FEBRUARY 2016www.endeavourmagazine.com

INSPIRED BY YOUR SUCCESS

Edison PowerSeizing Opportunities

Without a doubt, while Eskom may control 95% of the energy in South Africa, the frequent load shedding the giant company is forcing upon the country has created opportunities for independent companies to rise with the promise of a more reliable supply and a better service. Rising above the shambles of the industry sector is Edison Power Group who have, for the last three decades reliably grown and developed to be one of the better companies weighing into the monopoly that Eskom has held for so long.

WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

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EDISON POWERWWW.EDISONPOWERGROUP.CO.ZA

0027 31 566 9500

EDISON POWER

Founded by entrepreneur and visionary Vivian Reddy during the late seventies, EPG is now the oldest electrical contracting company in the country and specialises in electrical installations

working in an array of sectors including commercial, township reticulation, live line installations, wind and solar EPC, industrial, HV and LV Reticulation and substation and transformer installations.

WORKING SMART PAYSVivian began his career with Hubert Davies, one of the largest

electrical companies at the time and it was here that he served his apprenticeship and went on to obtain a Diploma in Electrical Contracting Management and several other qualifications in the electrical contracting Industry.

While his success with Edison Power led to a much publicised and well-chronicled diversification into a number of fields of entrepreneurial success, today his business interests encompass property investments, gaming and leisure, wind energy, smart metering, technology and international trading. As is often the case, EPG was not an instant success. Being founded during the Apartheid Regime, which was not only a dark time for South

Africa’s history but also a difficult time to run a business, Vivian Reddy began his company under the name Reddy’s Electrical with R500 to his name and a bakkie (pickup). The difficulty it faced was anonymity and competition and it took a change of the company’s name to Edison Power (named after Thomas Edison) to ignite the success and plant the seeds of a reputation for excellence that outlasted the Apartheid Regime and is still rising today.

One of the key aspects of any energy company is the ability to correctly monitor energy usage. Giving the ability to stay on top of energy usage in the household or business has proven to be a major tool in saving energy and thereby keeping costs down. Such projects are what is keeping Christo Nicholls, CEO of EPG’s Smart Utility Solution Division, excited about the future. As he explained during African Utility Week in Cape Town in 2015, “The achievements of the biggest smart meter roll-out project on the African continent at City Power, is undoubtedly a source of excitement for the group,” he said, “What excites explicitly is the ability to provide feedback to the industry on what was achieved, versus what is still to be achieved. Hence, spearheading a culture within the African smart metering space of talking in past versus

EDISON POWER

Despite the economic hardships felt by the company, South Africa is a hot bed of development and the demand for reliable power is at an all time high. The dependency on coal is still high, but the use of renewables has started to catch up, thanks in part to businesses like EPG who have built their business around out of the box thinking and planning ahead.

EDISON POWER

future tense with regards to actual achievements in this domain.” EPG is focussed on providing customised and tangible value-adding services to utilities within the African space, while keeping to a holistic approach that introduces an agile, product agnostic and resource and facility establishment culture.

This culture has been key in contributing towards the major differentiation of the group, as well as their swift decision-making, mass rollout of operations- capacity-readiness and a myriad of business models fitting for the African market.

EMPLOYMENT EQUITYEPG is famously committed to the principles of employment

equity through a philosophy and climate that enables people at all levels, regardless of gender, race, colour or creed, to have the opportunity to develop and advance within the company. These chances emphasise opportunities for all and seek to identify, develop and reward each employee that demonstrates the qualities of initiative, enterprise, hard work and loyalty in their job.

BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTFurthermore, their commitment to BEE is illustrated by the

continuous endeavours in the employment of emerging businesses

and involvement of previously disadvantaged individuals, through innovations and a willingness to try new ways of encouraging this development. The company not only has the capacity and ability to deliver on its promise of involvement of previously disadvantaged people at a significant level and within its client’s requirements, but also boasts a proven record of regularly exceeding these requirements.

HURDLESWithin the African space there are two major giants hampering

the progressive infiltration of smart technologies and solutions, which is due to contribute significantly towards the broader infrastructure expansion and subsequent maintenance objectives with Africa. Firstly, a lack of localised skilled resources and properly equipped facilities and secondly, there is a lack of innovative, yet legislated funding options encouraging a long-term, partnership-based model.

This being said, Christo is a man of keen focus and shares a vision for the energy industry within the African utility space where EPG becomes an active partner alongside Africa to help establish a self-sustaining and profitable energy sector leveraging

EDISON POWER

on the best technologies the world has to offer, however, deployed, managed and operated by Africa-based skilled resources within well-equipped facilities, guided by Africa-specific tailored business processes.

“This, we believe, will form the cornerstone in the massive onslaught required against a few of the African-based hurdles that we face,” he continues to elaborate, “We face a growing generation of potential-filled, however, unskilled Youth and this is compounded by a worrying trend of well trained and sharp African minds leaving the country for jobs and better prospects elsewhere. We need to create opportunities that will be fruitful enough to keep those with the valuable skills here,”

And the opportunities are already available. He explains that they believe where major issues exist there are fantastic opportunities to help address them. The main issue is that the Mexican stand off between a lack of funds and an urgently required infrastructure expansion and renewal versus an immediate need for sustainable and reliable electricity and water for the residential, commercial and industrial sectors to continue to grow.

“We can’t have one without the other but both are waiting for the other first,” he says.

MAKING A STANDHere stands EPG with the message that they are putting out

their hand to come alongside the utilities within Africa and through a pragmatic, transparent and symbiotic-in-nature partnership, is starting to solve the actual issues within the utility space, as opposed to punting the next best technology into the market only.

This will be accomplished through ensuring accurately mapped out technology, creating the required skill base, erecting the needed facilities and assisting in getting the necessary policies and processes in place, all to deliver a sustainable, cost effective and most importantly, benefit-delivering solution for Africa and its utilities.

Driven by the determination to be the leading culturally diverse company in the electrical industry, EPG is able to approach this mission through the provision of cost effective, efficient services and a commitment to increasing the shareholder value whilst improving the quality of life for all South Africans. In over 36 years of business they have repeatedly been able to achieve their targets and have become the best and brightest in their industry.

Generation to Power

Grid

Motor Control Panels

MeterinG & billinG

Cable

PluGs & soCkets

Power station

standby Power

solutions

Power CorreCtion

& lV switChGearhV, MV & lV

transforMers & MV switChGear

to USEFrom SoUrcE

liGhtinG• Industrial, ex, commercial, street & area lighting• Control & management systems• Street light & mounting poles

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