Ramtsilo Trading pty ltd
What does your company do?
Ramtsilo is a 100% woman owned company by sisters Kekeletso and kedibone Tsiloane, Ramtsilo is a pioneer in the waste management industry and upcycles waste such as plastic, mine waste and foundry waste into bricks, that are strong, durable and fire retardant, tested by trusted SANS accredited labs such as Sabs and Agreement South Africa. We provide a cradle to grave waste management solution in Gauteng and the Free State. Ramtsilo integrates the informal sector into the circular waste management economy and job creation is a key driver for Ramtsilo through skills development.
What is your biggest success?
Our biggest success is when we secured the opportunity to sell to Leroy Merlin, this ensured our reach also grows and our capacity can be accommodated, we also secured funding with Sefa this helped us in our growth and increased capacity/expansion, we have had a number of accolades such as being part of Brics woman Program, Kekeletso was selected to be part of the Forbes 30 under30 Africa. Ramtsilo partners with establishments as part of their ESD and this aids us into getting recognition as the brands we work with hold high regard, so being part of it also strengthens you, while we help organizations to help reduce their carbon footprint and process the plastic into another product that wont have their Brand tainted , this journey made us more resilient and ensured we always know what we want and how we can upcycle more waste products.
What has been your biggest hurdle?
Expanding had its own costs we didn't factor, such as the construction needed to cater for the machinery, this reduced our working capital and this meant we have to tighten our belts, we have had to let go of some of our team members and this was a small team to begin with when someone leaves they have a ripple effect on production and this takes time to teach and adjust because its heavy big machinery. We also couldn't afford some of our consumables, so we had to improvise as we go, but this interfered with our production output as we had to stop on the day we used all the boards we had on site, and make sure we prepare them before they arrive
