Rogers Group has acquired Rongai Workshop & Transport Limited through its subsidiary, Velogic Logistics.
The company was founded in 1947 by Gordon Eccles, the father of Vanessa Evans who until the acquisition served as the managing director.
In this article, WoK highlights the company’s acquisition, the founding owners and the new ownership.
Background
As of 2013, Rongai Workshop & Transport Limited had a fleet size of over 100 prime movers with 117 skeletal 20’/40’ skeletal trailers.
The trailers has load capacities of up to 30 tons.
With over 230 direct employees and boasting over Ksh 900 million annual turnover, the company also has 5 low loaders with the longest being 11.7 metres.
The company is headquartered in Rongai, Nakuru County with depos in different parts of the country including Syokimau, Mombasa and Nairobi.
Rongai Workshop is AEO and HSSE certified, and it has invested in logistics systems and processes, training, maintenance and deployment of company assets and resources.
The company moves at least 12,000 tonnes of cargo per month across different destinations in Kenya and Uganda.
In 2012, a survey by Business Daily ranked Rongai Workshop and Transport Limited among the top 100 mid-sized companies in Kenya.
“The experience was humbling and timely. It moulded the credibility of Rongai company more effectively and gave us strong affirmation on the services we offer,” then-Finance and marketing director Ritul Bahal told the publication.
The company has won numerous awards including Best Commercial Vehicle Operator, Best Tax Payer Operator in the Rift Valley Province, Comprehensive Workplace Health Programmes and the Road Safety Awards.
Founders and new ownership
The logistics company was established by Gordon Eccles in 1947.
The company was initially an agricultural workshop supplying and servicing machinery and building trailers for farmers in Rongai.
Eccles also ventured into transportation of milk and farm produce before he went into refurbishing old Leyland vehicles to transport sisal from Rongai to Mombasa.
“My father was an honest man who was keen on business ethics and whose legacy has made the company remain relevant in the market today. He paid attention to customer needs,” Vanessa told Business Daily during an interview in 2013.
Vanessa took over the company after her father’s death in 2010. The company was fully family-owned with Mrs Eccles being the largest shareholder while Vanessa and her three sisters held equal shares in the company.
A report on Business Daily showed that Rogers Group has acquired Rongai Workshop in a regional expansion strategy.
Rogers Group acquired the company through one of its subsidiaries, Velogic Logistics, although the value of the transaction is yet to be revealed.
“This acquisition will allow Velogic, a subsidiary of Rogers, to strengthen its presence on the African continent, while benefiting from the growth prospects of this buoyant market,” the company said in a statement.
Velogic logistics is the Indian ocean leader in logistics solutions with over 40 years international supply chain experience.
The company maintains 24 offices in 7 different countries coupled with an extensive network of trusted agents worldwide.