Gemcell Australia

Some of Australia’s most successful business enterprises flourish in South Australia. Famous for growing and producing a swag of the world’s finest wines, South Australia is home to not only Australia’s largest electrical equipment manufacturer, it’s also the state where – in electrical wholesaling – one name stands tall. Its initials are P&R.

When an electrical contractor and an importer/wholesaler decided to go into business together, nobody imagined how successful the combination would be – even their sons – who twenty years later took the reigns and today preside over one of South Australia’s most iconic electrical wholesale businesses. But that’s just how it happened. Of course it wasn’t quite as simple and as easy as that – the road to success never is. But when these two ambitious men combined their abilities and enthusiasm it soon became apparent that it was a partnership destined to succeed.

The history of P&R documents a remarkable financial feat.

The two founders brought together complementing talents to the new business. George Pappas brought with him the experience of almost twenty years in the area of electrical installation and contracting while George Rhigas’s career included a background as an international importer followed by nearly a decade of experience within a national wholesale group in Australia. They decided from the onset that the focus would be on customer service, a philosophy still maintained and one that has influenced the development of every component within the business to this day.

Not particularly remarkable (one might say) as many businesses set out to focus upon the same set of priorities. So when the doors of P&R Electrical Wholesalers where opened for the first time on the 28th of February, 1977, there was no extraordinary indication that P&R would succeed, in a business sphere in which many others had failed. But as the first business year unfolded for the two Georges it became increasingly clear that they had a reason to feel not just confident, but excited.

Most new business enterprises need to borrow startup capital in order to establish the business, and P&R Electrical Wholesalers was no exception. Most businesses must carry that debt for many years and some can never get completely out from under it. Knowing this, the two Georges rode into their second business year on a crest when it was confirmed that in its first year of trading, P&R had generated enough revenue to pay back all of its borrowings and had secured its future in the Australian electrical market.

In July 1997, after 20 truly successful years of establishment and business building, the two Georges decided that the time was right to hand over the reigns of their business to the next generation of P&R – their sons. Building on the foundation their fathers left them the boys have taken P&R from a three-store operation in Adelaide to one of the largest electrical wholesale networks in South Australia.

At P&R the ‘P&R’ stands for People – the most valuable resource within the business.

The company employs a professional team of experienced people, with the fundamental understanding that they are the most valuable resource within the business. Combined they have an extensive knowledge and understanding of the electrical industry and can provide specialised service in areas ranging from commercial lighting and industrial control through to data and communication.

Today P&R is a company with an expansive branch network that extends well beyond its humble origins. The warehousing and distribution of electrical product represents the core of P&R’s activities and with thousands of products on offer, the business has expanded into many diverse commercial areas and continues to develop its resources to best service these and future markets.

With over two decades of development and experience in IT the company has grown embracing technology and the efficiencies it brings with it. Today P&R retains its lead in this area with a platform that allows it to automate all processes within the business, from point of sale through to stock ordering, supply and administration. To further satisfy the requirements of its government customers and the commercial sector, the company has also been successfully certified as a “Quality Endorsed Company” to the standards (AS 9002).

A company dedicated to the needs of the electrical contractor.

Today’s trade customer requires more than just a friendly smile when placing an order or making an inquiry. P&R’s aim is to add value at every stage of the sales process. P&R’s showrooms and sales areas are state of the art and have been entirely designed with the contractor’s needs in mind. This sales environment encourages interaction between customers and P&R’s sales staff while at the same time showcases the huge range of products and services on offer.

All this would be of no value without good systems behind the scenes, and in this area P&R leads the way. The sales team has the confidence of being supported by the most advanced systems and logistics in the industry. Pricing and invoicing represent only a fraction of the vast information the sales team have at their fingertips. Combined with many years of experience and exceptional stock holdings it’s no wonder P&R is considered “the home of the electrical contractor”.

More recently an increasing number of customers have taken the option to trade electronically with P&R. This technology represents the future of trading and P&R aims to remain the leader in this area.

The ‘R’ in P&R stands for Resources.

P&R places enormous value upon its depth of resources. These range from its technical expertise, professional knowledge, IT support systems, warehousing and distribution capacity to its dealer network widespread throughout South Australia. However, the most valuable resource within P&R is its people and to ensure its ongoing success, P&R continues to invest heavily in the area of HR.

To ensure the continued development of staff at all levels, P&R’s HR and Operations Managers work closely together. Extensive training programs, both internally and with key suppliers, form an integral part of employment within the company. Dramatic increases in the demand for new staff led to the development of a structured cadet program in 1997. Every 6 months the P&R Cadet Program brings together a group of successful candidates from all over the state.

New cadets are required to undertake 3 months of extensive product and sales training before they are assessed and graduate to a full time position within the company. Management also actively search and secure experienced people from within the industry to complement the induction of new cadets at a junior level, and this has become particularly important as the company moves into more diverse and specialised areas of business.

P&R thanks customers for 33 successful years and Gemcell for enhanced future prospects.

The two Georges started out as extremely independent entrepreneurs. An innovative approach to the electrical industry and a steadily increasing base of loyal customers enabled their business to establish a foothold in the evergrowing electrical market place. Based on these concepts, P&R has enjoyed great success and continues to grow.

Joining Gemcell has further enhanced the future prospects of the business. Beyond the obvious networking opportunities, Gemcell membership brings with it strength and assurance that – as an independent – P&R will remain competitive with its multinational competitors.