Warren Gamble and Kostopoulos were determined to swim rather than sink when the international premium tools import company retrenched them and pulled out of the country. This has resulted in them coming out on the other side with flying colours. The two combined their tooling industry experience – Warren had 4 years working experience as a managing director and Chris, 3 years experience as a workshop manager. Warren and Chris were in a position that allowed them to open their own tooling import operation, adding value to their customers. At the time the industry was dominated by players who offered limited options in the South African market. Warren explains: “We wanted to provide safe, quality alternatives to clients who are looking to acquire and utilise precision cutting tools – That is how Demaro was born.
‘Having been in sales and business my entire life, I understand the financial and legal ins and outs of running a company, Chris on the other hand has great insight on technical aspects.,Our international premium tools manufacture and supplier – Thomas is a shareholder and skilled with regards to the production side of the business. As the Demaro team, we understood every facet of the market and its demands. And having worked in high pressure environments,dealing with international organisations with high standards. Chris and I knew how to deliver premium tools services and advice. From day one running Demaro the correct way was the critical factor we could offer to the South African public.’
These attributes, together with German manufacturing partners intent on producing quality tools. Having established Demaro as a prime player in a competitive industry in just a few years since its inception. Initially, the company catered for the aluminium and non-wood industries, but it has since moved into the timber sector due to high demand from the industry.
‘All Demaro tools are manufactured by our partner in Germany for the South African market. , although we do export on demand,’ says Warren. ‘We specialise in made-per-order tools, with the highest demand being for finger joints, and diamond tooling and planer blades. This includes the provision of cutting machinery, tool repairs and sharpening. We pride ourselves in providing nothing but the highest quality, cutting implements and services.These are the few principles we have buit our brand on..
Unlike its competitors, Demaro also offers a more hands on customer service which Warren considers a major factor for the company’s success. . ‘Using the wrong tools or using tools incorrectly, can have devastating or even sever impact in the industries we supply them too. In most cases people tend to blame the tools first without considering the impact of operator setup knowledge. For instance: ‘Scorers must be 0.01 wider than the main cut, the main blade needs to be set at the correct cutting height. This is critical for safe, effective operation, yet many operators don’t know how to set up their saw sets correctly.’
‘Knowledge in this speciality is difficult to acquire,’ he continues, ‘but by working hand-in-hand with sawmills (we comply and work closely with SATAS) and other industry players, we’ve been able to get the information and training required. For the sole purpose of producing exceptional tools and to offering our valued clients sound technical advice regarding maintenance and safety requirements.’
The road hasn’t been easy since establishing Demaro, says Chris, but the company has received phenomenal support from their South African customer base, which has facilitated its growth over the last two years and enabled it to get to where it is today. ‘We now employ 14 staff memebers in Johannesburg and Kwa-Zulunatal, and find ourselves meeting our goals and principles, as well as planning for the future . We would like to thank all our loyal customers for all the support they’ve shown us over the last two years – and for ultimately giving us the best ride of our lives. It’s been a rather stressful and challenging experience, but I would not trade this adventure for anything.