Company Reports - Afrivet
Statistics
Company Industry Founded Headquarters Key People Products Revenue Employees
Website
Follow us on
http://www.afrivet.co.za
Platinum and Gold Partners
Silver and Bronze Partners
Afrivet
The Farmer's Vet in the Veld
Written by Chris Farnell & Produced by John Holliman
After reaching such a landmark date, the desire to look back on the company’s history is a tempting one. Going all the way back to the year 2000 we see that, like most truly successful businesses, Afrivet was created to respond to a need in the market.
Managing Director Dr. P. T. Oberem remembers: “Prior to 1994, and for quite some time thereafter, the industry in South Africa was dominated completely by a small handful of multinational companies. After the coming of democracy in South Africa many of the smaller European multinationals, especially generic companies, wanted to enter our market. Their constraint, however, was critical mass. None had a full range of products, and so none had the critical mass to set up a costly infrastructure including a big enough sales force while at the same time attempting to register their products here.”
This problem was something Oberem saw as a valuable opportunity: “Four colleagues from HR Vet and I decided we could create the vehicle for such companies to enter our country and at the same time add competition to the market which would benefit our stock owners by giving both alternative products and consequently a measure of price relief. So, with the help of Michael Sanders of ECO Animal Health, we set up Afrivet Business Management (Pty) Ltd and entered the market in July 2000 with the ECO products.”
The company’s mission was clear: “Our goals at the time were to provide a vehicle for entry of the many smaller multinationals and introduce competition into the market which would provide our customers with, a choice, better pricing and above all better service.”
Since then, the company has gone on to become known as “The Farmer’s Vet in the Veld”. The company is now recognised as a Pan-African, research-based Animal Health Company, which provides all stock-owners with a wide range of innovative, high quality, cost effective stock remedies and veterinary medicines supported with sound, up-to-date technical advice via a motivated, well trained team of employees.
A COMPANY THAT CARES
As Oberem says: “We truly care about our customers. We are not perfect, but we do our very best. The people we appoint in all positions are passionate about the industry and care about their customers.”
It this attitude, really caring about the business, that Oberem believes is the first priority when making new recruits. “We believe in appointing people who ‘want to’ rather than people with specific training,” he says. “We then put quite an effort into on the job training. All our agents are trained and examined in order to comply with the requirements of The South African Animal Health Association of which we are proud members.”
Of course, every company claims to care, but Afrivet’s actions speak louder than its words. For instance, there is its support for the very appropriate oxpecker through its close association with, and financial support of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s reintroduction projects, which have resulted in about 500 birds being reintroduced into eight sites in five provinces of the country.
Then of course, there are the efforts that the company goes to in order to educate its customers. For instance, there is Afrivet Training Services.
Oberem says: “We established a subsidiary company to fill the gap left by the limited resources of South African Veterinary Services to provide out stock owners with sound technical advice.”
There are two aspects to this project. For the commercial farmer Afrivet has produced and published the first comprehensive book on diseases and parasites of cattle, sheep and goats in South Africa since 1954, a product that has surprised even Afrivet with its success.
“It was meant to be a promotional item but the huge demand proved to us the need and we ended up making a big profit on the project, which was not our initial intention,” Oberem admits. “We followed this with similar books written on diseases and parasites of horses, donkeys and mules, and diseases of parasites of dogs and cats. We expect by the end of the year to supplement these with a book on game animal diseases and one on sheep diseases and parasites.”
Afrivet also provides for previously disadvantaged stockowners a three module training course on Primary Animal Healthcare.
Oberem explains proudly: “Here we have the support of the SA Veterinary Council, The Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria and we are AgriSeta approved. We hope through this initiative to improve the productivity of the 50 percent of our national herd in the hands of our previously disadvantaged countrymen and so reduce the R2 billion of red meat imported into the country.”
Of course, while providing massive benefits to Afrivet’s customers and community, it is also a move that makes great business sense. “In this way we are also creating a new, bigger market for ourselves,” Oberem says. Indeed, the company’s whole “caring” approach has proved to be a huge boon for the business. As Oberem explains: “We grew by almost 40 percent last year. It may be that the demand for a better, more caring service is enhanced in tough times, thus driving customers in our direction.”
As well as doing what they can for the animal health and agricultural industries (The South African Animal Health Association recently gave Oberem, a “lifetime Award” for his and Afrivet’s work promoting the interests of the industry) Afrivet is also working to help the wider community, by full embracing Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment. “We are proud to be the only truly Broad-based Black Economically Empowered company in our local industry,” Oberem says. “This we achieved by, as individual shareholders, assisting a small regional Black Company, Fish Rivet Veterinary Supplies, to buy 20 percent shareholding in Afrivet, thus contributing to the development of the new South Africa.”
