Get to know us
About Southern Power
Southern Power provides marine and specialised mobile applications that have technologically advanced, high-performance solutions and technical support services. This is so that we can enable our clients to maintain uninterrupted performance and increase their marine and mobile assets’ efficiency.
What we stand for
Our Values
Caring (Customers are at the heart of everything we do at Southern Power. With the solutions we source and create, we want to solve their problems and get them back on track – whether on sea or land – in the quickest possible time).
Expertise (Knowledge and continuous training is critical for South Power to serve our customers best).
Integrity(We always strive to do the right thing for our customer and our organisation.)
Reliability (We pride ourselves on being dependable as a team of technicians and distributors of highly reliable products that don’t let our customers down.)
Quality • (We only offer high-quality products that are robust and reliable.)
Performance (We offer top-performing brands and products which deliver maximum satisfaction and performance to our clients.))
Agility (We understand time is money so we deliver our solutions and service quickly and efficiently.)
Ease (We deliver great value to our customers effortlessly.)
Innovation (We continuously launch new and improved solutions from our leading international brands.)
150 Years of Experience
Our Team of Experts
Jacques Brummer
FUN FACT: Jacques enjoys all water sports and cycles to the office most days!
Roisin Povall
Roisin enjoys travelling, keeping abreast of business and current affairs, following sport.
FUN FACT: Roisin won silver at SA Rowing Championships for a coxed fours event in high school
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roisinpovall/
Mustaq Sahab
FUN FACT: Mustaq’s hobbies include soccer, cricket, table tennis and going on walks.
Dan Nelson
FUN FACT: Dan is proud to have been the president of a Cape Town motorcycle club for six years.
Diana Wernich
FUN FACT: Diana loves to spend as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren. She enjoys relaxing with a book and swimming.
Tyron Frost
Tyron is our Financial Controller and focuses on providing timely and accurate financial data and stock control, and likes to be hands-on and not just punching numbers. Tyron is a qualified Financial Accountant and Cost & Management Accountant.
FUN FACT: Tyron puts his heart into everything he does, whether it’s work, relationships, challenges, or anything else in his life.
Suzanne Manson
Suzie is our Customer liaison, key client, and customer relationship manager. She focuses on selling and building relationships. She has the following qualifications: Hons BPsych, Conscious Life Coach, NLP practitioner, and Yoga Therapist.
FUN FACT: Suzie loves new places and travel, and she is vested in the well-being of children.
Martin Swanepoel
FUN FACT: Martin loves the outdoors, playing chess, and – of course – speed!
Francis Ombimba
FUN FACT: He enjoys reading, and listening to gospel music.
Alcina Ludick
Evolution & Growth
Our History
Southern Power was established in 1974 by Mr Montgomery, Frank Dudney and Mike Ford. The company was initially know as Southern Marine Distributors and was situated in Neptune Street in Paarden Eiland.
Southern Marine Distributors were agents for|:
- Volvo Penta,
- Marine Craft,
- Aquadrive,
- R&D Mounts and couplings,
- Hamilton Jets,
- Morse controls,
- Evenrude Johnson outboards, and
- Sierra aftermarket spares.
The company was a dedicated service workshop for all these products.
Around 1995 business wasn’t performing well and shares were sold to new shareholders. Noel Holmes was appointed as the new general manager who then successfully turned the business’ fortunes around.
In 1999, two of the original shareholders retired and Noel bought them out and renamed the company ‘Southern Power Products’. In the early 2000s, Noel sold the service side of the business to Mike Alridge who established ‘Southern Marine Workshops’ which still continues to trade under this name and offers services to valued Volvo Penta customers.
The early 2000s were years of change. The company dropped the R&D and marine craft brands and signed a new importer agreement with Volvo Sweden in 2002. In 2005 Volvo Penta bought out Kamewa Jet and forced Southern Power to drop the Hamilton Jet agency as they were a competing brand. Evinrude Johnson was also replaced with a Chinese outboard manufacturer – HIDEA – in the company’s product stable. Other brand agencies – such as DOMETIC – were secured. DOMETIC’S H- Vac systems Cruise Air were, however, hugely popular and became the standard for many South African boat builders including Robertson and Caine.
Southern Power safely navigated the financial market crash of 2008- 2009 although the leisure boating market took a massive knock.
In 2014 Noel Holmes was looking for buyers and was approached by a new and rapidly growing South African shipyard – Nautic Africa – which was looking for a supplier to vertically integrate into their business. This deal was conclude in early 2015 and an external CEO, Jacques Brϋmmer, was appointed in April 2015 to manage the transition and the future of the business.
Southern Power Products then went through a strong period of revenue growth, driven by a realignment of the company’s product portfolio and a greater focus on the commercial marine segment.
This resultant growth was enabled by, for example, securing the Webasto HVAC and heating product portfolio when Webasto Germany withdrew from South Africa. The growth was also enabled by replacing Dometic who had set up a parallel distribution channel suppling a cheaper range of air conditioning systems. Doen WaterJets was also brought onboard to support the Nautic Africa shipyard business. These changes positively impacted the general profitability of the business and enabled it to thrive into the future.
The company has a strong market share and is in a robust revenue position. Southern Power is gearing up for the next phase of accelerated growth through securing a few new product agencies that speak to the company’s mission “Durable, high quality solutions deliver long-lasting relationships.”