Where it all started
Michael Rogers grew up in Durban and, after finishing school and having no clear idea of what to do in the next phase of his life, took a job with his two older brothers’ company, the local distributor for Uniross batteries. This was to be the start of a long and fruitful relationship with Uniross and the battery industry in general.
Michael Rogers says, “After cutting my teeth in my brothers’ company, I got the opportunity to move to the Western Cape when my brothers purchased the Uniross Cape distributor. A few years later I was given 10% shares in the company, and so began my journey into entrepreneurship at a very young age!”
Changing guard
Uniross Batteries was sold to a French company in 2003 and as part of the acquisition, Rogers and his two brothers were thrust into the world of international corporate business. A few years after this acquisition, he took the opportunity on offer to move to head office, which was located in Pretoria.
In 2009 the entire group was sold to Eveready Industries in India. This transition, however, was short-lived and in 2013, as the general manager of Uniross South Africa, he was given the opportunity to buy the South African entity from the group. Alone, he took the plunge and once again found himself back in the world of business ownership.
Rogers adds, “I have been running Uniross South Africa ever since and have been extremely fortunate to have worked with some amazing people, many of whom are still with us after nearly as many years as myself. ‘Loyal or crazy’ could be debated, but I can certainly say that I’m extremely honoured to have had them by my side.”
A baptism of fire
The single most challenging moment in his career took place in 2016 when the entire business was lost to a fire. Rogers had just arrived home from the office on that fateful evening when a call was received with information that the building was on fire, a battery facility’s worst nightmare. After racing back to the office, he could hear explosions of batteries and saw thick smoke billowing into the sky as he approached.
Expecting to see hordes of firefighters attending to the fire, he was shocked to see that the only person in attendance was a lone armed response officer who had been alerted to the alarm activation from within the building. After phoning the Fire Department and being told that a fire truck was not presently available, he had to wait another hour before help arrived. By this stage nothing could be done other than to contain the fire which raged for the next five hours.
The following morning, the feeling of dejection was cast aside and the tough decision to get back out to the office and start rebuilding was made. Rogers remembers, “That morning, together with my amazing team and the wonderful support from our customers, we established a makeshift office in a neighbouring office and set up our ‘new warehouse’ in a 20-foot shipping container in the parking lot.”
He continued, “It was the toughest challenge I have ever faced in my business life, but it taught me a couple of valuable lessons that have stood me in good stead, the most important of which was the value of relationships. Our customers could have moved their business, but they stuck with us and I’m incredibly proud and honoured to say we’re still doing business with them to this day.”
The industry in general
Rogers remarks that currently the battery industry is seeing an exciting shift, with the rapid rollout of both electric vehicles and renewable technology. The unprecedented growth in these markets is having a positive effect on the battery industry in terms of the sheer volume of batteries required, and development into new battery technologies.
Although Rogers is excited by this new development, he also cautions that this increased demand for Lithium batteries and the raw material needed may have a negative impact on the environment.
He mentions that the battery industry has also been affected by the current worldwide shortage in semiconductors initially caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, although not as severely as the electronics companies: “These batteries are becoming more and more ‘electronic’, with the inclusion of sophisticated battery management systems. As such, the industry has been affected by the worldwide component shortage.”
He continues: “Where the battery industry is really suffering is in the rapid rise in the cost of Lithium, which has seen a 17,4% increase in recent months. This is partly due to the high demand in the EV and renewable sectors coupled with a lagging supply. However, Uniross has simply adapted, re-designed, and adjusted to work around these challenges.”
Ongoing concerns
One of the biggest challenges that Uniross faces is the lack of formal education in this sector. There is no battery-specific degree or diploma that can be studied, and therefore, Uniross had to ‘grow their own wood’ by training up staff internally. This has proved to be beneficial as staff retention over the years has been good. Rogers’ advice to youngsters interested in this field is to become educated in one of the related engineering fields before gaining valuable practical work experience.
He also believes that apprenticeships are essential, but are often overlooked in favour of an academic-only education. He states, “From an employer’s point of view, a candidate that has experience and skills means they can start contributing to my company from day one, which is a massive advantage.”
On a personal note
When not running his company, he enjoys endurance sports, including running, cycling and canoeing. He has completed six Comrades Marathons and the Berg River Canoe Marathon, and many of the cycling races around South Africa, but says he has aparticular fondness for running, as being out on the road affords him the time to solve many of the challenges that owning and running a business brings.
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