote oxyfuel equipment, a wide variety of hand tools and power tools, general consumables for the workshop, and personal protective equipment (PPE). As a total supply and solutions package, there is nothing that we cannot provide to customers in a workshop or warehouse.”
She is excited about the welding opportunities for the Witbank branch, particularly after the recent merger of interests between First Cut and Gas Safety International (GSI), which provides certified training and quality gas equipment to the industrial sector. The new relationship with GSI also became effective from 01 November 2021, the same day the Witbank branch officially opened.
Vorster notes: “I certainly envisage that GSI will be able to add value to our Witbank customers with its gas safety training, and its experience in promoting a safe, efficient working environment. For example, GSI’s expertise ties in significantly with what First Cut will offer from the oxyfuel side of the business. Emphasising the importance of safety is critical in even the smallest workshops.
Our adopted strategy of ‘Safety First’ creates the platform to harmoniously blend the gas safety training that GSI offers, together with a world-class range of consumables manufactured in Germany by Messer. Our aim, in the Mpumalanga region, is to be at the forefront of the First Cut move from ‘total cutting solutions’ to ‘total cutting, welding and grinding solutions’.
I believe this area is hungry for a new, dynamic supplier. We are bringing in quality products at competitive pricing, with a firm eye on safety aspects. I look forward to entrenching this new channel to the local mining and engineering market, and being the solution for the customer,” she concludes.
