Face-to-face with CEO Orlando Luis

Recently, the Hardware Edition magazine met with BRIGHTS CEO Orlando Luis to give its readers a better understanding of how BRIGHTS Hardware was established and how it has developed over the years.

Brights was founded in 1971, and started as an electrical repair and general dealer store. Today there are 8 stores across the Western Cape, and it’s still family owned.

Below are a few questions Mr Luis answered:

Did you come from a hardware background?

My father told me everything he knew about the business from a young age. I also studied four years electrical engineering at Cape Technicon from 1988.

Are you opening new stores?

We just opened number eight now, and constructed a 6000 square metre distribution centre three months ago, so we will consolidate first this year, and will consider more options in the Southern suburbs in the future.

What has been your biggest challenges?

Being a family business, finance for expansion is limited and must be carefully managed. Also, human resource development training for 800 people takes time, especially in the technical industry with a product range of over 50 000, and lots of new technology. It is forever evolving and we have to find solutions early to be competitive.

To read the full article and Orlando Luis’ full interview, and to see what’s new in the world of hardware, click here.