Three-D Agencies, a local electrical distributor with a 40-year heritage, is embarking on an exciting new chapter following recent leadership changes. Last year, Derek Gilmore assumed the post of interim managing director, while Gabriel Pieterse joined as the new sales director. What does this mean for Three-D and its customers?
A new era for Three-D
Three-D was originally founded in 1977 and is particularly known for its cable accessories. With 68 employees across branches in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, it has established itself as a significant player in the electrical distribution sector over its four-decade history. Now, it’s setting its sights on expanding further, building on a solid foundation while prioritising customer service.
In 2013, Three-D was acquired by Hudaco Trading (PTY) Ltd. Since then, Three-D has operated at the same premises as Hudaco’s other companies, Varispeed and Powermite, sharing common warehousing and back-office resources while maintaining their distinct corporate cultures and identities.
After the acquisition, Three-D’s founder continued with the business for 12 years, demonstrating the group's commitment to preserving the entrepreneurial spirit of its acquired companies. When he retired in October 2024, Derek Gilmore, managing director of sister company Varispeed, was the logical choice to steer the ship, given the close operational ties between the companies.
The leadership transition continued with the appointment of Gabriel Pieterse as sales director in November 2024. Pieterse brings over three decades of electrical industry experience from companies such as CBI-Electric, ABB, Schneider Electric, and EM.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to help build the company to new heights,” Pieterse says. “We have a chance to do really great things here.”
Staying true to its values
Despite being part of such a large, international corporate group, Three-D has maintained its distinctive family-oriented culture and hopes to grow while remaining true to its core values. "We're large enough to make a difference but small enough to add a personal touch," Gilmore explains.
This approach has fostered remarkable employee loyalty, with many sales staff serving the company for over 20 years. As such, while there may have been a change in management, the company has maintained the knowledge and expertise it’s built over the years, ensuring that customers are in good hands.
Back to basics
Customer service lies at the heart of Three-D's business philosophy, with the new leadership team making it their primary focus for 2025. "Our whole team is passionate about customer service," says Pieterse. "We’re always looking at how we can serve customers better.”
This service-oriented approach is deeply embedded in the company's culture, fostered by a family-like atmosphere that sets Three-D apart from its more corporate competitors. The company plans to enhance its service offering through several initiatives, including conducting its first comprehensive customer survey to gather feedback about service levels.
They also plan to implement more training sessions this year – both internally and externally with additional training sessions at customers’ premises, aiming to build stronger relationships while increasing product familiarity and confidence.
A growing product offering
Three-D takes a dynamic approach to its product portfolio management. While the company maintains a core focus on cable accessories, complemented by products such as trunking and lux cable accessories, it constantly evaluates its product range to ensure the customer is getting the best selection.
"There's continual evolution of the product," explains Gilmore. "When products become slow-moving or obsolete, we work to phase them out and find complementary products that are either equivalent or better in brand quality and cost-effectiveness. We always try to optimize our basket of products according to our customers' needs."
Uni-T measuring instruments and accessories were added to Three-D’s portfolio in 2004 and have grown significantly. Uni-T has gained market recognition through its three-year unconditional warranty on meters and local repair capabilities, competing with the likes of Fluke in the local market.
Another big plus is that Three-D maintains a large stock holding at all its premises, ensuring depth and breadth in its product range to serve customers efficiently.
In 2025, the plan is to continue selecting only the best products for its distributors.
A bright future ahead
Looking toward future growth, Three-D aims to not only expand its product range but also its geographical presence – particularly in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regions. The company remains committed to its distribution channel model, working through distributors rather than selling directly to end users, even as it expands.
As Three-D welcomes 2025, its vision is clear: expand geographically, enhance its product range, but never lose the personal touch that built its reputation.
“We're building on forty years of excellence,” concludes Pieterse. “The best is yet to come.'"
