ORIGIN The company has been established in January 1999 by the merger of two large motor spares suppliers i.e. ERAA Motors CC and Font International Traders CC t/a Replacement Parts. ERAA Motors has five retail stores in Soweto, all of which have a direct network link to head office in Selby. All retail stores are Midas franchisees: Moroko Midas - Dlamini Autoparts Midas - Orlando East Dobsonville Midas - Dobsonville Ace Midas - Midway Protea Midas - Protea A sixth store was acquired three years ago in Small Street (now Eloff Street), Johannesburg, Eros Auto Dealers trading as Hyper Midas. Replacement Parts is a wholesale operation ranked among the top ten parts supplier both regionally and Nationally. They are currently exporting to Sub Saharan countries, such as: Botswana Malawi Mozambique Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe The founding firm has been active in Soweto since 1988. It was a time when trading was difficult. The nation, especially the people of Soweto, was fighting for a just and democratic country. The business formed part of the struggle and was accepted by the community as a crucial service provider. This legacy remains. REPLACEMENT PARTS STAFF The group currently employs approximately 110 permanent staff, most of whom are residents of the area where the business operates. Replacement Parts do not only service the community but also employs the community. There is therefore a sense of ownership among the people. On 1 May 1999, Theo Slater was appointed of Replacement Parts. Mr Slater, a respected commercial banker, was head hunted by the Company to lead the organisation into the new millennium. Key qualifications: Theo Slater has a MBA from Wales and also holds a qualification as a company secretary. REPLACEMENT PARTS SHAREHOLDING Arthur Stanley - 100% ASSOCIATED COMPANIES Autoparts & Accessories (Pty) Ltd - property owning company Stand 113 & 114 Midway CC - property owning company Morofung Investments (Pty) Ltd - Property owning company Uni-Sil CC - Packaging and distributors of industrial and construction silicone sealants. Eros Auto Dealers (Pty) Ltd - Eloff Street operation BUSINESS PARTNERS Replacement Parts entered in business agreements or collaborate with others. Some of the firms with whom they work includes the following: Tecfinity - IT Support Datapro - Risk recovery & Domain host Midas (Pty) Ltd - Franchisor National Automobile Parts Association (NAPA) - Co-operative buying & marketing organization Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) - Industry watchdog Nedcor Bank Ltd - Bankers MFW Insurance Brokers (Pty) Ltd - Short-term insurance brokers INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Information technology is a vital and integrated part of Replacement Parts business, including management and financial systems. The company has a policy to align themselves with leaders in information technology to enable them to use IT as a tool to support and promote the position of the group as the preferred choice. At a global level e-mail and internet access is used to effect an interface with all suppliers and customers. Telecommunication systems such as Diginet and ISDN are used for the transfer of data between offices, customers and branches. These initiatives allow for improved service and information delivery to all stakeholders and clients. Local area networks are in place in all branches/offices. These are used primarily to facilitate electronic mail, date exchange and orders.