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNREWARDED
Oberem believes there are good times ahead for the company. “It was also by far our most profitable year, mainly due to us having spent in advance/invested in the early years to develop the necessary structure to service a business of this size. It has paid off, and it seems on our 10th birthday that the customer is starting to see what we are really about.”
Managing Director Dr. P. T. Oberem remembers: “Prior to 1994, and for quite some time thereafter, the industry in South Africa was dominated completely by a small handful of multinational companies. After the coming of democracy in South Africa many of the smaller European multinationals, especially generic companies, wanted to enter our market. Their constraint, however, was critical mass. None had a full range of products, and so none had the critical mass to set up a costly infrastructure including a big enough sales force while at the same time attempting to register their products here.”
This problem was something Oberem saw as a valuable opportunity: “Four colleagues from HR Vet and I decided we could create the vehicle for such companies to enter our country and at the same time add competition to the market which would benefit our stock owners by giving both alternative products and consequently a measure of price relief. So, with the help of Michael Sanders of ECO Animal Health, we set up Afrivet Business Management (Pty) Ltd and entered the market in July 2000 with the ECO products.”
The company’s mission was clear: “Our goals at the time were to provide a vehicle for entry of the many smaller multinationals and introduce competition into the market which would provide our customers with, a choice, better pricing and above all better service.”
Since then, the company has gone on to become known as “The Farmer’s Vet in the Veld”. The company is now recognised as a Pan-African, research-based Animal Health Company, which provides all stock-owners with a wide range of innovative, high quality, cost effective stock remedies and veterinary medicines supported with sound, up-to-date technical advice via a motivated, well trained team of employees.
A COMPANY THAT CARES
As Oberem says: “We truly care about our customers. We are not perfect, but we do our very best. The people we appoint in all positions are passionate about the industry and care about their customers.”
It this attitude, really caring about the business, that Oberem believes is the first priority when making new recruits. “We believe in appointing people who ‘want to’ rather than people with specific training,” he says. “We then put quite an effort into on the job training. All our agents are trained and examined in order to comply with the requirements of The South African Animal Health Association of which we are proud members.”
Of course, every company claims to care, but Afrivet’s actions speak louder than its words. For instance, there is its support for the very appropriate oxpecker through its close association with, and financial support of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s reintroduction projects, which have resulted in about 500 birds being reintroduced into eight sites in five provinces of the country.
Then of course, there are the efforts that the company goes to in order to educate its customers. For instance, there is Afrivet Training Services.
Oberem says: “We established a subsidiary company to fill the gap left by the limited resources of South African Veterinary Services to provide out stock owners with sound technical advice.”
There are two aspects to this project. For the commercial farmer Afrivet has produced and published the first comprehensive book on diseases and parasites of cattle, sheep and goats in South Africa since 1954, a product that has surprised even Afrivet with its success.
“It was meant to be a promotional item but the huge demand proved to us the need and we ended up making a big profit on the project, which was not our initial intention,” Oberem admits. “We followed this with similar books written on diseases and parasites of horses, donkeys and mules, and diseases of parasites of dogs and cats. We expect by the end of the year to supplement these with a book on game animal diseases and one on sheep diseases and parasites.”
Afrivet also provides for previously disadvantaged stockowners a three module training course on Primary Animal Healthcare.
Oberem explains proudly: “Here we have the support of the SA Veterinary Council, The Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria and we are AgriSeta approved. We hope through this initiative to improve the productivity of the 50 percent of our national herd in the hands of our previously disadvantaged countrymen and so reduce the R2 billion of red meat imported into the country.”
Of course, while providing massive benefits to Afrivet’s customers and community, it is also a move that makes great business sense. “In this way we are also creating a new, bigger market for ourselves,” Oberem says. Indeed, the company’s whole “caring” approach has proved to be a huge boon for the business. As Oberem explains: “We grew by almost 40 percent last year. It may be that the demand for a better, more caring service is enhanced in tough times, thus driving customers in our direction.”
As well as doing what they can for the animal health and agricultural industries (The South African Animal Health Association recently gave Oberem, a “lifetime Award” for his and Afrivet’s work promoting the interests of the industry) Afrivet is also working to help the wider community, by full embracing Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment. “We are proud to be the only truly Broad-based Black Economically Empowered company in our local industry,” Oberem says. “This we achieved by, as individual shareholders, assisting a small regional Black Company, Fish Rivet Veterinary Supplies, to buy 20 percent shareholding in Afrivet, thus contributing to the development of the new South Africa.”
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNREWARDED
Oberem believes there are good times ahead for the company. “It was also by far our most profitable year, mainly due to us having spent in advance/invested in the early years to develop the necessary structure to service a business of this size. It has paid off, and it seems on our 10th birthday that the customer is starting to see what we are really about.”
