Quik Stik: Tying your world together

The Malawian people have,, somewhat intriguingly, lived and died for decades believing that the best quality is found only in imported materials.


But, as History has already begun to bear witness of Quik Stik’s international standard products, this imports-are-synonymous with-quality bluff has been a fallacy.


As Quik Stik Managing Director, Faraaz Ibrahim Patel, testifies, the company has, at last, managed to make its presence felt on the local scene, thanks to customers’ growing realization that there is no substitute for quality, and that not all imported products are quality products. All is happening barely two years after the company joined the building and construction industry in 2010.


“We joined the industry after noticing a gap. We realised that everything was being imported from South Africa, and decided to give Malawians products whose quality is as good as that found in South Africa and other countries,” says Faraaz.


Adds Faraaz: “We supply high quality tiles and agrout, an adhesive used for sticking tiles so that they last longer and meet people’s expectations. We actually target all members of the general public because we realise that we all need quality products if we really want our standards of living to improve.”


What is more? Quik Stik’s tile adhesives are manufactured locally, thereby creating employment opportunities for local people, and saving the much-needed foreign exchange. This is one of the company’s ways of contributing to national social-economic development.


The company, which employs 30 people despite being in Malawi for just two years, has a network of distributors in Blantyre and Lilongwe, giving those addicted to importing products that are locally available no excuse for externalizing forex.


“We are happy that, so far, people have started recognizing our products and are buying from us. At first, when we just started, business was slow. But things have picked up, and we are happy that Malawians are supporting us. But we still need local hotels to support us by using our colour adhesive because it’s a good product,” says Faraaz.


However, Faraaz observes that, for the industry to contribute fully to national development, there is need for the government to put in place incentives. He says there is need to consider decreasing taxes on raw materials, considering that local companies create employment and save the country’s foreign exchange.


Meanwhile, Quik Stik has announced that it will shortly launch another cheaper and better product in the name of Supa Fix.


Faraaz says Supa Fix is another tile adhesive, and tile grout product manufactured locally.


“We are looking at the construction industry, distributors, and end-users. We will, as usual, make the product available to customers through distributors such as Dekay Suppliers, Limbe Atomic Hardware, FocuS Tea Trading, Accurate Tiles, Bath and Tile, H & H Hardware, Nics Hardware, among others,” says Faraaz.