Celebrating 20 years of success

"NEVER judge a book by its cover," said Donald Garland, owner of MB Bearings, reflecting on how far the company has come while looking at the framed photograph of his very first building, placed as you enter the offices. Garland expressed that, irrespective of the challenges brought forth by Covid-19, the company maintains a multi-million rand warehouse. For the past 20 years, MB Bearings has specialised in bearing oil seals and transmission in both the automotive and agricultural sectors.

Twenty years ago, after Garland was retrenched by his previous employer, he saw an opportunity to open a business with a partner in Mtubatuba. The company targeted the automotive and agriculture industries within the Zululand region, while at the same time servicing some large influential businesses in Hammanskraal, Pretoria and Queenstown, to name but a few. This helped put the company's name on the map, said Garland.

In 2003, MB Bearings started gathering market share from the industrial market in Richards Bay. In late 2004, Garland's business partner bought property in Alton and as soon as the new building was completed, signs were erected, with the aim of commencing trade from Richards Bay. They closed down the Mtubatuba business, but still serviced clients from the area – a loyalty highly valued by Garland who has established a special relationship with his customers over the years.

The company grew from strength to strength and 15 years later, Garland bought out his partner and took over the business in its entirety. "We are not arrogant people; we say it as it is," he said, adding that MB Bearings believes in running an open and honest service, which, in turn, attracts a high calibre of people. The company runs a 24-hour service. "A minor percentage of our call-outs are for big companies and the majority is for small clients," said Garland.

He shared a moving story about the relationship he has with staff members who have been with the company for 20 years. Keith Moodley, the sales & admin manager, is Garland's right-hand man in all aspects of running the business. Tulasizwe Mlambo, who carries out warehouse controlling, started working for the company as a gardener and is now in charge of running its multi-million rand warehouse.

In 2017, Garland was declared officially blind by ophthalmologists and specialists. "The journey has not been an easy one," he said. Garland acknowledged this by thanking his team for carrying him through this diagnosis. He mentioned that his employees are an exceptional example of what the company stands for and its philosophy is that, "A business succeeds not because it is big or because it has been long established, but because there are people in it who live it, sleep it, dream it and build great future plans for it." Garland said that with his impaired vision, there are things he cannot do, which has added an extra workload on his team but, with smiling faces they continue to work.

It is said that behind every strong man is a strong woman. Garland spoke about his wife Bettina, a maths teacher and acting deputy principal, who, irrespective of her busy work schedule, ensures she is there for her husband however long it takes, to drive him home. Garland, a resilient and intelligent entrepreneur, has implemented a few innovative solutions to be able to work in spite of his impaired vision. He has a 60-inch HD television screen at his office which is connected to his computer. This uses a magnification programme which enlarges his vision up to 700 times.

In celebration of 20 years in industry, Garland had this to say:

"My eternal thanks goes out to our team members, all of our friends and clients, and our Creator for allowing us and giving us wisdom to do it."

MB Bearings is a proud supporter of the ‘fish and chips babies’ campaign which collects knitted jerseys (or jumpers) for newborn babies in impoverished areas.‘Fish and chips babies’ are said to be sent home from hospital wrapped in newspaper, like fish and chips, hence the name.This is a concern, especially in winter, as babies not only need to be protected from the cold elements, but also need to be clothed with dignity.The Fish & Chip Baby Jumper initiative provides jumpers to keep these babies warm.Avid knitters are invited to knit baby jumpers, using the easy pattern below.Jumpers may be dropped off at MB Bearings, 3 McGra Park, Brass Link, Richards Bay, or at the Zululand Observer, 3 Baines Road, Fairview, Empangeni.

Using double knitting wool and No. 4mm needlesCast on 44 stitchesWork 18 rows in K2, P2 ribWork 30 rows stocking stitch (1 row plain, 1 row purl)Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows and at the same time change to K2, P2 (for sleeve)Rib 22 more rowsNext row: Rib 21, cast off 26 stitches, rib 21Next row: Rib 21, cast on 26 stitches, rib 21Work 22 rows in K2, P2 ribCast off 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rowsWork 30 rows stocking stitchWork 18 rows, K2, P2 ribCast offSew up side seams.