Local pharmaceutical company in global recognition for business excellence

At a recent ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the business practices of local pharmaceutical distributor, Geka Pharma, were recognised for their excellence by the Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice. Geka Managing Director, Willie van Wyk received a gold medallion and signed the charter of the Foundation on behalf of the company.

Willie van Wyk, the managing director of Geka Pharma, displays the medal that the company received for its excellent business practices. Mr. R Damary (left) and Mr B Ivaldi (right), respectively, Chairman and President of the Geneva-based Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice presented the award.

According to van Wyk, the award is primarily a result of the emphasis that the company places on customer service. He notes that the company’s strong record of excellent service to pharmacists, doctors, hospitals and institutional clients such as NGOs has been key to Geka’s success. “Prompt and accurate delivery of medication is not only a business principle, but it is also vital to the health of people across Namibia. This is particularly challenging given the vast distances that medications have to travel in order to reach the medical professional and the end user, the patient.”

In order to facilitate rapid distribution of medication, Geka Pharma has developed an exceptional distribution mechanism consisting of a customer care centre and a distribution centre backed by a sophisticated software platform that enables the company to manage the logistical requirements of distribution to more than 20 destination points across Namibia. Through this distribution chain, the company distributes more than 9000 line items from more than 60 manufacturers. An additional factor in the company’s success is a skilled and loyal staff complement. “In an organization of this nature, where skills are at a premium and the loss of a staff member can disrupt the supply of medication, we have fostered loyalty on the part of our people and have been rewarded with an exceptionally low staff turnover. The Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice, in presenting Geka with this award, has recognised the skills and dedication of every single member of our company,” van Wyk points out.

The award, presented to a small number of companies every year, takes into account a number of factors that include customer satisfaction, corporate governance, innovative policy and the use of modern high technologies, quality of goods and services provided, skilled personnel, stability and sustainable economic growth, environmental protection and human resources development, amongst other aspects. The medallions are awarded on the basis of reporting from embassies and governmental trade representations in different countries, the mass media, information agencies, national credit bureaux and chambers of commerce.

“We are aware that reporting was done on a number of large Namibian companies, and were surprised when we heard that we had been selected. We would particularly like to thank those customers who have contributed to our success over the decades, and especially those agencies who reported on us,” van Wyk said. “We have signed the charter of the Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice. This places a responsibility upon our shoulders, not just to maintain our high standards, but also to seek means to improve them and spread our knowledge beyond the confines of our own organization."