Introducing AEGIR-Marine’s Namibia office
For a globally operating company like AEGIR-Marine, the role played by its branch offices is important. Headquartered in the Netherlands, our five regional offices (in Singapore, Shanghai, Namibia, USA and UAE) provide regional service and sales of stern tube seal and propulsion systems to customers far and wide. Here, Grant Mather, Branch Manager of AEGIR-Marine in Namibia, gives an insight into operations at the company’s ‘Africa office’.
The first thing you notice when visiting AEGIR’s Namibia office is its location. “We are no more than 50 metres from the dry dock facilities,” smiles Grant. “We are so close to our clients.”
The location is Walvis Bay, positioned almost dead centre on Namibia’s coastline. It is also home to two local shipyards which boast three floating docks and one Synchrolift between them.
The AEGIR-Marine operation in Walvis Bay is a critical for the for the vessels operating in the oil- and gas industry in West Africa.
80% on stock
To that end, Grant describes AEGIR’s Namibia office as one-stop-shop. “We have around 80 per cent of our products on stock. For anything else – well, the Singapore office or head office are just an email away. That way, we can provide a quick turnaround. We also have dummy chrome liners from 170 to 380. These can be used for any make – our clients can machine them to any size they need.”
He picks up his AEGIR business card to prove his point. “It says here ‘It takes one call’. The best service and to deliver the goods ASAP – that how we work. We cover southern and West Africa, but it all depends on where a client needs us. I have worked as far away as the Bahamas.”
A phone call away
AEGIR-Marine’s Namibia office has a staff of five. However, those five people perform far more than five job functions. “We do a lot of multitasking and wearing of different hats here,” he explains. “We’ve got two service technicians and one warehouse helper – they focus on their main work. Then we have Elsie: she handles planning, finances, admin and quotations. I am the branch manager, but also work as a service technician and coordinator; with sales and new clients too. It’s an efficient way of working, we keep our overheads down.”
In terms of knowledge and experience, AEGIR’s Namibia team is backed up by colleagues around the world. “If one of us has a question, then support is just a phone call away. We can brainstorm with head office, for instance, and come up with a solution. If it is something that we can’t handle, they can send someone out.”
This brings us to one final question: What do AEGIR’s customers think of the Namibia office? “Of course, we have competition locally, but we are striving every day to get where we want to be. It's great to see that our customers are happy. I am a firm believer of word of mouth – that good stories spread like wildfire. This branch now is a force to be reckoned with.”