Timber iQ December 2018 - January 2019 // Issue: 41 | Page 50

REGULARS - IN PROFILE
Sam says ...
Candace Sofianos King caught up with Sam Wiese, managing director
of Wiese Woodworking Machinery, to learn what it takes to remain
relevant in the timber industry for decades.
Q TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?
A Wiese Woodworking Machinery (WWMC) supplies a
wide variety of woodworking machinery. The company has
enjoyed good sales in both foreign and local markets.
WWMC has won a good reputation for top quality,
competitive prices and quick delivery, followed by
reliable service.
Q PLEASE SHARE MORE ABOUT YOUR
CURRENT POSITION?
A My responsibilities as MD for WWMC are maintaining
Q YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT
TIMBER SECTOR?
A In my opinion the industry needs to focus more on how
they structure their mills with regards to what machinery
is being used for specific applications, and more
importantly, how they are placed in accordance to efficient
workflow. Bottom line is people need more advice and
consultancy before proper planning of factory layouts in
order to avoid massive loss of income – also it’s very easy
to make the wrong decisions before buying machinery.
People tend to look at the price of a machine before the
quality and get a fright before doing the math to calculate
how quickly the machine will amortise itself and remain
reliable for years. Sadly instead people will buy cheap and
experience problems and shut downs in the future and
subsequently end up facing massive financial loss.
Q WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
A My late father Rob Wiese started WWMC in 1995 and
owned and ran a joinery for five years before that. Over
the years I learned a great deal from him regarding the
industry and machinery. I formally started working for
WWMC 15 years ago, focusing on advertising and
marketing. I studied multimedia design and production for
two years and photography for another year in Cape Town
which ended up being an asset to WWMC. I then
progressed into handling installations while my father
dealt with the sales and consulting side of the business,
and gradually worked my way up into handling sales,
consulting, marketing and advertising.
48 DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 2019 //
cash flow through sales of machinery into the industry and
also advertising and marketing of our products – this
includes keeping my customers happy by rather selling
them a solution in accordance to their needs and not just
handing over a machine and the keys and then ‘goodbye’.
Sam Wiese, Wiese Woodworking Machinery MD.
Q WHY THE TIMBER INDUSTRY?
A What attracted me to this industry was the diversity and
endless opportunities involved – also woodworking
machinery is such a vast and interesting topic with amazing
technology that grows and gets better every day. I enjoy
what I do and my favourite part of the job is seeing the
satisfaction of my customers after a solution to their
problems has been provided.
Q WHAT DO YOU STRIVE TO ACHIEVE?
A I hope to achieve and maintain an excellent brand
recognition for WWMC by answering to customers’ needs
with excellent quality machinery at the best prices and
service possible.
SAM’S TOP FIVE BUSINESS MANTRAS:
• To supply top quality reliable woodworking machinery
at affordable prices.
• To meet client needs.
• To provide excellent service.
• To be intimately familiar with each machine.
• While most problems can be resolved remotely, we
also retain a number of reliable and experienced
specialists in each field.
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