CELEBRATING 50 YEARS WITH HITECH LASERS

How important is tailoring treatments to embrace a patient’s individual beauty? Chantal Thurlby-Alexander reports

From left to right: Naomi Olivier, Wicus Snr, Wicus Jnr and Kanika Olivier standing with their lasers.

It’s always a gem to find people who are as real as their business values are. This is the impression I left with after meeting with the owners of Hitech Lasers at their offices in Pretoria.

I was met with smiles and laughter as we made our way into their new office boardroom, a very quaint and memorable area. Our interview began once formalities were out of the way.

How was Hitech Lasers conceptualized?

Wicus Snr is a very knowledgeable and accomplished man who has seen the best and worst of our industry. He started as an accountant and not really being a corporate person, was fired for not agreeing with the corporate integrity of his employer. This was the very thing he needed to go on to start this successful company in 1974 and essentially leave a legacy for his children. Hitech Lasers, now part of the Hitech Group, is not just any laser company. Not only are they the oldest company in the industry, but they also have the most extensive range of lasers. Their offering expands beyond the Aesthetic market, to cover Surgical, Ophthalmic, Research, and Scientific lasers.

Why do you think the company has thrived the way it has?

Wicus Snr prides himself on the fact that Hitech Lasers has been at the forefront of laser technology that has helped shape the Aesthetic and Medical industry. Today’s products have evolved to achieve more using less energy. ‘It is inspiring to have seen the changes over the last 50 years’, he says.

The advice given was to work hard, believe in yourself, your people, and your products and you will survive. ‘Hitech Lasers is committed to the systems we offer and the manufacturing companies we represent. We believe in our products. We know everything there is to know about them.’

We know that you are a very family-orientated company, how many family members work with you?

It takes eight people to run the show over at Hitech Lasers, of which four members are family, and the other four are like family.

Although Hitech Lasers is a family-run business, Wicus Jnr was not just given the business on a platter – the conditions were qualifications in Business Economics, a Financial Diploma as well a Business Marketing qualification. He had to work from the ground up, starting as a technician and having to learn every aspect of the business, before receiving a promotion to Director. Being analytically inclined, like his father, strategic thinking is at the forefront when in discussion with me. Wicus Jnr has over 25 years of experience in the market. This includes technical experience in over 30 types of lasers in different fields. He is the only person in South Africa to have such extensive knowledge.

How has the industry, in your opinion, changed in the last 50 years and do you have any challenges in terms of the way the country is run?

‘I remember a time when our lasers were in every government hospital serving up to 40 needy patients a day. Currently, it is a disgrace to see that the most underprivileged people do not get the necessary and available treatments due to the inefficiency of hospital personnel. At some hospitals, only 5 or 6 procedures are performed per day. It is disheartening to see this trend and knowing what excellent quality equipment is available to offer life-changing treatments to South Africans, yet is not made available’, emphasized Wicus Snr.

Naomi, Wicus Snr’s wife, recalls how in the early years of the company, a mother approached them for treatment of her young son who had full facial Port Wine Stains. There was little in terms of treatments for this type of condition in South Africa and due to international sanctions, it was not possible to import a laser. ‘We had two young sons and it hit close to home. Hitech Lasers together with various laser and medical experts developed and built a Copper Vapour Laser with which we successfully treated the boy. This treatment took place on a Sunday night at Park Lane Clinic and was a first for South Africa. We experienced the deep gratitude of both parents to us and the physicians for the life-changing opportunity given to the boy.’

We are also faced with various levels of uncertainty in an unstable country as we have. We don’t have a crystal ball to give an answer about the future, but what we’ve learned over the past 50 years is to keep our focus on our core business, providing top-quality safe products, and to establish a good relationship with all our business associates.

What sets you apart from your competitors?

What sets us apart is that we can back what we do. We have made lifelong friends, and we celebrate the longevity of the company because we don’t just sell a piece of equipment, we sell ourselves – quality, integrity, and honesty. We are proud of our success.

If you could give any advice to a salon owner looking to get a laser, what would that be?

The market is filled with con artists or fly-bynights and Wicus Jnr cautions Salon owners to be wary when buying lasers from these companies.

In Afrikaans, there is a saying: “Goedkoop koop is duur koop” Buying cheap is expensive.

‘We have many examples of doctors and salon owners who bought light-based aesthetic devices at bargain basement prices. They ended up with ineffective results, scared patients, and eventually a very expensive doorstop’.

Make sure that the company you buy from has what it takes to fulfill your clinical and technical needs and don’t just take their word. Do your homework.

Wicus Jnr’s wife, Kanika, also drew attention to the fact that high-quality equipment comes at a higher price. The reason for this is that these systems are backed by clinical studies and many years of research and development. They can also guarantee clinical outcomes which a lot of companies are unable to do.

Ethical business is important. ‘There was an exhibitor across from us, selling a Chinese product similar to ours, at a Professional Beauty Expo one year. I noticed that this stand had videos on a loop, but they weren’t just any ordinary videos – they were clinical evidence Before and After images of the quality of treatment outcomes of the Lumenis laser systems, a company we represented at that stage. The audacity of it had me baffled. This is a good example of how cheap products try to make their way into the market, using misappropriated information to draw attention to their brand. But that’s all they are: cheap. They won’t last and definitely won’t get you the same clinical outcomes. The organizers at the time sorted it out and it was amicable. We are grateful to them for that’, says Naomi.

When asked what the next 50 years looks like everyone agreed that AI will play a pivotal role and Hitech Lasers is ready to embrace this reality. ‘Fortunately, we represent world-leading laser companies who are – as we arecommitted to delivering innovation through revolutionary and award-winning systems, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced applications.’

Wicus Jnr, Managing Director, summed up the future of the company when he said; ‘We are in the Medical and Aesthetic laser and IPL business to serve the community and to improve people’s lives through the products that we sell.’