Armstrong Ngcobo, the director of Mzansi Autoglass, boasts a BCom Honours degree in Business Management from Unisa and a certificate in New Venture Creation from Wits Business School. He experienced a difficult childhood and money was scarce and this drove him to acquire a good education. With 18 solid years in Supply Chain Management, he finally opened Mzansi Autoglass on 1 June 2011.

Mzansi Autoglass offers automotive aftermarket replacement of glass. In addition to repairing and replacing glass, Armstrong’s team of technicians also service, supply and fit automotive quality glass.

What transpired after Armstrong bought into the franchise is one for the books. During his first year of business, the driven Armstrong could be found in the streets marketing his company by distributing pamphlets. Six months went by and little progress was seen. That is when the unique business model that Mzansi Autoglass uses to date was implemented, with the obvious tweaks as the glass industry continuously evolves. Armstrong’s company began to grow by leaps and bounds due to its outstanding reputation and workmanship. As a key to its growth and success, it began forming relations with mainstream companies and small operators, resulting in him supplying them with glass nationwide. One of these companies was national car rental company Avis. Impressed with Mzansi Autoglass’ good work and professionalism, in 2018 Avis referred the company to Siyakhula programme to help it grow further. Siyakhula has been phenomenal in helping Armstrong and his team with key elements such as access to markets, accounting services and interest-free loans, to name a few. Armstrong can’t say that the challenges have been completely overcome; but feels that Mzansi Autoglass is starting to become unstoppable.

The most recent challenge he encountered is the need for the implementation of a solid claims management system. Being the visionary that he is, Armstrong is exploring getting Mzansi Autoglass into the insurance space. He wants to incorporate small businesses and train them to operate under the umbrella of Mzansi Autoglass. This is Armstrong’s two-year short-term goal, while visions of expanding into plumbing services and the implementation of an insurance claims portal fall within his five-year goals. A call centre dealing with insurance claims is also in the pipeline for his team in the future.

Armstrong believes his company’s success rate is based on the unique way it does repair work and the excellent service to its customers. Mzansi Autoglass commits to repairing any faulty repair or installation free of charge. He says “Your supplier is the key to your business” and highlights that a good record-keeping system is key for any business. Armstrong signed off by saying that Mzansi Autoglass is a job creator and implored other divisions within the Barloworld perimeters to extend business his way. He also expressed his gratitude to Siyakhula for the shot in the arm and for its unwavering support.

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