Having provided pristine parts and services to heavy industry players for more than half a century, Haladjian Group continues to make strides across Africa and beyond.
EXEMPLIFYING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
West Africa is unquestionably a region on the up.
According to the African Development Bank’s most recent West African Economic Outlook, it is expected to witness GDP growth of 3.9 percent for 2019, with businesses increasingly capitalising on the expansive development potential that is spanning a multitude of industries.
Heavy industry in particular is thriving, owed to the continent’s vast resource base that is providing the ideal platform for rapid growth.
One such company that has identified this opportunity is Haladjian Group, an independent multi-specialist, multi-market family-managed group.
Operating out of France, Spain and West Africa, Haladjian Group has sought to maximise its capacity and market potential by providing world-renowned products and esteemed services to major players across a multitude of fast-growing sectors, from mining and construction to quarries and energy production.
Motivated by its overriding goals of being a reference-setting group, a privileged long-term partner of its clientele, and a player contributing to sustained and responsible growth, Haladjian Group’s success is owed to its key differentiator.
“As an independent company, we are committed to giving our customers the most suitable solutions for their applications, a customised service, and dedicated stock stored close to their operation sites,” explains Managing Director Pierre Haladjian, Grandson of the Haldjian Group’s Founder. “We want to provide a tailor-made service on a case-by-case basis that is dedicated to our customers’ unique and individual demands.”
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Haladjian has ensured that this core service-centric philosophy has been maintained and emphasised as it has been in the 55 years since the company’s inception.
ACCENTUATING QUALITY
Adhering to this ethos throughout the past half-century, Haladjian Group has continued to go from strength to strength.
Starting out as a business encompassed by the provision of optimised mobile equipment parts and services, the organisation has continuously grown and consolidated its operations, now serving its customers through three individual business units – Haladjian Mobile Equipment, Haladjian Minerals Solutions and Haleco.
Each having become established as a product development specialist division for specific application-centred solutions, the entire group now has a global value proposition portfolio that spans entire production cycles, providing parts from reputable brands such as Komatsu, Caterpillar and Volvo.
“Alongside the products we provide, we’re also able to undertake emergency diagnosis, repairs and service agreements with our specialised technicians, proactive inspections and planned maintenance schedules,” adds Haladjian. “In the mining industry, for example, we propose technical audits, performance follow-ups and productivity gain analyses.
“Having excelled over the years we are now in a position where we have the opportunity to serve our clientele with a true experience, largely by leveraging our direct access to genuine technical expertise and guaranteed original constructor parts.”
INNOVATIVE INVESTMENT
Established as an effectively differentiated business with an unrivalled customer-orientated approach, Haladjian Group has equally implemented an extensive investment strategy in the aim of gaining a competitive edge.
This has taken a number of forms, including the deployment of an €8 million sophisticated IT system in recent years that has allowed the firm to since make tailored action plans for individual customers.
“With Oracle enterprise resource planning, an in-house customer relationship management solution, business intelligence capabilities and a product information database, this system has been crucial in helping us to minimise acquisition costs,” explains Haladjian.
Technology has been a key focal point of investment for the company in recent times, further evident in the introduction of an augmented reality-based training platform.
Leveraging Microsoft’s HoloLens, Haladjian’s in-house technicians are able to transparently and seamlessly guide on-site technicians through repair processes from remote locations.
“What we’ve witnessed from this is that it enables the field technician to be completely hands free without the need for paper-based handbooks,” explains the MD. “It reduces downtime and repair costs as easy-to-follow real-time guides are made available.
“The lack of connectivity infrastructure in Africa can be a major hurdle on this front, but as the market continues to evolve, we make sure that we remain at the forefront of industry trends and capitalise on the broad benefits of technology.”
PROACTIVE PROGRESSION
Where connectivity remains a barrier, Haladjian Group works to continues to expand its physical presence across the continent.
“An important goal for us for 2019 is to improve our turnaround time and efficiency for customers, providing them with both the parts and services they need, exactly when they need them,” Haladjian reveals. “To this end, we’re looking to broaden our African footprint so that these things can be tackled through the medium of regional trade.”
Having already established a warehouse in Moussala, Mali, Haladjian Group launched its Burkina Faso subsidiary in January 2019 in the aim of better serving both Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. Equally, following on from this, the organisation is planning to launch a similar facility in Senegal, a location that it is hoping to use to service Guinea, Mali and Senegal itself.
Further, alongside its ambitions for a continued expansion plan, the company has also looked to optimise its supply chain activities in initiatives such as its Partinium Programme.
Standing as part of Haladjian Mobile Equipment, the Partinium Programme specifically carries OEM parts only, often from reputable brands such as Perkins and NTN, ensuring that equipment is kept as close as possible to its original state.
Haladjian adds: “Our product specialists guarantee that these parts are made by the OEM to fit any client’s specifications and are validated by an internal technical committee to fit the programme’s specifications.
Running in tandem with the Partinium Programme, Haladjian equally operates an advanced supply chain programme for its mining customers that serves a similar purpose, providing planification and inventory management, cross trade shipment, reverse logistics and consignment stock.
These things combined, Haladjian’s concerted efforts to further improve turnaround and delivery times are paying dividends, allowing the business to continue to cater to the demands of its customers, achieving improved performance and effective cost efficiencies.
MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE
Asked about the firm’s goals moving forward, Haladjian reiterates: “Our key priority is the settlement of bonded inventories and expansion of advanced supply chain services.”
Introducing a number of new major distribution centres for the region, such as the newly launched Burkina Faso facility, Haladjian Group will continue to bolster its presence in order to better deliver its already esteemed services.
“Meanwhile we want to develop service and be ready to offer all our customers emergency services and on-site maintenance,” Haladjian adds, aspirations that both the firm’s emphasis on new technologies and expanded presence will simultaneously help to enable.
Both amplifying the range and volume of its parts and services and its team of technical and maintenance experts, the Managing Director is hoping that 2019 will be a hallmark year for the company as it continues to gather momentum as an industry spearhead.
He concludes: “We have always been committed to try to provide the best service and best solutions. This is what has defined us and will continue to do so over what should be challenging yet exciting years to come.
“Ultimately, enhancing operational efficiency, reducing risks and increasing profitability is what we’re all about.”
