Brimis Engineering’s growth from an R8 million turnover business in 2019 to about R150 million in 2024 highlights the role of locally owned engineering companies in expanding South Africa’s industrial capacity.
The black-owned mechanical engineering company now employs 122 people, most of them young South Africans, and has expanded its operations through a new facility in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said the company’s growth demonstrated why South Africa needed to strengthen its manufacturing base to create jobs and build a more resilient economy.
Tau was speaking at the official opening of Brimis Engineering’s premises on Friday.
The company specialises in industrial valve and pump lifecycle management and provides technical support, maintenance and products to heavy industries including mining, power generation, petrochemicals and water treatment.
Building local engineering capacity
Brimis’ expansion comes as the company continues to develop its role in South Africa’s industrial supply chain.
Earlier this month, Brimis Engineering was appointed the sole authorised South African agent for the SchuF Group, a global manufacturer of specialised valves used in industries including power generation, petrochemicals, chemicals and refining.
Brimis founder and CEO Andile Nqandela said the agreement would improve access to specialised products and spare parts while combining SchuF’s engineering capabilities with Brimis’ local support.
“SchuF valves have a long-standing, proven track record in some of South Africa’s most demanding industrial environments,” Nqandela said.
He said the agency would also help reduce downtime by combining SchuF’s original equipment manufacturer engineering with Brimis’ local support from its Middelburg facility.
The partnership adds to Brimis’ existing work in valve and pump lifecycle management and its provision of technical services to industrial customers.
R46m support for expansion
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) provided approximately R46 million in incentive support to Brimis Engineering, contributing towards the investment and expansion of its Middelburg facility.
Other government support agencies have also supported the company during its 13-year journey.
Tau said such support was important because industrial capability requires significant investment and can take years to establish.
“State support exists to close that gap: to de-risk the first investment, to back the entrepreneur who has the engineering insight but not yet the balance sheet, and to make sure that when a company is ready to grow, that growth happens in townships like Middelburg, in Mpumalanga, in South Africa, and not somewhere else,” Tau said.
He said the market did not always provide the capital required to build industrial capacity, particularly for black-owned businesses.
Localisation needs capable businesses
Tau also linked Brimis’ expansion to the government’s localisation programme, which aims to increase the use of South African-made goods and services in public procurement.
He said approximately R86.6 billion in public procurement was directed towards locally made goods and services during the last financial year, with government targeting R100 billion this financial year.
But Tau said achieving the target would depend on whether local companies had the capacity to supply the products and services required.
“Every rand of that target is only meaningful if there are companies on the ground with the technical capability to deliver on it,” he said.
“Companies that can machine a component, refurbish a pump, fabricate a valve, or execute a plant shutdown safely and on time.”
Tau pointed to Brimis’ turnover growth as an example of the type of industrial development the government wants to support.
“This is what transformation is supposed to look like. Not a target met on paper, but a company like this one, generating its own revenue, its own jobs, its own intellectual property, and its own future,” he said.
