A lot can change in 23 years and as Anchor Industries has proved, change has been good. Started in July 1994 to supply anchor chain and fittings in Cape Town, the company has grown from a 100sqm warehouse into a diversified, international company with a work force that fully represents our rainbow nation. Along the way racking up a number of significant achievements and awards.
“When my father started the company it was with the desire to be the best, never the biggest,” explains Dale Hutcheson Managing Director. “It was this desire and a promise that we’d never compromise in the safety critical environments in which Anchor supplies products and services, that has helped to turn a company, started with R40 000.00 into the multi-million Rand enterprise it is today.”
Establishing the stud link chain and anchor business in southern Africa, offering comprehensive spooling and socketing services, performing some of the largest load tests done in Cape Town, pioneering the rental of mooring equipment and helping to improve the lifting and rigging industries through highlighting product markings, certification and training. These are some of the many achievements of the last 23 years that have help the company grow and remain successful.
“We’ve always looked to use the profits generated wisely,” continues Hutcheson, “not to enrich a few, but to buy more company assets, more stocks, hire more people, train staff, rent larger premises and to give back to those less fortunate than ourselves.” In 2007 Anchor pioneered a 25.1% broad based staff BEE equity transaction which was hailed by the Provincial Ministry of Environment, Planning and Economic Development as “A model that sets the trend for others to follow suit.” Since then staff have remained an equity partner of the company and benefitted from the profits generated.
“The company isn’t the Anchor of 23 years ago or even 2 years ago,” acknowledges Hutcheson, “and that’s a good thing. If we didn’t embrace change we’d still be in a small warehouse with 3 staff and no stock. Successful companies change regularly in order to grow and that’s what we’ll continue to do. What hasn’t changed however are our values and our desire to be the best.”
