MG AUTO PAINT; SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS
In the cut-throat world of automotive refinish paint sales you need to be a special type of individual to survive in the aftermarket collision supply chain. Mikale Gungaram fits the bill really well. He and his extended family have been working hard supplying body shop and DIY outlets since the 1990s.
Mikale established his skills working alongside his grandparents who looked after him during his early childhood.
They inducted him into the shop activities after school and during school holidays where his interaction with customers was formed. His first business was in Soweto – “the most informal of settlements,” he jokes.
He packed up his pilot’s licence qualifications and embarked on an upstart business all on his own. After around four years of hard work in this baptism of fire, so to speak, he reached his first favourable outcome, selling his chosen brands of refinish which was Premier Paints back in the day.
Mikale says he hit the ceiling in terms of business in Soweto and then looked to another operation that was unfolding in the early 2000s. He left Pimville and set up a new company in Alrode South with hopes of a brighter future in the business. With his father Raj and his wife Kay being his solid support system and joining the business, this close-knit team, set about expanding into a number of key new markets in industrial paint – as well as truck and trailer makers. The result has been excellent.
“Luxor Paints have been a constant help in my business venture,” says Mikale. He has pursued a solid policy of staying with companies that have helped MG Auto Paint expand further.
“One of the sad facts in today’s local market,” remarks Mikale, “is that there are very few young entrepreneurs entering this business market. It appears to be dominated by a few larger distribution players, and the business dynamics are changing.
MG Auto Paint mix 30 special colours every day and operate a small fleet of delivery vehicles that service the south of Johannesburg area with great success.
They are well set to continue to carve out increased market penetration with the MG Auto Paint shop, set in Alrode. With an ear to what their customers want and a good grasp on quality value brands, along with solid business values, the team look set for even more positive results in the future.
