Pat and Son is a welding and fabrication business based in Postmasburg. The SMME first entered Lesedi’s EnD programme in 2018 when the business received equipment support. At the time, the business operated from the owner’s home and the staff compliment consisted of the owner and his son, with casual labour appointed as and when required.
Subsequently, the owner acquired a piece of land from the local municipality to accommodate his business given his capability to service the medium-to-heavy industries.
Lesedi funded the fencing of the property, 2 prefabricated containers to be used as office space and storage and a portal structure. Lesedi further assisted the SMME by installing security cameras around the business area to help secure the property.
This development enabled the business to grow and increase capacity. It also enabled the business to take advantage of the changing landscape in Postmasburg, given the rise in mining in the area. The support gave the business the edge to compete with other welding and fabrication companies and, source bigger contracts specifically from the local mines. The increase mining activity also presented the business with an opportunity to repair heavy industrial trucks, given the specialized welding capability residing within Pat & Son.
The growth of the business has allowed Pat & Son to employ 12 local residents, taking the total number of employees at the company to 14 including Pat and his son.Pat & Son also have over 10 regular customers in addition to servicing the general public.
The owner of the Business, Mr. Patrick Schalk is very grateful to Lesedi. He believes that the support received enabled him to realize his dream of creating a business that he can one day bestow upon his family. He believes that Lesedi has helped him to create a sustainable business that will continue to grow.