Bay firm bathed in glow of global success

NELSON Mandela Bay company Mend-A-Bath, which was started with two R10 notes on the back of an old bakkie about three decades ago, is now reaping global success, with a franchise network covering more than 30 countries.

Mend-A-Bath‘s core business is the manufacturing and exporting of a unique paint-like product which is used internationally, mostly by hotels, for resurfacing bath tubs and other sanitary ware.

Managing director Dave Collins said: “Mend-A-Bath can save hotels the trauma, mess and cost of replacing baths, which entails replumbing, repainting and the loss of several nights of occupancy. A hotel bathtub has to be out of use for two to five days to be resurfaced or replaced.”

He said the decision to target hotels was informed by the industry‘s biggest sanitaryware problems including staining, the use of abrasive cleaners, acid washes, chipping, mildew from inadequate ventilation and uninformed staff, matching tile colouring, ugly silicone finishes and repainting.

However, over and above hotels the company also services households, hospitals, university residences, guest houses, mass housing schemes and government institutions.

The company was founded by the Late Ivor Benn, whom Collins said realised that if he could develop a process that would not put a bathtub out of commission for more than one night, he could save hotels fortunes in lost occupancy.

After flirting with the idea of such a product, in 1979 Benn approached a retired German chemist specialising in the paint and plastic industry, and asked if him if such a product was possible.

“It was difficult, as whatever product he came up with had to be suitable for all types of sanitary ware fittings including cast-iron, pressed steel, fibreglass and plastic porcelain. It also had to be highly stain- and chemical-resistant, and durable enough to have a two-year guarantee,” said Collins, adding that after 12 months the specialist delivered on his promise.

“It‘s a specific and unique product – you can‘t buy it at your local hardware shop. It‘s specifically made to handle stressful bathroom conditions, soaps, scratches, cigarette burns and other chemicals,” he said.

After patenting the product, Benn established local franchises and was content with his business.

But a simple advertisement he placed in the publication Hotelier & Caterer set the export ball rolling.

“The response was so massive that we had no choice but to go international. Benn decided that franchising would be the best way to go about it.

“Mend-A-Bath started expanding abroad in 1983 with franchises in Great Britain and Spain, and we became South Africa‘s first member of the International Franchise Association,” Collins said, recalling that setting up overseas franchises was all trial and error as there were no franchise laws back then.

But what really sets Mend-A-Bath apart from other franchises, said Collins, is that other than selling the franchise rights and start-up cost, inclusive of intensive franchisee training at its head office in Port Elizabeth, the company charges no monthly royalty fees or any advertising fees.

“We keep it simple and therefore there is a lot of trust between us and the franchisees. This is where our success comes from. Overheads for running our franchise are very low, which is critical for the businessman who is just starting up.

“Other franchises have huge operating costs, and the franchisees get fleeced by the franchiser.”

Through innovation and forward thinking, the company has now created a product that offers a 5-year guarantee. Operating a franchise is not easy and the many franchises which have failed attest to this, but Collins said a business built on quality and sound business principles and ethics would always stand.

“I think the fact that we are resurfacers first and franchisers second is the reason we have succeeded where so many other franchise groups have failed in the services industry,” he said.

Business