Western Cape Lubricants (WCL) in Strand is celebrating its 30th anniversary as an independent FUCHS Lubricants distributor.
“It is a significant milestone for FUCHS, WCL and the industry in general,” said Andrew Cowling, FUCHS Lubricants South Africa sales director. “It has done very well in growing the brand in the region.”
“From small beginnings, WCL has developed into a significant distributor and we have slowly developed our relationship over the years, which continues to go from strength to strength,” Neville Montague, national sales manager for FUCHS Lubricants South Africa, added.
WCL specialises in supplying top-quality FUCHS mineral and synthetic lubricants to diverse industries, including the automotive, agricultural, industrial, marine, mining and environmental sectors.
Three decades later WCL is one of the largest distributors in the Western Cape. Delivering cost-effective options, it prides itself on its sales, administration, logistics and technical expertise. The business’ stated mission is to maintain an unsurpassed standard of service and technical support to its valued customers, in line with FUCHS’ best practice and standards for its entire distribution network.
WCL was established in 1994 when Ziegfriedt Loots decided to distribute William Penn products in the Western Cape. With only a bakkie and driver it started making inroads steadily in what was then a very new market in the region. Loots’ background as a mechanical engineer opened doors in the burgeoning automotive industry.
Its first premises were a workshop on Daniel Street before relocating to its current facility on the corner of Gerber Boulevard and Potgieter Street in Gants Plaza. The growing success of the business resulted in a personal visit to the FUCHS SEs head office in Mannheim, Germany.
Significant milestones for the distributor since then included the FUCHS Lubricants “Titan” Big Foot advertising campaign in 2001, a name change to WCL in 2003, and a further foray into Namibia in the form of Namibia Lubricants in 2004. This expansion drive continued with the establishment of Garden Route Lubricants in 2005, extending WCL’s presence in the region.
Cowling highlights that WCL has done a sterling job to date of growing the FUCHS brand in the Western Cape. From its initial husband-and-wife team, WCL has steadily become one of FUCHS’ biggest distributors in the country. “WCL essentially developed the Western Cape market for FUCHS,” said Montague, “a journey we continue to embark on together and look forward to the next 30-year milestone in our partnership.”
The benefit of being a FUCHS distributor, and what gives its partnerships such longevity, is the extensive product range available and our investment in research and development to come up with innovative new products for diverse market segments.
“We constantly introduce new advancements in lubrication technology and bringing in new products to fill niches and cover other sectors,” says Cowling. “As a distributor, there are so many avenues that you can explore. Our brand has grown in tandem as has our footprint in South Africa, while longstanding partnerships like WCL have continued to prosper as well.”
