Founded in 1980 with borrowed capital of R3000, The Ramsi Group celebrates its 41st anniversary in 2021. Over the years, the Group has been through many transformations, faced lots of challenges and has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of sewing machines and spare parts in the country.

The dynamic and well-respected company has seen constant growth over the years and turnover has increased more than tenfold in a decade. The Ramsi Group is notably proud of its achievements and is driven by the desire to be the leader in its industry. As such its directors are always on the lookout for innovative products, new markets, and opportunities. The main goal of CEO Sherwin Ramlall and director’s Ram and Shawn Ramlall are to distribute sewing related products that will add value to their current customers and attract new customers.

The company supplies over 10 000 spare parts for all sewing machines and has a range of 20 industrial and domestic Saito sewing machines, cutting and steam equipment. The group also distributes its own brand of household oil/lubricant.

Products are sourced from Germany, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, the United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, India and Malaysia. An extensive distribution network of 747 dealers has been established country wide and the company even supplies its competitors. This network includes distributors in Nambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana.

Saito Brand - Domestic & Industrial Sewing Machines
The Ramsi Group are worldwide owners of the Saito brand, which is a registered trademark, and are official distributors for Ricoma, FDM, Schmetz, Rich-X, Jegon and Seco in southern Africa.

The Saito brand of sewing machines, spare parts and lubricants is manufactured under license from The Ramsi Group. The Saito brand is a proudly South African brand, formulated and developed in Durban and trademarked in South Africa, in addition to being trademarked in East Asia and Africa. The Saito brand has been voted in the top ten in the KZN Top Business Awards in 2012 and 2013 respectively. In 2014, The Ramsi Group was placed in the top four in the trade category and in 2021 was in the top three in the family category.

Ricoma Embroidery Machines
The company is one of only two distributors of Ricoma industrial embroidery machines for the southern African region. These machines are manufactured utilising the highest quality parts and electronics, Japanese technology, and German engineering as well as a very stringent quality control process. The machines are meant for mass production, which are of much value to small and large clothing and embroidery businesses. This division is headed by Shawn Ramlall who often visits the manufacturers to look at innovative products and undergo training in the machine’s operation. This ensures that The Ramsi Group has first-hand knowledge of the machines in its workshops and can advise clients on the operation techniques.

Eco-Friendly Drive
Energy consumption and green technologies are a driving force in many manufacturers’ workshops. As such the company is now focusing on convincing customers who have industrial sewing machines to change from clutch motors to the eco-friendly range of sewing machine motors. The Ramsi Group has also recently introduced a range of LED bulbs which are energy efficient. These innovations could save up to 70 % in electricity, which has huge cost saving implications for clothing, linen and towelling manufacturers.

Community
The Ramsi Group has a special focus on supplying the home industry niche market and the addition of the embroidery machine is of value to this market allowing for diversification. The company has also worked closely with large international, local corporate and government organisations to provide sewing machines for rural community development.

Compliance
All the Saito domestic electric sewing machine models have been tested and assessed as being compliant with South African standards for which letters of authority have been issued. This ensures
that customers are assured of quality products.

Covid -19
One cannot begin to describe the destruction and turmoil that the coronavirus has had on families, our economy, and our society. The Ramsi Group was at the forefront in helping to negate the negative impacts of the virus. They have done so and continue to supply clothing manufacturers and households with sewing equipment for the manufacture of PPEs. The Saito range of machines were at the forefront in producing masks, gowns, head scarfs, disposable shoes etc. The Ramsi Group also donated a few sewing machines for the less fortunate communities for them to be able to sew PPEs for themselves.

The Future
The Ramsi Group intends to continue to take strides through the combination of keeping up to date with technology and innovation to ensure that the company maintains its upward momentum for another 41 years.