Servcor, famous for its professionalism and high service quality in Zimbabwe, is set to expand its premier food and management services business to Mozambique and Botswana and intends to grow turnover by $5 million year on year as from 2015.
To ensure quality throughout the business, Servcor suppliers are vetted using laid-down evaluation procedures while supplier premises are subject to audits before contracting.
As the largest provider of catering services in the industry, Servcor has also adopted and implemented a quality management system that manages the quality of their processes and produces business benefits thereby creating a competitive advantage over its competitors.
Christine Robinson, Sales and Marketing Director at Servcor, said: “Servcor (Pvt) Limited underwent an extensive restructuring exercise in 2001, resulting in the creation of five customer-focused Trading Divisions, all operating under the holding company of Servcor Limited. Each of the Trading Divisions now focuses individually on what has been our core business for 38 years, which constitutes the Professional Catering Solutions we have always proudly provided.”
“We believe the creation of greater individual management of the divisions under Servcor, offers not only a major stride forward in our endeavours to identify and meet the ever changing needs and wants of today’s discerning customer, but also provides a cornucopia of professional, cost-effective catering solutions never before experienced in Zimbabwe. We take great pride in what we do – which enables us to do it more effectively for our customers.”
Trading Divisions are Servcor Catering Services, Happy Eater Catering, The Executive Chef, Servcor Manufacturing and Servcor Distribution. The company offers a diverse range of services including schools and institutionalised catering, traditional weddings and even water dispensers and coffee machines.
Servcor has over the years developed a strong partnership with Nestle under their Nestle Professional brand to provide customers with a beverage solution through the Alegria coffee machines as well as access to the whole Nestle product range. The Alegria coffee machines have been placed mainly in offices and in hospitality institutions such as hotels and restaurants.
Operations
Management have ensured customer focus has been taken to higher levels than its competitors. In line with the company’s “extra mile” promise to be totally customer focused, this has been achieved through understanding and striving to exceed customer expectations. It has stepped up its efforts to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction by improving on quality of products and services. The move will therefore result in lessened shrinkage in product quality whilst wastage, returns and reworks are minimised.
The Company anticipates an increase in market share obtained through flexible and fast responses to market opportunities as well as increased effectiveness in the use of the organisations resources to enhance customer satisfaction.
To ensure standards are maintained, Servcor has in place trained Quality Management System auditors, who regularly carry out audits to check, monitor and assess compliance. Where a non-compliance is picked up, awareness training is carried out onsite to ensure that conformity and quality standards are maintained.
It is mandatory for the Corporate Training and Quality Assurance Department to maintain, implement and coordinate the Company’s Quality Management System for continual improvement of the system whilst it is the mandate of each Process, to train, impart knowledge and develop employee skills to provide quality products and service to their customers.
This department also creates a safe and hygienic environment, to enable delivery of safe products and services to their customers.
Servcor has a very sound and efficient distribution system with its own fleet of vehicles that are serviced every 5000 kilometres and is constantly being upgraded. This fleet consists of 15 delivery trucks with five of them seven tonne refrigerated and two of them 10 tonne capacity refrigerated.
The head office comprises of a warehouse size of 8000 square metres and butchery which holds stock and processes various cuts of meat which can be frozen. At least one months’ stock is kept in the warehouse to cover all units.
This customer confidence has made Servcor first choice in outside catering and functions, hosting the most prominent political, business and social gatherings throughout the country. Through continual pursuance of a shared vision of quality and excellence, they have therefore been able to create a strong and irrefutable brand name in the industry.
Servcor’s quality efforts have helped them be the first choice in partnerships and dealerships with preferential brands. The company is the sole dealer in Zimbabwe for Vulcan Catering Equipment, South Africa’s most preferred manufacturer, exporter and distributor of industrial and commercial food service equipment. Our main customers include the Cresta Group of Hotels, Meikles Hotel, African Sun Group, Econet Telecommunications, Old Mutual Group and National Foods, Zimbabwe Platinum Mine (Zimplats), Unki Mine, Todal Mine, Girls’ College and Eaglesvale School.
The firm also entered into dealerships with BCE, the leading supplier of kitchen utensils, industrial cookware and commercial kitchen appliances as well as with Lead Laundry, the foremost supplier of laundry equipment in Southern Africa.
Progression
The company’s state of the art training kitchen and strict adherence to quality has won the company recognition from the Industrial Training and Trade Testing department in the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry as the facility of choice for trade testing.
Employees who are enrolled in training programs are trained in the following areas: Food Preparation and Presentation, Food and Beverage Service, Soups and Sauces, Larder Work and Pastry Work to name but a few.
Robinson said: “Servcor has become far more proactive rather than reactive and can see a problem before it occurs and is therefore able to rectify a problem without the customer being aware of it.”
“Quality is all about the customer, hence the company has become far more customer driven and use feedback from clients to serve the customer better. They have in place, customer service campaigns which run throughout the year, to ensure commitment of service to the customer, as well as communicate their commitment and service. Improvements in our operations will see better profitability being realised and we are able to provide a quality product at an affordable cost to the customer.”
She concluded: “To achieve a competitive advantage, Servcor would require a staff base that is skilled and committed to their work. To that, we believe that employees are the key resource for the attainment of organisational objectives. “
“So we always recognise shining stars and we say thank you for doing a great job, give merit awards for outstanding performers. We provide work that allows employees to use their minds, acquire new skills, and face situations that invite them to grow.”
With the committed workforce onside, Servcor’s vision to grow turnover by $5 million per year over the next five years could well be within reach.