Page 4 - Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2018

MANUFACTURING

T he Winner is aQuellé. FINALISTS

Royal Tent
Arnold Stegen MD of
Aquellé said, “This is a Royal Tent & Tarp is a leading
huge honour for us.” He added, “It manufacturer and supplier
is fantastic recognition and we are of tents, and a wide range of
thrilled.” associated equipment, to clients
throughout Africa, Madagascar
aQuellé is dedicated to and the Seychelles. Founded in
delivering an innovative, 2002, Royal Tent & Tarp now has
affordable and genuine brand of 24 branches across South Africa,
water, synonymous with high and is recognised as a significant
standards of product excellence. player in the industry.
With aQuellé being 100%
FOR PEOPLE, the company Royal Tent & Tarp manufactures
is committed to uplifting the and sells a wide of tents from
community. marquees and high-end Bedouin
and stretch tents for functions
In 1997, after testing a natural and weddings, to robust, durable
water source and finding it tents for disaster relief, military
was too good not to share, the use and even warehousing.
water was bottled and branded
“aQuellé”. aQuellé is a hybrid of Husband and wife team, Muktar
the Latin word ‘aqua’, meaning Mahomed and Zayeeda Suleman
water and the German word have a fundamental business
‘Quelle’ meaning spring. philosophy that what you put into
Left to right: Imraan Noorbhai, Standard Bank KZN Provincial Head; Michael Ngubane, aQuellé; Lalita Dhasiar-Ventura, a business is what you get out.
KZN Top Business; Arnold Stegen, CEO aQuellé and Grant Adlam, KZN Top Business
aQuellé introduced four South They have painstakingly built up
African flavours in 1998 and from a large loyal client base over the
being a local beverage player, years, and have long-standing
aQuellé has grown to become a relationships with suppliers too.
leading brand in the bottled water
category in South Africa. Southern African Shipyards

Due to the incredible increase Southern African Shipyards,
in the demand for aQuellé, it has Africa’s leading commercial and
been necessary to continuously naval shipbuilding and ship repair
expand the bottling plant and company, has made major leaps
transport facilities. The plant has and bounds towards employing
expanded from a mere 280 square the concept of the collaborative
meters in 1998 to over 18 000 economy in the execution of its
square meters to date. shipbuilding and ship repair
projects.
To keep up with the increased
demand, aQuellé acquired The recently awarded multi-
a bottling plant in scenic billion Rand contract to build
Franschhoek in 2016 and a Hydrographic Survey Vessel
extensions are well underway (HSV) for the South African
to expand the plant, add new Navy represents one of the
machinery and warehousing. most complex projects to be
undertaken in the African
aQuellé is a community- continent in recent years.
based organisation that has the
interests if its people at heart. The vessel will replace the Navy’s
The company is involved in a SAS Protea, which has been in
broad spectrum of community service for 45 years. Southern
projects including support of African Shipyards was judged
a HIV/Aids care center, local the worthy winner of the world-
feeding scheme for orphaned class and sought-after tender,
children and bursaries to dozens which will further establish the
of school children in the area. company as a shipbuilder of note.
aQuellé also provides fresh It will mean that work is
drinking water to the local guaranteed for the Southern
community and is involved in
various farming initiatives with African Shipyards workforce and
sub- contractors for at least three
the assistance of equipment, years and this will once again
materials and training of the provide a welcome boost to the
local people in a full range of
farming skills. local economy. 

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