Rand-Air remains sustainable and ahead of the curve with ‘positively disruptive’ business ethos

“However on a day-to-day, practical level, it does mean disrupting conventional ‘9-to-5’ attitudes; for example, delivering service excellence to our customers often means working unconventional hours and going to exceptional lengths,” Coetzee continues, adding that by the same token – and sometimes even in quite small ways – if one is not an agent of change, there is a real risk of very quickly falling behind and becoming stagnant and outdated. Furthermore, to make any level or degree of advancement work within a company requires highly functional communication between all levels of staff: everyone must be aligned and support new initiatives, even though these may, in the short-term, mean taking the more difficult route ‘less travelled’. Coetzee explains that the first step is the determination to make hard changes in the company environment. “Development does not mean discarding everything that has gone before; but it does mean looking critically at all areas of the business. There are some areas that will be doing extremely well and others that may be lagging. It is in these latter areas where positive disruption is likely to be highly beneficial,” she adds. Furthermore, in a move contrary to the severe cost-cutting of recent years in the corporate world – which has often seen people development suffering as a result – Rand-Air invests substantially and consistently in superior staff training. By doing this, the people working for the company remain fully motivated and engaged – which is ultimately not only to their benefit, but that of the business. Erasmus emphasises that international companies such as Uber and Airbnb are certainly the classic industry disruptors, which brought about completely new approaches and sweeping change to their industries. However, he adds that the cumulative effect of small enhancements effected continuously over time, have contributed substantially to the company’s overall success. “We have seen that many consistent, small changes or refinements really add up – to something maybe not as dramatic – but equally profound,” he adds. “In addition, in Rand-Air, what we have encouraged is a culture where employees are able to question the status quo without the fear of negative repercussions. Within this environment, innovation, creativity and individual thinking is highly respected and valued; although any proposed changes must be based on a sound business case,” he emphasises.

“We conduct our rental business with a level of excellence that allows our customers the absolute peace of mind to concentrate solely on their core businesses,” asserts Coetzee. “At Rand-Air, in 45 years of operation, we have always realised the importance of continuous improvement, as it has invariably allowed us to serve our customers more effectively. When they compare us to others in our field, we want to be known as the leading provider of mobile air and power, in which our customers can place their absolute trust,” asserts Erasmus. “It is from this well-spring of trust that our service excellence, customer relationships – and the innovation and courage to make positively disruptive changes when required – have flowed – all of which have sustained our company,” he concludes. In the past, in general, rental equipment had a second-rate reputation. Rand-Air realised many years ago that it also had to adjust this pattern and negative stereotypical perception. Today, if one hires a compressor or generator from the Jet Park-based company, the equipment features both the appearance and performance of being newly-purchased. By very effectively changing or disrupting traditionally negative perceptions, the distinctive ‘Rand-Air experience’ presents customers with a positive route to conserving capital and limiting the number of depreciating assets on their books.